This is so true Neil. I had read so much about depression prior to diagnosis and yet when I received my diagnosis and spoke to people who had similar experiences I suddenly realized in a whole different way that I am not alone - or weird, or weak or lazy or any of the things ... I am actually going through this again anew in speaking to women my age and older about perimenopause.
The more we each share our stories, the more we give everyone permission to be themselves and share their stories. We are all unique and we are also all the same and those are both beautiful things. Thank you for allowing me to provide a safe for sharing some of your story.
My initial temptation is to make a joke about how you would fit in nicely with 21st century Californians since every single dinner party requires making sure that there's a selection including vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, organic-only, keto-friendly etc ...
But of course eating disorders of all kinds are no joke at all and I am not making light of that. My point in mentioning the thought at all is that so many of us are much more comfortable sharing our quirks of all kinds, whether or not they rise to "disorders" or "syndromes", than we used to be. There are a lot of negative things that we could say about the Internet and social media but one of the positives has definitely been that no matter how weird or unusual you think you are, you can get on there and find your tribe of people who totally get it.
And I am glad that you have moved into a place where you are able to understand yourself in this area and be more comfortable with it. Eating/drinking is SUCH a social thing in our culture that I can imagine that was very difficult when it was so uncomfortable. <3 <3 <3
I have a friend-couple where she is vegan and he is keto so basically if they're cooking together it's just leafy greens :)
It's intriguing to me to think about the guest at the wedding you described ... just wondering if her own anxiety (or whatever it might be) is what pushed her to do that. Us humans are all so weird. :)
Seriously, though, thanks for sharing all of this. People are really getting a lot out of reading your interview and I appreciate the continued conversation.
Those photos are so LIFE! I went several times through them, so real, so evocative and a bit fun, too. Just like life is. PS: I'm a big fan of b&w photography.
What a tremendously open and honest account, thanks Neil. I’m sorry to hear about your struggles, but glad you’re in a better place now. My own experience with anxiety takes a slightly different form, mostly centred around irrational health worries, and while it’s certainly less pronounced than what you’ve had to endure, it bloody sucks, doesn’t it.
Thanks Neil and Kathryn for this excellent and honest interview. Your openness to share your very personal experiences helps to break some of the stigma of mental health challenges for us creatives.
You had mentioned the Freudian approach that helped you see the way formative experiences shaped your present life, but I was wondering if you have done much work with Jungian techniques using creativity in a more therapeutical way?
I think for creative people, Jungian approaches resonate in a way that feels quite natural to things they already are doing, just adding new intention into the process.
Personally speaking, I don't have a clinical background but I have been an avid journaler for many years (dreams and daily life). From that, I've melded bits of Jungian concepts such as "Active Imagination" and dreamwork techniques into my own photography practice, as well as some different techniques that I've been refining to teach to others under the framework of Individuated Photography or "IndividUography."
Still a work in progress but even the photo prompts that I'm doing here are related to these same ideas.
Loving this conversation about Jungian therapy. We touched on that a bit in my education although I personally didn't delve too far into it. I also haven't explored the surrealists nearly enough and as I mentioned in an article about Kay Sage I think that's been because their connection with mental health is SO strong that I'm not even sure where to begin. Like I want to dive in and immerse myself in it but I almost have felt like I needed to gain a stronger foundation in understanding how other artists have related to mental health before getting into that space. Freud and Jung influenced their philosophy and creativity so much. People have told me that I need to check out Jung's Red Book as part of my research so that's on my radar as well.
Ooh I’ll take a look. Thanks for adding it.
This is so true Neil. I had read so much about depression prior to diagnosis and yet when I received my diagnosis and spoke to people who had similar experiences I suddenly realized in a whole different way that I am not alone - or weird, or weak or lazy or any of the things ... I am actually going through this again anew in speaking to women my age and older about perimenopause.
The more we each share our stories, the more we give everyone permission to be themselves and share their stories. We are all unique and we are also all the same and those are both beautiful things. Thank you for allowing me to provide a safe for sharing some of your story.
My initial temptation is to make a joke about how you would fit in nicely with 21st century Californians since every single dinner party requires making sure that there's a selection including vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, organic-only, keto-friendly etc ...
But of course eating disorders of all kinds are no joke at all and I am not making light of that. My point in mentioning the thought at all is that so many of us are much more comfortable sharing our quirks of all kinds, whether or not they rise to "disorders" or "syndromes", than we used to be. There are a lot of negative things that we could say about the Internet and social media but one of the positives has definitely been that no matter how weird or unusual you think you are, you can get on there and find your tribe of people who totally get it.
And I am glad that you have moved into a place where you are able to understand yourself in this area and be more comfortable with it. Eating/drinking is SUCH a social thing in our culture that I can imagine that was very difficult when it was so uncomfortable. <3 <3 <3
I have a friend-couple where she is vegan and he is keto so basically if they're cooking together it's just leafy greens :)
It's intriguing to me to think about the guest at the wedding you described ... just wondering if her own anxiety (or whatever it might be) is what pushed her to do that. Us humans are all so weird. :)
Seriously, though, thanks for sharing all of this. People are really getting a lot out of reading your interview and I appreciate the continued conversation.
Thank you for sharing this interview! Really enjoyed reading your story, Neil!
Those photos are so LIFE! I went several times through them, so real, so evocative and a bit fun, too. Just like life is. PS: I'm a big fan of b&w photography.
Evening sorted )
Neil's photos are SO great! I extra love the one with the dog :)
I’m very glad and grateful that you have published this interview. It is very helpful and informative. Thank you.
What a tremendously open and honest account, thanks Neil. I’m sorry to hear about your struggles, but glad you’re in a better place now. My own experience with anxiety takes a slightly different form, mostly centred around irrational health worries, and while it’s certainly less pronounced than what you’ve had to endure, it bloody sucks, doesn’t it.
Absolutely a great interview
Thanks Neil and Kathryn for this excellent and honest interview. Your openness to share your very personal experiences helps to break some of the stigma of mental health challenges for us creatives.
You had mentioned the Freudian approach that helped you see the way formative experiences shaped your present life, but I was wondering if you have done much work with Jungian techniques using creativity in a more therapeutical way?
I think for creative people, Jungian approaches resonate in a way that feels quite natural to things they already are doing, just adding new intention into the process.
Personally speaking, I don't have a clinical background but I have been an avid journaler for many years (dreams and daily life). From that, I've melded bits of Jungian concepts such as "Active Imagination" and dreamwork techniques into my own photography practice, as well as some different techniques that I've been refining to teach to others under the framework of Individuated Photography or "IndividUography."
Still a work in progress but even the photo prompts that I'm doing here are related to these same ideas.
Loving this conversation about Jungian therapy. We touched on that a bit in my education although I personally didn't delve too far into it. I also haven't explored the surrealists nearly enough and as I mentioned in an article about Kay Sage I think that's been because their connection with mental health is SO strong that I'm not even sure where to begin. Like I want to dive in and immerse myself in it but I almost have felt like I needed to gain a stronger foundation in understanding how other artists have related to mental health before getting into that space. Freud and Jung influenced their philosophy and creativity so much. People have told me that I need to check out Jung's Red Book as part of my research so that's on my radar as well.