Visualizing the Future of Mental Illness Decriminalization What happens when the country's leading experts unite to decriminalize mental illness? Stone Soup Creative was on-site to capture the energy of a powerhouse group of thinkers, gathered to shape the future of Sozosei Labs.

Ever wonder what it looks like when the smartest people in the country tackle a huge problem?

I recently spent time with the Sozosei Foundation as they mapped out the future of Sozosei Labs. Their goal is a big one: finding real, research-backed ways to decriminalize mental illness and keep people out of the criminal justice system.

My job was making sure these high-level breakthroughs didn’t just stay in the meeting room.

The Roadmap for Change

The Lab’s work is rooted in the National Strategic Research Framework (and its companion bibliography, both also designed by Stone Soup Creative). These publications focus on two transformative pillars:

Designed to be Actionable

I spent the session listening to fast-moving, complex dialogues and translating them into a visual roadmap, drawn live in real time. Their bold ideas took shape right under my markers, with plans for a new Fellows program and getting their Research Framework into the hands of people who can really use it.

I’m excited that my art can help play a small part in moving the needle on mental health reform.

Take a Look: Flip through the slides above to see the visual story of how Sozosei Labs are using data to drive creative solutions to decriminalize mental illness.