{"id":923219,"date":"2026-07-09T13:14:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/923219\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T13:14:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:14:19","slug":"dallas-organizations-want-to-boost-mental-health-aid-for-creators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/923219\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas organizations want to boost mental health aid for creators"},"content":{"rendered":"

The glitz. The glam. The parties. The trips. The allure of high fashion bedazzled with a life of luxury. As with much of the filter-polished nature of social media,<\/a> all is not as it appears.<\/p>\n

For Shaun Balkum, he was living a dream as a high-fashion model with ties to New York and as one of Dallas\u2019 most recognizable faces. The statuesque king of pose was living the high life \u2014 or so it seemed. Gracing the runways and booked for Dallas\u2019 marquee fashion shows like DIFFA, Balkum appeared to have it all. Behind closed doors, though, was a past riddled with pain, trauma, suicide ideation and repeated bouts with homelessness. With nowhere to turn and little help, he internalized in the dark, not knowing that many of his peers were also struggling in the same deafening silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in the industry for about 15 years now, I\u2019ve been through a lot,\u201d the 34-year-old father of two tells the Observer. \u201cWorking in New York at a young age and seeing so many people going down different, dark paths, and the industry just eating them up, was eye-opening for me. A lot of people on the outside will wonder \u2018why is this actor on drugs\u2019 or \u2018why is there so much suicide within these careers?\u2019 What they don\u2019t realize are the things that these individuals put themselves through. They don\u2019t express or talk about it because they feel like they\u2019re going to be judged at the end of the day by their peers and family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Shuan Balkum is a model and influencer who wants to provide more mental health resources to Dallas\u2019 creative community. <\/p>\n

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Going digital-second<\/p>\n

With the dominance of a digital-first culture, creatives today face unprecedented pressure, from constant content demands, online comparison, scrutiny, burnout and isolation. According to a recent study<\/a> conducted by Creators for Mental Health, an organization that aims to provide resources to digital creators, approximately 1 out of 10 creators say that they\u2019ve experienced suicidal thoughts, with nearly 2 out of 3 creators admitting to mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. Higher incidence rates rank even more among tenured creators. <\/p>\n

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death<\/a> in the U.S. The rate observed among influencers is nearly double the NIH\u2019s reported national average<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And, as online content creation has become an increasingly lucrative path, market oversaturation has fueled added stressors of competition and gig instability. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an influx of constant competition,\u201d says Jessica Serna, a veteran influencer behind My Curly Adventures<\/a>. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize that it\u2019s not enough just to take good pictures and videos. A lot of times there\u2019s way more going on [behind the scenes] so that you can stand out amongst 100,000 other influencers and creators. I think that\u2019s where the burnout comes \u2013 it\u2019s the pressure to stay above in such a competitive field.\u201d<\/p>\n

In videos captured across the country, the Dallas-based Serna is all smiles and full of vibrancy as she and her husband traverse turquoise Caribbean waters and dive deep into the ocean blue. Posting daily, she has amassed an audience of over 300,000 Instagram followers sourcing tips on travel, lifestyle and food. Over on TikTok, her reach extends even further with 571,000 followers. <\/p>\n

While Serna admits that all that glitters can be gold in the influencer lifestyle, there can also be a dullness when creators face the not-so-glamorous business side of being a creative in order to stand out among a sea of others.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been the most stressful job I\u2019ve ever [had],\u201d Serna says. \u201cI go to sleep thinking about things. I wake up and there\u2019s the pressure of\u2026 so many businesses that don\u2019t value your time, or wait two weeks to issue you a paycheck, and then want something the next day, only to ghost you again for another three weeks. Or, a paycheck that you were supposed to get three months ago is now taking its time because it got caught up in something corporate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Late paychecks and the pressure to be perfect are only the tip of the iceberg of what creatives experience. <\/p>\n

In a recent Youtube confessional<\/a> titled \u201cbeing a full time influencer ruined my life,\u201d Dallas creator Ashley Devonna candidly detailed what life was really like for her behind the filters, hashtags and sponsorships. After a 4-year hiatus to recover, the Texas Woman\u2019s University graduate is back, but now on her own terms. Many others are still stuck in the cycle.<\/p>\n

