A Birmingham art director, Paul Power, has published his first book ‘Sh*ts Got Real’, providing an illustrated survival guide for new dads and tackling the issue of Postnatal Depression (PND) in men.
Paul, who heads up the creative content studio HDY Agency, teamed up with mental health charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) to come up with the idea for the new book to raise money for the charity.
It’s estimated that one in five men experience anxiety or depression after becoming a father, which often goes undiagnosed. While creating the book, Paul found out that he was going to become a dad for the first time too, which meant he was able to put the book to the test.
‘Sh*ts Got Real’ explores the first nine weeks of life with a newborn to demystify fatherhood with bold illustrations of daily tasks to help build a new routine and battle baby blues.
Paul Power said: “Every year I create something around an issue that’s close to my heart, usually to raise awareness of anxiety and depression, particularly in young men.
“From talking with the team at CALM, I realised that PND in men is really common, but is often undiagnosed. We got some creative heads together and decided to do something about it. My aim is that ‘Sh*ts Got Real’ gets into the hands of those who need it most.”
Angel Gaskell, co-founder of HDY Agency, said: “We’re immensely proud of Paul and all that he’s already achieved with ‘Sh*ts Got Real’. We’ll be supporting a digital campaign to get the word out there about the important, new book.
“We’ll always encourage and support the HDY team to develop their skills and follow their passions outside of the agency however we can. It’s what makes our team so dynamic and diverse.”
