The aim of The Butterfly Effected is to spread positivity and wellbeing using art as the vehicle. #TheButterflyEffected is to inspire anyone that is going through a hard time by sharing positive stories from people on the other side of a hard time – This is anything from mental health, trauma, sickness, addiction, abuse, family troubles… absolutely anything which has brought a person down or had an effect mentally, emotionally or physically.
Our aim is to inspire and give hope when ‘normality’ or happiness seems non-existent.
Follow us and watch us grow.
For the past 10 years I have been self employed as a large scale muralist/ street artist, currently based in the UK. Within this time I have been blessed to travel to many countries with my work, painting large scale murals across the world in places such as the United States (Miami, Michigan & Los Angeles), Mexico, England and North
Recovery or Discovery? I could bore you with countless tales of misadventure whilst wandering around my life in a nonchalant manner, but I’m sure you’ve heard it all before. Today it’s about my journey from making that choice to change, acceptance and understanding and how I developed a sense of self which were guided by my deepest values. From the
Growing up, my life was shadowed by my Dad’s alcoholism. From as early as I can remember, I sensed that he was different from other dads, but as a child, I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. As I grew older, it became clear that my Dad struggled deeply with his mental health. From a young age, I took
My experience with Calico started through SafeNet Domestic Abuse services which helped me to build a better life. Calico initially helped me with supported housing and to live in a safe environment. I now volunteer for Calico and hope to use this as a stepping stone for the future. My story has given me a sense of hope and has
I took a leap of faith in March 2023 to leave the DWP after 22 years of dealing with a wide variety of benefit claims and customers to accept a new role at Calico as a Customer Service Officer in the Contact Centre/Reception. I enjoy the huge variety of queries that this role brings and the constant daily interaction that
Initially myself, my back then boyfriend and our baby son applied for a Calico home as we were a young family starting out, we rented until my then fiancé developed a hernia which prevented him from working, our then only source of income. We were forced to move in with his parents due to affordability; this was very overcrowded as
My daughter and I moved to the UK from Russia a few years ago. I couldn’t speak much English and we didn’t know anyone here. We were quite alone. Through Downtown, I was about to meet new people, practise my language skills and grow in confidence. They offered me advice and support and then helped me to find a job
My name is Carla. I am 49 years old and have been living at Calico’s supported living property for the past three years. Since moving into my new house, I’ve discovered a sense of freedom and a sense of community. Despite facing difficult and abusive relationships, mobility issues and battling anxiety, my journey has led me to have peace and
Painted in Flint, Michigan by @aylo_nomad & @seca_oneFor @flintpublicartWe wanted to capture the frustration and pain of bottled-up emotions and the release/peace that can be achieved by opening up and expressing, sharing and talking through your problems. Drawing inspiration from the British saying “spitting feathers” once known as a term for thirsty but in recent years adapted to mean frustration
Hi my name is Paul. I’m 48 and battled with addiction for 34 years. I grew up in Stoke Newington, Hackney on a council estate which I absolutely loved. I was smoking dope at 12yrs old, drinking heavily at age of 14, a coke head at age 16 and a heroin addict by the age of 17! I definitely had
“I was in a drug haze for 35 years and am now doing really well on my new journey. I am very proud of myself for where I am now.” Vince has recently walked 138 miles to raise money for our partners Mulberry Community Project, here’s some of his story… I’ve now been with Mulberry Community Project for over 2
At the age of 20, I met a man who appeared to be the most charming, kind and loving human Ihad ever met. We quickly fell in love and before we knew it, we were expecting a baby.During pregnancy, the abuse started. Initially, emotional and then financial abuse began tocreep into our relationship, he would call me names, gaslight and
For my courageous sister Katy – The red butterfly… In March 2022 Katy complained of not feeling well, at the same time she mentioned a funny smell, one similar to that of burning toast. Soon after my 9-year-old niece and two nephews found Katy on the floor having a seizure and called her partner to come and help, Katy was
From the age of four, I used to tell myself that I’m on the wrong planet or maybe I was adopted. I felt different to my peers who looked happy and content in their own skin. I felt like a square peg in a round hole. The story I am about to tell you has nothing to do with the
Things hit me really bad when I lost my grandad, he was my hero and I was young, around 12-13 and didn’t know how to deal with it. Both grandparents basically raised me and I was really close to them. It didn’t just affect me, it broke my family apart when he died. I already really struggled at school before
It was 2018, I was 38, I had a good job with the civil service and I had two grown up children and had been with my partner for 22 years, he was the father of my children and we had been through a lot together. We were childhood sweethearts and I thought we would be together forever…we took cocaine
Hi, my name is Robin I’m 72 yrs old, not something that I want to remind myself of. I was born in Blackpool and have lived here all my life. Like most people out there my upbringing was not the happiest after losing my mum when I was 9years old. The path I chose in life was one I had
In 2019 I was diagnosed with Triple Negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease which affects 10-15% of patients. I’d never heard of it, so I had to try to research what the future might hold or if there was actually going to be one. Just a few days before, I’d been suddenly made redundant, so I had
I met the girl of my dreams at 21 and moved to Blackpool. I spent 15 years as happy as I could be in a town I came to call home. I lost a close relative in a short period of time just before lockdown and found myself in crisis. I was in a job where I wanted nothing more
I grew up being told I was never good enough, never smart enough, and nobody would ever want me. To top it off I had a secret that I knew they would never except. I knew I was different, but growing up in the church I knew it was wrong and hid it for years, trying to change who I
I had struggled to come to terms with my sexuality during childhood and was told in 1991 that I had just six months to live after a HIV diagnosis. I was still alive 10 years later but heavily dependent on alcohol, crack cocaine and heroin. In 2006 I ended up overdosing on class A drugs while suffering with the Aids
As a child I just could never fit in, and I really tried. I was very academically bright, but ‘didn’t play well with others’ and as I got to high school, I found it even harder to make friends. I started to get into more trouble because I thought it made me more popular with other kids. I lost interest