Finding community on and offline<\/p>\n

Balkum cites a lack of community and safe spaces for honest reflection, as well as a shortage of affordable mental health resources, as inspiring him to launch his House of Balkum Foundation, a 501(c)(3) initiative stemming from the inadequacies of the fashion industry, and now offering emergency relief assistance, emotional support, community gatherings and mental health and wellness resources. His upcoming event, Saving the Creatives \u2014dubbed the \u201cchurch for creatives\u201d \u2014 will feature an all-star panel of Dallas\u2019 top talent including Celebrity Stylist KJ Moody, Actor and Model Kamen Casey, Photographer Jamie House and others, to discuss the challenges suffocating the industry, but also to provide solutions and support.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all intertwined in a way, and we all need each other,\u201d Balkum says. \u201cYou know, the models need the photographers, and the photographers need the makeup artists, and the makeup artists need the models. At the end of the day, I want creatives to understand that they finally have somebody here for them, and that\u2019s looking after them. For all of the creatives that have felt alone, that have struggled in silence \u2013 we hear you. You can talk to us and we\u2019ll provide whatever help that we can for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"RM11 is an organization that aims to support creators in entrepreneurship while offering expanded access to mental health programs. <\/p>\n

Dallas startup RM11 is on a similar mission. The creator-first platform was founded by Natasha August and boasts numerous perks that allow creators to own their relationships with their followers, receive fair monetization and build a sustainable business \u2013 and, hopefully, a less stressful one.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCreators are entrepreneurs in every sense of the word,\u201d August says. \u201cThey\u2019re building brands, communities, revenue streams and entire businesses around their voice and audience. The more I learned about the creator economy, the more I realized how underserved creators really are. They\u2019re expected to be talent, a marketer, customer support, content strategist, community manager and business owner all at once. I saw an opportunity to build something that gave creators more control, better tools and a more supportive way to monetize directly from their audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, RM11 strategically partnered with both Revive Health Therapy<\/a> and Creators 4 Mental Health <\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a major step in its mission to support creator well-being, reduce burnout and build a healthier creator ecosystem through its CreatorCare approach. RM11 creators have access to licensed mental health professionals who specialize in creator-specific stressors, as well as affordable, flexible therapy options, community support and wellness tools to help manage burnout and emotional fatigue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest misconceptions that the general public has is that creating content is easy or not a \u2018real job.\u2019 In reality, creators are running small businesses, often by themselves, while also putting their personality, image and personal life in front of the public,\u201d August says. \u201cThere\u2019s also a misconception that if someone has followers or makes money online, they must be confident, happy or unaffected by negative comments and pressure. But creators can experience burnout, isolation, anxiety and emotional exhaustion just like anyone else, sometimes even more intensely because their work is so personal and public.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a 2026 study with data from Social Blade, Texas ranks fourth among the nation\u2019s largest hubs for online influencers<\/a>, accounting for roughly 8% of the most-followed creators. The state is also home to 1 out of 10 creators ranked in the top 500 of the creator ecosystem<\/a>. If you want to make it to the top of the creator economy, Dallas is where you come. Therefore, Dallas-based businesses like House of Balkum and RM11 are not only essential but necessary with growing demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing an influencer is easy, but when something\u2019s easy, and you actually want to be successful in it, that\u2019s when it gets harder than people even realize. I\u2019m extremely grateful for it though,\u201d Serna says. \u201cIt\u2019s so funny how something can be so simultaneously amazing and so draining at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saving the Creatives will be hosted by The House of Balkum on Sunday, July 12, at 6:00 p.m. at Four Day Weekend, 5601 Sears Street. Tickets are available<\/a> for $35.<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available. You can call or text\u00a0988<\/strong>\u00a0to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat via\u00a0988lifeline.org\u00a0<\/strong>for free, confidential support 24\/7.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The glitz. The glam. The parties. The trips. The allure of high fashion bedazzled with a life of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":923220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5135],"tags":[9600,5229,29750,1596,2879,345,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,3149],"class_list":["post-923219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-activism","tag-america","tag-cover-story","tag-dallas","tag-events","tag-social-media","tag-texas","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-wellness"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116890208943467661","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/923219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=923219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/923219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/923220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=923219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=923219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=923219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}