Where there’s a will, there’s a way and Carrie Bledsoe is the proof. Like many others dedicated to mental health awareness, Bledsoe is a talented graphic designer who has just released a line of notebooks to help her and others deal with mental illness.
However, Bledsoe also happens to be homeless.
Due to her current living situation, she cannot afford therapy and this has been one of the biggest driving forces behind her sharing her work.
However, she has chosen not to let her circumstances get in the way. Carrie decided to release her own line of Black-owned notebooks that act as a distinct form of therapy.
At first, she did not think that writing down her feelings would be any help. However, she tried it, and it worked.
So, she is now pouring her heart out into notebooks as a way of coping with her mental health problems. That is, until she will be able to afford the actual therapy.
By releasing her unique line of notebooks, she is not only helping herself and others remain creative and mentally healthy, but is also giving herself the opportunity to make a living for herself—which is something that would also help her a tremendous amount.
Carrie owns her own company, The Carrie Company. Through the company, she offers unique notebook designs for both young girls and boys, along with women and men.
In a recent interview, Carrie shed some light on a long-held collective belief that men cannot, and should not, deal with mental health qualms by showing vulnerability. This is an outdated belief that is a product of judgment and misinformation.
Carrie is on a mission to change the stigma around men and mental health. She wants men of all ages to feel comfortable enough to express their feelings without judgment or being seen as weak.
In an interview with Black Business, she says, “As a community, we have this belief that males shouldn’t be vulnerable. I want to change that. Young males and grown men should be able to express their feelings just as women do.”
With The Carrie Company mental health journals, she levels the playing field by offering two designs: one for women, and another one for men who also need support.
However, Bledsoe’s skills don’t just stop at graphic designing dope artwork onto notebooks. In fact, she also designs and illustrates other books, including digital and paperback novels.
Bledsoe has consistently created fly book covers for urban written works such as Everybody Ain’t Your Friend: An Urban Romance Thriller and Women, Wives, & Witnesses: God’s Love for the Female Population by author Tanisha Stewart.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COsy2pcjNn-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
While Carrie is doing a fantastic job of extending her heart and helping hand to others coping with mental health issues, she is unfortunately still going through struggles of her own. For Carrie, homelessness is still a hurdle she must overcome.
However, she is currently accepting charitable donations so she can pay off her collections and eventually be approved for an apartment, and stop being homeless.
If you’d like to offer Carrie some assistance, charitable donations can be made to help Carrie pay off her collections so she can get approved for an apartment on Cash App @carrieandcompany.
If you’d like to show your support by buying her mental health journals or requesting her graphic design services, you can find her on Instagram @thecarriecompany.
