Henrik Wahlström is an author, artist, creative director and mental health advocate. He was a recent Guest Artist at the Nordic Art Agency and sat down for a podcast interview with gallery founder Juliet Rees. You can watch or listen to this interview on the Spotify and Youtube by following links:
Henrik Wahlström is a Swedish creative director, artist, and passionate advocate for mental health. His work blends his personal journey with creativity, using art as a powerful tool for self-expression and emotional healing. His lived experience with bipolar disorder has driven him to create the “Uppochner” (Ups and Downs) campaign, which promotes acceptance and understanding of mental health.
He’s also the author of “Ups and Downs: A Survival Guide for Bipolar Disorder” (original title: Uppochner: en överlevnadshandbok för bipolär sjukdom), written alongside Dr. Katrin Skogberg Wirén.
Juliet Rees, founder of the Nordic Art Agency, had the chance to sit down and talk to him at the Nordic Art Agency Podcast. The interview has now been made into this blog post:
Juliet:
Henrik, I think I'd like to start our conversation today with your initial relationship with art. How has art through your childhood - growing up struggling with mental health and bipolar disorder - how has that evolved you as a creative person?
Henrik:
That's a huge question. I've always been drawing and painting, as I guess most kids do. But I had a very close relationship to drawing emotions or getting emotions out at a very early age. And I really remember that if I had been through a happy, emotional, experience - if I’d seen a movie at the cinema or something, I was desperate to get home so that I could paint or draw the movie.
And I see now today with my own son that if he's been watching a show, he wants to run around in the yard and play that show or that movie. But I wanted to sit down by myself and paint.
I also had a memory that came back to me not too long ago when I found some old drawings. They were horrible. Not that they were badly made, but they were depicting horrible scenes. Then I remembered that I had locked myself into this wardrobe or something to draw to get out some horrible feelings. So that was a really scary thing to find, you know, like a five year old's drawing of decapitated humans and stuff. But it made me feel like, okay, I'm never gonna stop my own kids from drawing horrible things because I obviously needed it back then.
My grandfather, who was a great painter, taught me the basics of oil painting when I was eight, and then I just started painting instead of drawing. Which I did throughout my childhood and teens.
Then sometime around my twenties, when I graduated, my bipolar disorder bloomed and my life sort of fell apart. I got into a bad case of alcoholism, went to rehab, and no longer had any intention of painting. I had no room for it in my life and just didn’t think about it at all. Also, since I was depressed a lot of the time, I just felt like no one’s going to appreciate it. So I didn't draw, I didn't draw at all for almost 20 years.
Then, I picked it up again, and because I knew that I could paint - if I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted to do, I could get pretty close to it. But I didn’t see any point with it, I didn’t have an audience. During my teens, no one saw my paintings, I just made them for myself, then they were put in the attic or thrown away.
But now, I’ve got these big social media accounts, with about 250 000 subscribers. And when I showed some old paintings I got this really great response. So when I saw that I had the audience, I started painting again, which was wonderful. I was able to paint everything that had been built up during these years.
When it comes to mental health and bipolar disorder in relation to art, art has been an outlet many of the times. But when depressed, I don’t have the energy to draw and I’m not able to see the point with it. Then, when I’m out of that episode, or even when I’m sped up - which is the unique thing with bipolar disorder, the old term being manic depressive illness, that I don’t just have the depressions, I have the opposite of depressions as well - then, during the mania, I have all of this energy and creative, positive thoughts that make me go ahead and do these projects.
Which means that I paint scenes that are depictions of depression, but I do it when I’m not depressed.
So is it a conscious decision to then utilize that creative practice? I know that you write as well, and that you’re creative in many aspects of your life, but when you are coming out of a depressive episode, do you then feel as though it's a conscious connection that you need to create on a canvas or with a pencil? Or is it something that is a kind of spontaneous reaction?
Usually it’s an image that appears in my mind that I feel represents what I’ve been through or how I view something. Often, the creative process is done in my head before I set up the canvas. I never sit down and say now I’m going to paint for three hours, I wonder what it’s going to be. That never happens.
For example, if I know that I want to paint this depiction of a boat in the stormy ocean, then I think about it even more to plan out the proportions and everything. Lastly, I set up the canvas and start painting. Then the process is quite fast because I already know exactly how I want it.
