Project History

2019
3 murals in Brooklyn, NY

Dirty Bandits, Adam Fujita, and Jason Naylor. Combined following of over 200k

Media coverage included: Women’s Health Magazine (2m), Secret NYC (1.4m), amNY, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Bushwick Daily, Run Street

2021
Grew to 32 murals worldwide

New artists included Tierney Milne, Signs of Power & Cris Pagnoncellli Combined following of over 400k.

YANAM began encouraging and sharing submissions created in all mediums. We received & shared 200+ art submissions from 25+ countries.

Call to action: Lauren Hom (@homsweethom 253k) and GoodType (@goodtype 1.2m) shared our project via social media and encouraged artist participation.

Media coverage included: Women’s Health Magazine, Pantone (3.3m), Street Art NYC, Brooklyn Street Art, Portland Press Herald

2022
Grew to over 50 murals worldwide

New artists included Zipeng Zhu, Efdot, Vexta, Katie Merz, and others. Combined following of over 800k.

Activations included

• 100ft mural at The Seaport NYC

• Priority Delivers postcard campaign

• Artist installations at NAMIWalks NYC

• The William Vale Hotel art installation

  and event

Partnerships included: NAMI-NYC, The Seaport NYC, Priority Bicycles, Moo, Ronan Paints, Colossal Media, The William Vale Hotel

The award-winning short documentary about our project from Folktale Creative premiered at festivals nationwide and screened in NYC.

Media coverage included: Forbes, GoodType, Secret NYC, Brooklyn Street Art, UpMag, Greenpointers

Blog posts included: Moo, The Seaport, Colossal Media, Better Letters Magazine

2023
Grew to over 80 murals worldwide

New artists included Brian Kaspr, Indie184, Marco Santini, #DFTE, Alanna Flowers, and others.

Activations included

• 160ft mural at The Seaport NYC

• Priority Delivers postcard campaign

• Artist installations at NAMIWalks NYC

• Darien, CT Community Event

• Two documentary screenings and Q&As

Our organization Purpose Projects NY, Inc became a 501(c)(3)

Partnerships included: The Corbin District, NAMI-NYC, The Seaport NYC, Priority Bicycles, Moo, Ronan Paints, The William Vale Hotel

Media coverage included: News12 CT, Vermont WCAX, Street Art NYC

You Are Not Alone Murals was founded by long-time friends Annica Lydenberg (Dirty Bandits), art director, lettering artist, illustrator, and mural painter, and Samantha Schutz, publishing director, mental health advocate, and the author of the critically-acclaimed anxiety disorder memoir, I Don't Want to Be Crazy. 

“The artwork remind viewers that no matter what challenges each of us is dealing with, our emotions are universal. No one is immune to anxiety, grief, anger, shame, and sadness. We are fundamentally connected through our humanity and, therefore, never alone.” - Samantha Schutz

“Repetition is an important component of the project. Whether people see the works digitally or in person, the goal is for viewers to feel seen and supported. The more often someone comes in contact with the message, the greater the impact and the more likely they will feel the message applies to them.” - Annica Lydenberg

After the publication of Samantha’s memoir, she received letters from readers and found one phrase repeated time and time again: “Your book made me feel less alone.” Readers said they never knew anyone else felt the same way they did and that it was like they were reading their own life story. Samantha’s willingness to be vulnerable had led to connection and comfort.

Annica—whose artistic work is fueled by her deep appreciation for type, love of storytelling, and dedication to social good—was so inspired by the connection Samantha had made to readers that she wanted to use public murals to help spread the message  “You Are Not Alone” and featured only the colors from Samantha’s book cover: yellow, black, white, and gray. In May 2019, the project launched with three Brooklyn murals painted by Dirty Bandits, Jason Naylor, and Adam Fujita. The project has since expanded globally and remains ongoing.