Since 2019 Dirty Bandits has painted 8 murals for the You Are Not Alone Murals project. The project is a 501(c)3 non profit organization conceived of and curated by long time friends - designer, illustrator and mural painter Annica Lydenberg (Dirty Bandits) and Samantha Schutz, mental health advocate and critically-acclaimed author of the anxiety disorder memoir, I Don’t Want to Be Crazy.
This project has reached millions of people through in person interactions and virtual sharing on social media. It has sparked conversations, compassion and curiosity. The project has been the focus of a short documentary, You Are Not Alone, and currently includes over 80 murals.
Inspired by empathy for those struggling with mental health issues, the murals have broad appeal and offer support to anyone who feels misunderstood, victimized, or abandoned. No one is immune to anxiety, grief, anger, shame, and sadness. We are fundamentally connected through our humanity and, therefore, never alone.