Sometimes, I make a mistake and see that it’s not a mistake at all - I might realise that I want to keep it. But most of the time, I feel like either I’m successful or not, just depending on whether I manage to depict the image that I have in my mind accurately or not. If I’m not succeeding then I’ll just set up a new canvas, or paint it over.
Some of my paintings have several layers of the same image on top of each other, as I start over so many times.
In some ways, that’s a very different form of creative practice, as many artists start their work with a series or a theme in mind. But for you, it sounds as though it’s intuitive. You will have something that you decide on, after having been through this period or episode, that you then need to express - that can be a boat, or anything. So in some ways, you are kind of skipping that conscious decision for compositional, thought and process.
Maybe. I mean, I am all emotion. I have no education whatsoever when it comes to art. Not practical, nor theoretical. I don’t know anything about art, and that makes me sometimes - I guess I should feel like an imposter. I feel as if I don’t deserve to be here, you know?
But since I’m open about the fact that I just draw whatever I want to, and that I just go with the flow and the emotion, I get less afraid by being transparent about it.
I don’t know what this creative process should look like, I’ve never heard anyone talk about it. I’ve never read a book about art. I just do. I just paint what’s on my mind, and I’ve done so all through since I was eight. So for the last like 30+ years I’ve just been expressing stuff, just pure heart.
The fact that people actively buy your artwork, and connect with it, that for me shares the emotional reaction that one might have to the artwork. I think it sounds as though it’s a very human dialogue. And ultimately, I think that’s what people want to have when they look at art - they want to have that emotional connection.
They want to be swept up in a response that feels organic, and not forced or falsified. And I think just from meeting you now, I understand why that would be essential to your creative process, even if you don’t feel you have one - the practice is there.
I guess I have one. I mean - of course I have a creative process, I just don’t know how to talk about it because I’ve never read about it.
And I don’t think it’s the most important thing for me that people buy my art. I mean, I make my living off other stuff as well, I’m not dependent on people buying the art. Also, I think if people bought my art right off the bat, I would start thinking that they’re only buying it because I’m a famous person in Sweden. I am an influencer, or a famous face, so they might want to have this famous person’s art. Then I would think that okay, maybe it’s just crap, but I’m famous enough to sell it anyway.
But since people are getting back to me every day - I get these long messages on social media from people who are interpreting my works, thinking about them, talking about things that I have painted in ways that I see that they actually understand what I’m trying to portray. They might see that this is actually art - and that makes me believe in it as well.
So, as this creative, you have also taken your personal experiences with bipolar disorder, and you’ve created this incredible campaign - ups and downs - which has a tangible visual logo, which I love. Can you talk a little bit about how that came to you, and what you think that means to people?
Yes, so, that was when I chose to come out with my diagnosis - of bipolar disorder. That was in 2021, so it’s just a few years ago. Before that, I had been keeping it a secret for twelve years. When I got my diagnosis, it felt like a death penalty, like, this is for life. Since it is a chronic disease, I’m never going to get rid of it. I was trying to hide it, which was really eating me up.
So, after twelve years, I decided that I didn’t want to stay silent anymore. I wanted to try to battle this stigma and prejudice associated with mental health issues. I wanted to make it easier for people coming after me to speak up as well. And so, when I did start talking about it, I was met with lots of love and understanding, which made me think about why it took me so long to speak up. Why did I wait for twelve years? Because when I was met with love and understanding, it was such a weight of my chest, and it struck me pretty fast that the reason why I had been silent for so long, why it’s so difficult for people to speak out about mental health issues, is that it is kind of a coming out process. It’s like coming out with a sexual orientation, or a gender identity or something that is very personal.
It’s a very private thing, and I’ve kept it to myself, since I know how much prejudice there is out there. As I don’t know who is judgemental, I won’t know until I come out and say those words. And once they’re said, I can’t take them back.
For people coming out with their sexual orientation, there is this wonderful tool that is the pride symbol. We forget how smart that is. It’s not just a flag, just waving for the sake of it. It’s a symbol that shows people where they have allies, without having to bring up the question or their sexual orientation. You can stay silent and still see that, for example your boss at work who has a pride mug, might be someone you can talk to, or that your colleague with a pride pin is someone you can be open to if you want to. It’s also a way of showing safe spaces, like a coffee shop with a pride flag.
I thought this is what I would’ve needed. If there had been a pride symbol for bipolar disorder, I might have been able to speak up much sooner.
