New approaches of Recovery, where the symptoms are not eliminated but the person has to live with them and rebuild his life, have facilitated that the alternative way of seeing the world of people with mental illness could be understood as a creative advantage. However, people living with mental health challenges do not have access to the artistic sector, and it does not have access to their alternative inner worlds. The results are non-realistic and romantic representations of Madness, which fails in demonstrating diversity. IME not only seeks to support the music sector by promoting emerging artists, it will also capture captivating stories coming from the grassroots (people living with mental health issues) and not accessible to the public yet, to develop new audiences and keep music diversity alive by: – Promoting co-production between musicians with and without mental health issues, bringing richer and more significant life experiences for all – Redefining Music by incorporating non-mainstream experiences coming from the grassroots- Attracting new audiences among those groups of people who are underrepresented. IME will promote identification, bringing music closer to mental illness and mental illness closer to music- Promoting the mobility of emerging artists and supporting them to make their living out of the music, through training and the redesign of their traditional creative approachesSeveral actions are being planned, within three different stages: INSPIRATION, CREATION and MARKETING. They include the INTRO MUSIC LAB where emerging artists will start their co-creation with composers living with mental health challenges using story-telling/story-living techniques, the INTROSPECTION MUSIC WEEK where emerging European artists will lead the metamorphosis from schizophrenia to music and the EUROPEAN IME TOUR with local and international concerts to promote diversity in the music production and in the creative process.
