Art and Mental Health Link Love
Your weekly digest of a niche of this astounding Substack writing community and some elaboration, connections, and hopefully community-building
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On Fridays, I share excerpts, links, and ideas related to this topic that are created by other Substack writers doing amazing work here. Learn more about why I do this in the way that I do it right here. In short, it adds to our understanding of the relationship while also creating community around the topic.
Reminder: I draw connections between what the writers are sharing and my understanding of how that relates to art + mental health but this doesn’t mean that the original writer intended that or agrees with it in full or part … I always encourage you to go read the full pieces whose snippets capture your attention here to find out what the writer’s piece intends and offers.
Grounding Us As We Begin
I want to begin with a concept
of shared this week:“When I talk about creative ecosystems what I mean is expanding your concept of creativity beyond the act of making. Every part of your lived experience makes up your creative ecosystem.”
This “holistic view of creativity” is exactly what I’m wanting for all of us creatives. I look at the shadow side of how art impacts creativity because I believe that understanding those difficulties can give us clues about how to live a more holistically balanced life that honors our creativity amidst all of our other needs. Sarah explains how this perspective differs from two primary perspectives we typically see; read the whole article, it’s so good.
And also this simple but poignant thought form the intro to Head, Heart, Hands #1 by
of :“My favorite newsletters and blogs are those that remind me of all the surprising magic and creativity in the world, that brighten my day by making life feel expansive and new. So hopefully I can spread a little of that magic.”
From the past week or so then …
Mental Health and Creative Process
of shared On Literary Sidepieces:
“I do think sometimes it’s healthy to have a few balls in the air, especially if you need to take a break from something. My friend Priyanka and I were talking about how she’s doing some really intense personal writing right now for her new book, and how every day feels so emotionally heavy but she has to keep going back to it, showing up for it, and it’s just consistently tough. I asked her if she had another project she could dive into for a while, one that felt lighter, easier, funnier, because she is a funny writer, too, as well as a serious one. We all need a sidepiece project sometimes.”
Sometimes if we are too focused on our main project it can be at the expense of our mental health and wellness. Maintaining momentum for that project means taking breaks from it. Those breaks may be in the form of not working at all in the same creative medium as the piece. However, it might mean remembering the fun of the medium through a sidepiece.
of offers us a new series called Creative Practices for the Winter Doldrums and in Week One invites us to Make Space
“One of the perils of our modern world is the ability to fill our lives to the brim and be constantly plugged in to some kind of noise. It’s easy to think:
“I don’t have time or energy to be creative. I get to the end of the day and I’m so worn out, all I can do is collapse on the couch and stare blankly at the TV before I drag myself to bed.”
I hear you. And trust me, sometimes it’s all we can do to stare blankly at something entertaining. But if I do it too many nights in a row, I feel the doldrums coming for me.”
She goes on to talk about how creating mental and physical space can help us and offers suggestions for doing so. I often find that my physical clutter and my mental clutter are reflections of one another and working on one always helps the other, so this resonates for me. Decluttering, organizing, leaving blank space on the calendar … these are all parts of my own creative process.
RELATED: From of in 6 Ways to Create Well-Being at Home:
“Your environment plays a huge role in your mental and emotional health, even your physical well-being. It can play tricks on us, for good or bad. If it’s a big, chaotic mess, our family problems will only increase. If we try to tame the chaos of our immediate environment, there is greater chance of you and your family feeling a bit more calm and at ease even amidst some genuine dysfunction or family problem.”
Mental Health and Creative Flux
of wrote The Damning Lists:
“About three days ago I hit a wall. If you have been following this newsletter (or whatever you wanna call it…) you’d know I have been deep in a couple heavy (for me anyway) songwriting projects. They are very difficult and also rewarding and both come with waves of self doubt and fatigue in addition to the joy, the belly laughs and creative highs. The spilt of highs and lows, which I have studied closely in my long experience, should look like about 2/3rd’s creative high, and one third struggle. Both parts are elemental to the sum. They can’t exist without each other. They make up the ingredients of the creative loaf you are patting together with your dirty little hands.
Hitting a wall is not to be breezed past. It’s a very real warning that you must at least pause. It’s a rock thrown up from another car’s tire that cracks your windshield and scares the crap out of you, if only for a second. The rock in my windshield came from (where else?) social media, about five days ago. The crack let in the bulb-warmed filet-o-fish feeling of unmistakable depression. I was genuinely afraid. I work very hard not to let it in and it’s especially hard in this time of horrifying slaughter. It started to drain my will to make things in a very real way.”
I share this for a few reasons: the recognition that there are highs and lows in every single creative project, the vivid imagery that makes the writing draw me in, and the last sentence … a reminder that external things in our world as well as internal things in our mind can drain us of the will to create. Noticing, processing, being with what’s going on helps us return to the creativity.
Also, the actual piece is about lists of “women songwriters” and how the continued habit of dividing and ranking creatives is problematic. Go read that part; it’s important.