So then I made this - I have it as a tattoo - it’s a small heart symbol drawn by a four-year-old, that’s why it’s so jagged. And the small smiley is happy or sad at the same time. It’s called the Schrodinger Smiley. Schrodinger’s Emoticon.
Uppochner (Ups and downs)
I created this symbol and went live on instagram as well as put up a web shop. I created lots of merchandise with this symbol, and guest starred on podcasts, etc. The profit generated from this symbol campaign is donated to the Mind association that also runs the Swedish Suicide Hotline. I said back then that this could just as well turn out as a flop, but I just had to try.
I called the symbol ups and downs, and it’s meant to show that the bearer of the symbol has an open and accepting attitude towards mental health issues and different diagnoses. So if you are suffering from mental health problems and see someone with this symbol on, you know that that is someone you don’t have to wear a mask in front of. You feel safe to answer truthfully if they ask you how you’re doing.
I want to add as well that all of the money generated from this campaign is donated to Mind - the association that runs the Swedish Suicide Hotline
And it just exploded from there. I mean, that was three years ago, and I think yesterday I got the 341:st tattoo sent to me - and that’s only the people who have sent pictures to me. But also, the symbol has been worn in the government in Sweden and in the European Parliament, as well as showing up in different places around the world.
It has generated lots and lots of money for the cause, but first and foremost, I get all of these witnesses and stories. People are getting in touch with me to tell me about how this symbol has opened up discussions in workplaces and made others dare to tell their friends, families, bosses or colleagues about how they feel.
I agree with you, I think in the terms of adults, or perhaps slightly older teenagers also - they don’t necessarily feel as though they can genuinely be open about it. And then to have an advocate that’s so relatable as you are - I think, not coming with a professor's mindset.
But - if you’re talking to young people, or when you’re sharing your personal experiences - is the creative practice something you encourage as a tool for bipolar sufferers?
Yes, I absolutely encourage people with mental health problems to try to express themselves through art or through words. So, it could be in writing as well, but the important thing is to just get it out there. Get in on paper, get it on a canvas, you don’t have to show it to anyone, you just have to express.
Many who have problems with a lot of anxiety, also might be struggling with self harm or very aggressive thoughts. Being creative can then be a great option and a more harmless way to get it out. You can draw awful, horrible scenes and then just throw it away if you want to. That’s what I did for many years, which I think was very helpful. I don’t know what would’ve happened if I hadn’t done that. I would probably have been breaking plates in the kitchen.
But even in painting, it got pretty dark for me at times. I remember a really dark period when I just packed lots of canvases and hard liquor in the car, went out to the summer house and just locked myself in for days. And that wasn’t a productive environment at all, it was really bad. But, I mean, if I hadn’t brought those canvases - that would’ve been even worse. What could’ve happened then?
Has there been a specific method for you in terms of material and practice? Or how have you evolved the sense of which medium that best communicates the artworks’ expression?
I’ve been experiencing many different kinds of aesthetic or creative fields. I mean, I’ve been doing music as well, I’ve been in the TV business, writing scripts, etc. But pictures have always been the easiest for me. That’s the format that an idea pops into my head - visually.
Then, I started with oil-paint, but later found that acrylics suit me better, as I don’t have the patience for it to dry. So oil-paint would only halt the process. If I know that I have to wait two days before I can continue painting a piece, I might never even get back to it.
Now I’ve found some kind of acrylics that I really like that are somewhere in between. They give me a few hours of drying time, but not days. But I’ve never been a snob when it comes to materials. I think that the finished product is the whole thing, the main focus.
I find that interesting as, here in the gallery for example, I have multidisciplinary artists, so we have fiber artists, resin artists, and artists that just work with acrylics, or very specific watercolor techniques. So, it’s interesting to have these conversations, because they all have a different journey finding their medium where they find that they can express themselves most spontaneously; where it feels more organic.
I’m actually going to exhibit a series of your artwork - which is very exciting! We have ten days booked, from the 23rd of April to the 3rd of May. It would be wonderful to hear a little bit about the selection that you’ve made and what the visitors to the gallery can expect to see.
It’s not a hundred percent set yet, as I usually bring a few more alternatives than I anticipate will be hung, in case I get a different idea when installing. But mainly, there will be three different parts. In one of them, I have been doing a lot of droplets, rain, and diffused light through water.
In the second one, I’ve been painting a lot of children in water, with their faces turned away, or covered in different ways. These are images that just have popped into my head, but I guess a Freudian psychologist would really dig deep into that. But as for me - I just make them.
