Art and Mental Health Interview Answered in Music/Sound Art with Lizzy Co
Exploring the intersection between creativity and mental health through our auditory senses
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I am so excited to have this post for you today. SO EXCITED.
I was already excited when I started offering regular “question and answer in words” written interviews with artists, writers, and mental health professionals.
Then I was super excited when I got the idea to invite artists to answer with visual responses instead of words. I’ve had about a half dozen of those interviews so far and I am so moved by every single one of them.
But today I’m excited at a whole new level. Because reached out to me to ask if it would be okay to respond with music/ sound art instead of with images. I immediately told my partner (a musician) that I was so excited about this idea and hoped it would really happen. And it happened!
Want to share your own responses to questions about the relationship between art and mental health? You can answer a visual/auditory interview here or answer in written words here.
Tapping Into All Senses, Answering Without Words, and Neurodiversity
Both art and mental health are such intangible things; yes of course we tap into all kinds of tangible aspects of both of them, but at some level they’re always a little abstract, aren’t they? Being able to interview people about their experiences of how these two things intersect and receiving their responses in different mediums through multiple senses really adds to my understanding of this complex topic. These musical answers resonate at a deep level that my soul understands and my brain doesn’t need words for. I hope you have the same experience.
I also wanted to make sure to note that the visual (and I would guess now this auditory) responses seem to really resonate with neurodivergent people. There are different definitions for this, of course, and everyone’s experience is different, but I really hope that offering the opportunity to respond in different ways is an inclusive way to make it easier and more welcoming for people with different voices and experiences to add to this online library I’m compiling here of resources related to the complex intersection of art and mental health.
Meet :
As explained on the About page:
“This is a place for acceptance around things that are both hard and not going anywhere. This includes childhood trauma, mental health challenges, and navigating neurodivergence in a neurotypical world. But wait! Life includes a lot of really easy and wonderful things too. You’ll find those here as well.”
(You should especially check out the podcast and, of course, the music)
What does the term mental health mean to you?
What does your own history of mental health sound like?
What does creativity mean to you?
How have mental health symptoms impacted your creative process?
How have mental health symptoms impacted the content of your creativity?
In what ways have mental health symptoms impacted your creative medium?
How have mental health symptoms impacted your productivity as an artist?
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How have mental health symptoms impacted your self-perception / identity as an artist?
In what ways have mental health symptoms impacted the perception of you as an artist by others - your experiences of stigma and discrimination, your experiences in groups of artists, etc.
What does the relationship between art and money sound like for you?
What does the relationship between art and work sound like for you?
How is art therapeutic/cathartic/healing for you?
How has art hindered/harm your mental health? Or been complicated vs. all positive?
In summary, for you, what is the relationship between art and mental health?
After completing the earlier questions, what is one more piece of sound art that you feel compelled to share in response to all of this?
If, like me, you can’t get enough of
, make sure that you’re following here on Substack and also find thelizzycoshow on Instagram and on most streaming services including Ko-Fi, SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.Speaking of SoundCloud, there’s a playlist there of all of these musical snippets so that you can explore the entire journey consecutively in a five minute experience.
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...wow...makes me wish more folks communicated only in music...[closes eyes and turns into a kazoo]...
THIS WAS SO TRIPPY AND FELT SO TRUE. What brilliance. Could relate to each piece of music. Wordlessness has never been so satisfying. 💚🌟