Feb 12, 2017
Lee Howell http://www.leehowellphotography.com/
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Lee Howell http://www.leehowellphotography.com/
Lee Howell
Lee Howell
Lee Howell
Lee Howell
Lee Howell
Bradley Williams (50)
Where are you from? I was born in Melbourne, but I’ve been living in Auckland for the past 24 years.
What do you do for a living? I used to be a suit - actually I was the fixer. I worked in the corporate world of international freight and shipping. I traveled the world extensively and solved problems. I also got consumed by it. I learnt the hard way about the dangers of overworking, drinking and mental health stress.
14 year ago I decided it was time to change. I have always been creative and good with my hands so I turned my hobby of house renovation into my full-time job.
What causes are you passionate about? There are number of causes that I’m really passionate about, the main one is spending real time with my kids and being present for them.
After that, I provide peer support for a number of mental health organisations. I help spread the word about mental health problems. I’m a talker and I meet lots people with my job. It’s amazing how many people are able to help in one way or another.
I’m passionate about mental health because I went from being the one who fixed everything to one who was broken. I was very lucky to have the right support network around me at the time - people I could really talk to.
What project are you involved with that makes the world better place? I’m directly involved with Live More Awesome (LMA) and the Mankind Project.
Live More Awesome is a nonprofit charity and movement dedicated to inspiring, encouraging, informing and helping people struggling with depression, anxiety and suicide. Being depressed is a very lonely place and to realize you are not alone - and that there are people who have been to the lowest and survived - can make all the difference.
We organise events like the world longest water slide as a way to promote LMA and to start conversations.
What effect has this project had to date? It’s hard to quantify, but we have thousands of people around the world on forums helping each other, speaking honestly and offering support. These forums also have a moderator on hand 24/7 in case they are needed.
How could this project be developed in order to benefit more people? We just need to spread the word. We all have mental health, we need to acknowledge it and look after it. If you’re having trouble looking after it, please ask for help.
What do you love most about New Zealand? I love the diversity, the people and the landscape.
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Photographer: Lee Howell
Rachel Callander (34)
Where are you from? Timaru.
What do you do for a living? I photograph people - either on their wedding day, as a family, or in their business.
What cause are you passionate about? Advocating for people with disabilities. Photographing them beautifully and telling their story using words that describe them as people, rather than the more commonly used deficit language of disability.
What project are you involved with that makes the world better place? The Super Power Baby Project!
What effect has this project had to date? As a book, it is giving hope to families all over the world who are finding themselves as a different kind of parent than the ones they expected to be. It is helping to give perspective in really tough situations, and is balancing the limiting language of syndromes and medical conditions by using words that describe the personalities and abilities of every child in the book.
As a movement, I am being asked to speak at medical conferences, symposiums, charity fundraisers and education meetings where I challenge people in the health profession to find a better way of presenting hard medical information. And that when they see the person they are diagnosing as a human being instead of a list of failing body parts, this is better for everybody.
How could this project be developed in order to benefit more people? It could be used as an official education tool. We are hoping to get some funding to ensure we can get this book into the hands of every midwife, paediatrician, GP and school library in New Zealand. Then further study is on the cards to gain knowledge about the global conversation around disability and how we need to be far more accepting of these people in our community. This will hopefully form the basis of a second book, looking at the lives and abilities of young adults in NZ.
What do you love most about New Zealand? Freedom and peace. You can have big dreams here and make them a reality. Interesting people are everywhere!
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Photographer: Lee Howell