The third part will probably be a mix. Right now I’m in the process of having to “kill my darlings”, as everything won’t fit, obviously.
No, and it sounds like the selection of artwork is a bit like the spontaneous way in which you create, also?
Yes, absolutely. And also because these are all new pieces, they have not been shown before - except for online. Almost all of them have been painted in 2025. But, I haven’t painted them in the serial order, as in five pieces depicting droplets and then five depicting kids in the water. It has just been all over, depending on what I feel like painting at the moment.
I’d like to talk more about that balance that you mentioned between creativity - like writing, music and painting. When you are talking about mental health to young people or when you’re describing how your creativity supports your emotional healing - how do you crystallize the way in which creativity could support a person dealing with bipolar disorder or mental health problems?
It can be a very positive outlet for emotions. You might be able to let out some emotions that you don’t know what to do with otherwise, or that risk getting destructive in some way. I think it would be important for people to get over that. Lots of people write to me that they wish they could paint, but don’t have the talent. That they don’t know how to. Sure they do. I mean, just start doing it. You don’t have to think about an audience, you can throw it all away after you’re done. You can put them in the attic. You can do whatever you want. Just make sure you don’t paint for another person - paint for yourself.
I am actually giving a lecturer talk, on the 3rd of May here at Hansa, about the connection between creativity and mental health issues. This connection has been discussed for centuries - or even longer. I think it was already 400 BC when someone talked about the insane genius, and stuff like that. But today, it has finally been proven by a team of scientists at the Karolinska Institutet here in Sweden that people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are highly over represented in all creative lines of work with artists, authors and scientists. That’s one of the points I’m talking about in my lecture.
I am always trying to find positive and optimistic ways to look at this, since I’m not getting rid of this disease. I try to find ways to look at it like some part of it is a gift. I am absolutely sure that I wouldn’t be here today, creatively, or in my line of work, if it wasn’t for this disease.
Still, I would like to get rid of it, but since I can’t, I can at least shine light on those bright parts.
I think that message is actually that it can enhance your life. As opposed to just being negative.
I think that is particularly inspiring for young people. I’ve raised three children, and even if none of them have any mental health diagnosis, there are moments in their childhood that you can see that issues occur. And, obviously I’m from quite a creative background, so I’ve always employed the idea of having Play-Doh, coloring pencils, Lego, or whatever it might be so that they can sit down and be quiet, be still, allow that moment to pass, be contemplative. Because it’s hard to get a child to meditate.
I think the practice in a way that you’ve experienced through your artistry and your creativity is such a powerful message to give young people. If there was one thing that you were going to suggest how you begin that, I kind of feel from you, it’s the idea that failure is fine? That perfection is not the goal here?
Exactly. T he message that I’m also really trying to spread, when I’m giving out lectures about these subjects, it’s that you can have a good life with a disorder such as mine, or with recurring depressions or whatever. You can have a good life with those mental health issues. With the proper medications and structured life, you can find your balance and be able to keep it.
I think my goal is also to encourage young people and children to express themselves in a creative way and to try to make mental images of what you’re trying to say, using metaphors.
Yes, I think what I feel from you, which is also really significant, is reducing the shame around mental health and then allowing people and children to see how it can embody something so positive as a creative response.
I feel so honored to have had this conversation and I’m really looking forward to seeing your artworks in the gallery!
I think it’s such a special and incredible journey that you’ve been on, and I think your message is really poignant as somebody who spends her life talking to professional artists. It’s really nice to meet someone who has become an artist through a completely different path. I’m very grateful, so thank you for joining me.
And Henrik, is there anything that you’d like to say, just as a parting word to anybody that possibly might be struggling with metal health issues?
If you, who are reading this, are struggling with some kind of mental health issues, do speak up. Tell someone. It can be anyone - a doctor, a friend or anyone. Do not stay silent, because that is really dangerous. I wish that I had spoken up much sooner.
Thank you very much, Henrik.
If you’d like to listen or watch the interview, make sure to check out the Nordic Art Agency podcast on Spotify, or the Nordic Art Agency Youtube-channel.
Henrik Wahlström's works are on display in the Nordic Art Agency Gallery from 23rd of April - 3rd of May. The finnissage will take place on the 3rd of May at 15:00-17:00, following Henrik's lecture at Hansa earlier the same day.