The Same Thing Project is a program centered on songwriting and making music as a way to improve mental health. The program, founded by musician Mark Cutler, is based in Rhode Island and has existed since 2016.
Fortunately, I had the privilege of having an in depth conversation with Mr. Cutler about the program. When I asked how he would describe the program, he stated, “We try to get people from all different backgrounds into a room together and write a song about something we have in common or something that we will find that we have in common. That’s why it’s called The Same Thing Project. We are all so different, but we feel the same things. And so it’s good, you know, just a program to help reduce isolation and create more connectivity between two people.”
I was curious what inspired Mr. Cutler to start the program in the first place, and he opened up about his own mental health struggles around feeling lost in life, not loving his job, and wanting to do something different with his life. He wanted to help others who also felt lost have a community and support system. Cutler heavily credits therapy for helping him realize this program was his passion and giving him the confidence to start it. He mentioned that when speaking to his therapist about his struggles, they went over his core values: kindness, creativity, love. These core values translate to the The Same Thing Project’s core values.
The Same Thing Project prioritizes accessibility. The program is completely free and there is no required time to be in the program. Whenever you can come, they are happy to have you. There will also be an expansion of the program to a summer time session called The Same Thing Project Summertime Free Workshop. It will be in different locations including Slater Mill and Roger Williams National Memorial in Rhode Island. The Same Thing Project wanted to expand into the summer because they want even more people to join in on the fun: “It’s open to anybody and everybody. We have fun. Young folks, old folks, people who don’t know anything about music, people who have developmental disabilities, people who are suffering from PTSD, all come together to run the gamut,” Mr. Cutler said.
He also mentioned, “One of the things I look at, lyric writing and collaborating on lyrics like reading lyrics is almost like a mask to reveal your feelings. Like you’re not you’re not saying Oh, I feel this way. You’re writing, you know about something. When writing lyrics you can feel a little more free to let out and evoke an emotion when you’re writing a lyric rather than feeling the pressure to outwardly say how you feel. This is how I feel that when you’re writing your emotion into the lyrics you’re lifting that feeling out of you in your life. There is weight lifted through the lyric writing and and through talking about it with your collaborators. So yeah, I noticed a lot of that happening.”
The Same Thing Project has so many amazing aspects to it, but my favorite is how accepting and supporting it is of every member. Mr. Cutler stated that when he first started the program he was working with a lot of neurodiverse people and they inspired him to ensure the program was accommodating and welcoming to everyone. As someone with a lot of people in my family who are on the spectrum and have disabilities, it is so incredibly hard to find good programs for atypical people. It’s especially hard to find programs that are reasonably priced, so it blows my mind seeing how this program is built for a neurodiverse community and is free.
The Same Thing’s Project first album is called Walks of Life and is available on all streaming services and their new album will be out soon. This program reminds me to keep your ears peeled and always remember there are resources and communities with open arms that you can go to if you’re struggling. There’s no shame in it. Below are the links to The Same Thing Project’s website with their music, their summer program, their regular program, and their social media if you want to connect with and watch their fun live-music sessions!
Website: https://www.thesamethingproject.com/
Music: https://open.spotify.com/album/67NnpDBpdF7mQTn4b89ODT
Go Fund Me to support the summer program: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Free-community-songwriting?member=32809931&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
