17 Creatives Answer: "How do mental health symptoms impact/alter/inspire creative content?"
How does the content of what you create change because of your mental state, life circumstances, the way that your brain works?
These are all excerpts from interviews that I’ve previously shared here, providing insight into the myriad ways that what’s going on in the brain, body and life impacts what we create.
Bunni: It has made me desperate to create a world that is unrealistic. I’ve always been a person that puts my heart and hope into something I want - I mean even the most minute things throughout life. I think that as a result, my mental health has pushed me to create a visible representation of how I would want to be seen if it were possible: A person that’s adventurous, has a sweetness to them, and is actually wanted by someone. Lately, I’ve had a tendency for several of my characters to not have a mouth, which is also stemming from my own mental health trauma of always having to be silent, which progressed into my adulthood. To a degree, it’s creating a reality that if I can’t speak then people would like me more.
Read Bunni’s full interview:
D: As a child, I used drawing to cope with feelings that I didn't understand. I was very depressed. Drawing quietly in my room quickly turned into a way to be "the good child" and to hide in my room to stay away from my parents. At that time, I drew anime and realism. It was my therapy. I felt like I was quickly brainwashed by everybody to think that art was going to be my career. Therefore, it wasn't a hobby anymore; it wasn’t fun anymore. Instead, it was the only thing that people knew me for. I then started to hate drawing for many reasons.Due to how I was growing up, everything had to be perfect the first time. The fear of messing up kept me from really trying different things. I perfected realism throughout time because it was “perfect.” Trying anything different and “messing up” made me afraid of what family and friends would say.
Read D’s full interview:
Tricia: After living with debilitating anxiety for 20 years and then being able to reverse it, I became passionate about sharing my experiences with anxiety and healing it. Because of the mental health stigma, I write openly and honestly about my experiences with anxiety to help break down that stigma and so that others know they are not alone. My mental health symptoms and the situations that create the symptoms are what fuel my writing since I write about mental health and anxiety. I take notes about what I’m going through and share my experiences because I believe we sometimes collectively move through similar feelings and situations. [In terms of other art types:] I’m really drawn to colors I see in nature, especially purple. When I create, whether through my paintings, photographs, or writing, I’m trying to create what feels peaceful and cozy.
Read the full interview with
:You are about to hit the paywall. This publication takes work and writers should be paid for their work. However, we all have different financial circumstances, so I offer a Sliding Scale Pay What You Can annual rate so you can choose a price that works for you.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Create Me Free to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.