Creativity and Compulsions: Using Art and Neuroscience to Explore the Experience of Compulsive Behaviours
This event will explore how art and neuroscience can be used to describe, investigate, and reveal the experience of body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs)—compulsive urges to pick, pull, or bite at hair, skin, or nails. Through an interactive workshop and a discussion between an artist and a neuroscientist, both of whom have lived experience with BFRBs, the session will examine the intersection of creative practice and scientific research in understanding these behaviours.

The event will begin with a hands-on art workshop, where participants will have the opportunity to engage with creative processes that explore the nature of compulsions. This will be followed by a discussion focusing on the role of art in illuminating the experience of compulsive behaviours, informed by insights from neuroscience. The session will also provide space for lived experiences and audience engagement through a Q&A.

Programme

Art Workshop (18:00–19:00)
A creative workshop led by Liz Atkin, exploring artistic approaches to expressing and understanding compulsive behaviours. Drawing on her own experience with Compulsive Skin Picking, Liz will guide participants through an expressive and reflective process.

Talk & Discussion (19:00–20:30)
A conversation between Liz Atkin and Clare Mackay, focusing on the ways in which art can enhance our understanding of compulsive behaviours, alongside insights from neuroscience. The discussion will also address lived experiences and broader themes of mental health, creativity, and awareness. A Q&A session will provide an opportunity for further engagement.

Attendees may register for:
-Workshop + Talk (limited availability)
-Talk only

Speakers:
Liz Atkin is an artist and educator. She reimagines her Compulsive Skin Picking and anxiety into drawings, photographs and performances. Liz is a mental health advocate and raises awareness for the disorder around the world. She has exhibited and taught in the UK, Europe, Australia, USA, Singapore and Japan. Her work is permanently held in the Wellcome Collection, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, Derby Museum, and Bethlem Gallery Collection. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, she gave away more than 18,000 free #CompulsiveCharcoal newspaper drawings to commuters on public transport in London, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Cologne and more. Liz teaches art in schools, hospitals, hospices, prisons, arts venues and universities. She is an ambassador for The Big Draw, the world’s largest drawing festival, focusing on the role of creativity for health and wellbeing.
Clare Mackay is a Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry and has spent 30 years studying a variety of brain disorders, including epilepsy, psychosis and dementia, primarily using neuroimaging technology. In 2023, she began to turn her attention to the compulsive hair-pulling disorder that had been with her all along (trichotillomania). She is developing new research questions and collaborations, as well as using her platform to raise awareness and reduce stigma for people living with BFRBs.
@thetrichprof on youtube, Instagram, facebook, Clare Mackay on bluesky and linkedin. www.psych.ox.ac.uk/BFRBs

This event provides an opportunity to engage with both artistic and scientific perspectives on compulsive behaviours, fostering a deeper understanding of their impact and the ways in which creativity can support self-expression and awareness.
Date: 18 March 2025, 18:00
Venue: St Edmund Hall, Queen's Lane OX1 4AR
Venue Details: Doctorow Hall (Accessible by lift)
Speaker: Various Speakers
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/creativity-and-compulsions-a-workshop-and-conversation-tickets-1244830093319?aff=oddtdtcreator
Cost: Free
Audience: Public
Editor: Rosalind McDonald-Hill