UI alumni launch website community to combat depression
University of Idaho alumnus Brian “B.” Blee said he’s no stranger to depression and anxiety.
Whether it was from experiencing an onslaught of negative thoughts himself or losing a close friend from depression in 2013, Blee said he knows firsthand how menacing “diseases of the mind” can be.
“I found that it was the kindness and love I received from those around me that helped me find the light in the darkness,” Blee said. “I set out to give more people that understanding. But whether you have any experience with these types of mental illnesses or not, life is just better when you’re kind — you get what you give.”
Amelia C. Warden | Argonaut
Founder and chief ambassador of amazingness Brian “B” leaves a “Hey, you’re amazing” card on a stranger’s car window in downtown Moscow on Monday evening. These cards are to help spread positivity to other people and to help people combat feelings of depression and anxiety.
It was with this mindset that Blee, a 25-year-old graphic designer and brand builder from Seattle, engineered the concept of “Hey, You’re Amazing,” (HYA) a community-led movement to combat pain, depression and negativity through showing appreciation to others.
Blee launched the HYA website last month and said the main purpose of it, as of now, is to distribute HYA cards — board game-like cards that feature kind phrases — to anyone and everyone who requests them.
“I made the first version of HYA cards last Christmas,” Blee said. “I had recently moved to Seattle, which isn’t the cheapest city in the world, and I was pretty low on funds to get gifts for loved ones, so I made these cards that said ‘Hey, you’re amazing.'”
To Blee’s surprise, the cards were a hit. Then UI alumnus Jaymes Hansen came along. Hansen is a close friend of Blee’s who describes himself as the “cattle prod” behind the HYA community.
“I used to hang ‘Free Compliment’ signs around the UI campus, and when Brian handed me the prototype of the cards, light bulbs went off,” Hansen said. “I instantly saw the big picture of what this will become. I guess you could say I was the initial follower.”
Hansen, the 25-year-old executive experimenter extraordinaire of HYA, is the most positive, upbeat person in the organization, Blee said.
The outreach logistics of HYA are left up to another UI graduate, 24-year-old Lindsey Antram, who received a degree in public relations in 2013.
Antram works for AmeriCorps VISTA in Boise and said she witnessed the power of HYA cards when she gave one to a site director within the nonprofit organization.
“She loved the card, and the idea behind it and the fact that I passed it on to her made her feel special and in turn made me feel the same,” Antram said. “Since, she has posted to social media, shared a story with (Blee) and established a relationship with him and passed the card on to someone else, and I still hear her talking about it at work.”
Amelia C. Warden | Argonaut
Brian “B” Blee (right) hands out a pay-it-forward card to a local Moscow resident Nemo.
Blee said while there are many resources and treatment options for those suffering from mental illness, the flaws inherent in the U.S. healthcare system and unlikeliness of people asking for help creates a gap for communities like HYA to fill.
“We didn’t originally plan to try and get people to open up or seek help,” Blee said. “But I am already starting to see that it is leading to some of those who have suffered silently to gain the strength to say something, and that is truly amazing. If we can give those that are hurting a place to feel safe and loved and a mission to believe in, then we will be a success.”
Although Blee said the community is in its early stages, he sees a bright future for HYA. With future plans of creating other products — such as HYA T-shirts — and traveling to colleges nationwide to spread the word, Blee and his team hope to make a difference.
“I hope to look back on my life and know that I helped people,” Blee said. “At the end of the day, one of man’s greatest desires is to not be alone. I want to remind people that they aren’t, even when they feel like they are.”
Amber Emery can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @AmberNLyon