How SMU Students Are Using Creative Arts and AI to Champion Mental Wellness
SMU alumna Zhang Yimei and student Shen Xinyi are on a mission to improve mental wellness through creative arts and technology. Through their startup Artistry Heals, they conduct workshops that help participants express themselves in new ways. The team is also developing an emotional wellness app. Yimei and Xinyi share more about their journey of building Artistry Heals, including getting support from the SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s Business Innovations Generator.
In 2024, the Institute of Mental Health reported that one in three youths in Singapore experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress. A more recent study published in The Lancet Public Health found that self-harm is now the leading cause of injury-related deaths among those aged 20 to 24.
Motivated by these growing concerns, SMU alumna Zhang Yimei and undergraduate Shen Xinyi co-founded Artistry Heals, a student-led start-up that aims to improve emotional awareness and literacy through creative arts and technology.
“As youths ourselves, we know we’re a vulnerable group. We have experienced anxiety and stress, and so have many of our friends,” shares Yimei, a graduate of the SMU School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS). “Therapy can be expensive, and many awareness campaigns conducted by schools are usually one-off events.”
Drawing from their own mental health experiences, Yimei and Xinyi are reimagining how emotional wellness can be made more engaging, accessible, and sustainable for young adults—through music, art, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Originally launched as Art Chill, the start-up evolved into Artistry Heals to reflect a broader vision: using creativity as a bridge to healing and connection.
“We believe creative self-expression can help people connect and heal,” says Xinyi, who is currently an SCIS undergraduate.
In January 2025, Artistry Heals was accepted into the SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s (IIE) flagship incubation programme, Business Innovations Generator (BIG), gaining mentorship and support to scale their mission.
From shared struggles to shared solutions
The partnership between Yimei and Xinyi began with a serendipitous introduction by Gabrielle Tan, Assistant Director at IIE.
“I told Gabrielle about my AI music project after her talk on entrepreneurship. She then asked if she could introduce me to someone who is working on something similar involving art and wellness,” shares Xinyi.
“When we met, I was so excited because Xinyi resonated with my idea immediately. We realised our individual projects had similar goals and direction,” recalls Yimei.
What began as a passion project soon gained traction. Artistry Heals went on to secure grants and win awards, including:
- Highest Social Impact Start-up Award at Princeton University’s Tiger Launch competition
- Third prize for Social Impact at the Port63 Challenge 2025 by Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
- Top 10 finalist spot at NTU’s Kumar Sustainability & Innovation Prize, as well as Japan Youth Innovation Expo
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University Micro Fund
Rethinking emotional wellness through technology and art
Artistry Heals runs hands-on workshops co-designed with therapists and counsellors. These range from art exercises like emotional wheel drawing, to AI music creation experiences—all aimed at helping participants express their emotions in new and creative ways.
“We wanted to test if these workshops were effective and helpful for people,” explains Yimei.
Through five workshops and two roadshows involving over 200 members of the public, the results were encouraging:
- 92% of participants reported being better able to express and visualise their emotions
- 83% said they felt more relaxed after the sessions
However, the team quickly realised the limits of in-person workshops: they were time-consuming, labour-intensive, and not easily scalable. Many participants also expressed a desire for tools they could use independently at home, ensuring privacy and convenience.
This led to the development of a mobile app—inspired by various apps in the market, including Duolingo. The app offers daily bite-sized emotional wellness tools, gamifying mindfulness and emotional literacy through interactive games and AI-powered chatbots.
The team is also working on a physical card game that encourages players to recognise and validate a wide range of emotions, including anger and sadness, as essential parts of the human experience.
Both the app and card game are currently in development and testing, supported by a growing student team, including the following SMU students and collaborators from other universities:
- Nicholas Lam (SCIS)
- Kendrick Poon (SCIS)
- Chan Ric (Lee Kong Chian School of Business)
How SMU supports self-starters
“I joined SMU for two reasons. One, I know I will thrive in the university’s seminar-style learning. Two, I was attracted to the entrepreneurship programme at IIE,” Xinyi reveals, who creates original works across art and design, animation, and music.
For Yimei, the support from SMU’s IIE was instrumental to her growth as a founder.
Beyond mentorship and funding via BIG, she gained global exposure through the Global Innovation Immersion (GII) programme—interning at a tech company—and served as a student ambassador for the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC).
“My internship trained me to speak and present confidently to clients. Meanwhile, as a student ambassador for the LKYGBPC, I was attached to a start-up from China. I assisted the founder in preparing for pitches, live translating his Q&A answers during his pitch interview, and participating in meetings with investors,” elaborates Yimei, cherishing these formative experiences.
But running a start-up while being a student is no easy feat. Both founders juggled classes, start-up work, and parental expectations. Still, they have no regrets—and plenty of advice for others looking to take the leap.
“Believe in yourself. Do your research and don’t be held back by others, because your life is your own,” says Xinyi.
“Don’t wait until you’re ready because you’ll never be. Just start, face your challenges head-on, and surround yourself with like-minded people. You will be amazed by what a great team can achieve together,” advises Yimei.
Inspired by Yimei and Xinyi’s journey?
Take your own idea from vision to impact with the support of SMU’s Business Innovations Generator. Find out more here.
