A vibrant, hand-painted mural stretching the size of 22 double-decker buses has taken over Waterloo, London. Launched by Bupa, a private healthcare company, the massive installation is a part of their ‘Express Your Health’ global campaign. The core message behind this mural is that creative expression is an essential pillar of clinical wellness.

The health benefits of creativity

Bupa’s research across the UK, Spain, and Australia shows a stark wellness gap: 85 per cent of adults agree creative hobbies benefit their health, yet 47 per cent spend zero time doing them. 

Fiona Bosman, Group Brand Director at Bupa, explained the campaign's initial spark that inspired the campaign: 

“Our research shows that 1 in 2 people have a health concern they don’t talk about, but when they do share via different story telling formats it helps them.  We thought, ‘What if we combined our insights on sharing health stories with the powerful health benefits of creativity to create a movement?’”

Collaborating with neuroscientists at Kinda Studios, Bupa points to data showing that just 30 to 45 minutes of creative activity reduces the stress hormone cortisol and supports emotional regulation. For Bupa, promoting this is a core responsibility. 

The faces behind the art 

The Waterloo mural features 21 artists and storytellers, including Paralympian Richard Whitehead, Olympic Swimmer Tom Daley and Rachel Gadsden, an artist living with a chronic hereditary lung condition and visual impairment.

Fiona emphasised that technical perfection wasn't the goal: "The creators were chosen because of their health stories rather than their skill levels.  We invited ‘friends of Bupa’ [partners who Bupa have previously worked with], who have not done a lot of art before to show that you don’t have to be an artist to harness the power of creativity.

A global movement

With concurrent activations hitting Madrid, Melbourne, and Sydney, Bupa is now inviting the public to upload their own creative health journeys to their website. 

"We hope to create the largest collection of health stories told through creativity to live online and be added to over time,” says Fiona. 

 When reflecting on the positive public and media reception, Fiona credited the collaborative effort for the project's success: "I am most proud of the team for taking an idea to a global movement... When a group of people come together and they are all aligned in a shared passion, that’s when real magic happens."

Ultimately, the initiative aims to empower patients worldwide. As Fiona concluded: "This work highlights something we see globally: when people are given the space to share their health experiences, it can be transformative. Through this campaign, we’re encouraging people to express themselves creatively, because when words are hard to find, creativity can help us.”

Photos: Jeff Moore