Relaunching LOOC was done to raise awareness and create a movement of support for creative expression and the benefits it may hold for anyone touched by cancer, and to allow more people than ever before to share their stories, their way. It also builds on the Lilly tradition of discovering not only innovative treatments, but also finding innovative ways to provide the emotional support that’s vital to people living with cancer and those who care for them.

The first step in the relaunch was to create new visual branding and messages to help communicate the expanded vision of LOOC. GSW worked with Lilly to put together an art therapy advisory board to explore new ways to support the art therapy community through live, nationwide events, providing workbooks and materials, and education.

To spread the word and grow a larger following, GSW conducted interviews with patients, healthcare providers, art therapists, and social workers to create a series of videos and messages that were shared across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. GSW also overhauled LillyOncologyOnCanvas.com to include an online submission mechanism, an enhanced gallery experience, mobile optimization, and an ebook version of Expressions of a Cancer Journey, a hard copy book featuring the artworks and stories of LOOC participants. With these changes, LOOC now reaches the entire cancer community, not just those who consider themselves professional artists.

To date, more than 4,400 patients, family members, friends, caregivers, and healthcare providers have shared their art and stories through LOOC. Since the relaunch, the program has garnered over 1.2 million impressions on social media, including more than 300,000 on Facebook alone. More than 34,000 individuals engaged with LOOC content through sharing, commenting, and “likes.” In just over a month after its launch, the new website has had 4,519 unique visitors with over 6,000 views of the gallery images.