RELATED: The elephant on my chest by of :
“As someone who was diagnosed with clinical depression in the aftermath of traumatic events, I have visited the darkest of places, but I have also been very fortunate to have found my way back. These days the elephant rarely comes this close, but when she does, with her, descends the inescapable and definite feeling that the world would be a better place without me in it.
I pause here, not for dramatic effect, but because this deserves a pause. Firstly to make an assurance that despite feeling this at times, it is not something I will EVER act on, so I am not in danger; and secondly to say to all of you who have felt this, please know it is not just you. ‘You are not alone’ is not a trope, it is truth.”
Note: I’m sharing Emma’s piece above as “related” to that of Neko Case above that because I was moved by the way that they both took the pause in these pieces. Emma’s piece is powerful piece about depression that moved me in other ways as well, but I wanted to draw out this part - the value of the pause. A pause for ourselves when we need one. A pause for our readers when we want to be clear about something and make sure they know it. Let’s pause more.
of shared Build a Fortress Around the Creative Life:
An artist can be demoralized by many different things. Not only lack of financial support from one’s work, (that can be solved by a number of different solutions), but also by a lack of time, a lack of energy, a lack of discipline, a lack of organization, a lack of concentration, a lack of stamina and especially a lack of a plan. All of these things and many others can be demoralizing for a creative person causing hopelessness, resentment, a lack of confidence and trust, and a general negativity making it nearly impossible to move forward or to reach deeply.
For this reason, an artist needs to learn how to think correctly, strategize correctly, adopt and shape the right philosophy, gain control over the mind, avoid addiction, become equanimous in heart and mind, commit to their pursuits with clarity and determination, shape their environment and relationships to be conducive to their creative intentions. These things, when mastered build a fortress around the artist’s creative life so that circumstances cannot dislodge them from their purpose.
I’m not sure that I would describe what an artist needs to do in quite the same way. For me, it’s less about controlling the mind than noticing thoughts without judgment and being curious about what works for you instead of attaching to the things that are demoralizing. But although I’d phrase it differently, it’s a similar concept. And I love this idea that we can build a fortress around our creative life.
Mental Health and Creative Identity/Self-Perception
has changed the name of her Substack from Prone to Hyperbole to
and I am so here for it. She explains in her post:
“As I continued writing, I realized that I was partitioning the different aspects of my identity each time I wrote to you. I was asking myself, does this writing discuss my Muslim-ness, or not, and then sharing the posts under different headings, either as part of Prone to Hyperbole, or as part of my Letters from a Muslim Woman series.
But here’s the thing: that segmentation came from an implicit fear that some of you may not like the Muslim side of me. That if that side came on too strong or showed too much, you might leave. Many of us third-culture kids know how to code switch, and do it seamlessly, transitioning between our more palatable identities in wider society to our ethnic identities in smaller circles, depending on the circumstances.
I realized recently that all my posts are really Letters from a Muslim Woman.”
I can’t say it better than she does. And I’m so glad for her bravery in showing up as her whole authentic self.
Mental Health and Creative Business
of shared We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know
and it touches upon some of the complexities I encounter in the center of the Venn diagram of art, business, and mind. The mind has a lot of power to influence the way we experience the details of how art and business work together.
“Isn’t it likely that my editor, who works on rom com books for a living, has a better grasp of how these stories work than me? And shouldn’t I see her suggestion as an opportunity to improve my work instead of viewing it as a threat to my abilities as a writer? (This is all the humility part.)
Once I accepted this, though, my anxiety started to kick in because it would mean some major changes and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull it off. That’s when I had to lean on my experience as a writer and trust that even if I don’t know how to take all her notes today, I will likely figure it out along the way. (That’s the confidence part.)
So that is the approach I am hoping to take for the next two months as I do a major rewrite. I will try to remain confident that I am good enough to take her suggestions while remaining humble enough to view her suggestions as a gift instead of a burden.”
Allison’s post shares a book by Adam Grant and the concept of rethinking and she explains how she’s applying it here. Reframing is powerful work in mental health and it’s something that we can utilize when art and business rub up against each other in uncomfortable ways.
RELATED: How to Re-Shape Your Story, a guest post by on by
“I think that when we are in a story, it can be so hard to see, objectively, whether it’s helping or hindering us. I’m far more able, now, to step outside of the story. To witness events in isolation for what they are, rather than as part of a catastrophic narrative. I have come to understand, too, that I write about my life because forming new stories helps me wrestle the internal and external chaos into something beautiful. I write because I cannot get enough of those vapoury, blissful moments of flow. Above all, I write because I am fiercely protective of my mental health. Writing is medicine. It’s not my only medicine, but it is the most potent.”
of shared Kathryn Anna Writes Bespoke - A new adventure
exploring her love of writing poetry, her debate with the part of her that wants a more stable income, and her decision to dive deep into poetry with a new adventure.
“Content writing is an art. It demands understanding of SEO, understanding of marketing and a supreme desire to work within the consumer-driven world. After a couple of months exploring courses and tips from marketing gurus I realised that this was not where I wanted to be – and was probably not a world where I would thrive. I’ve never been a natural business person, and never really enjoyed the conventional corporate world. Shoehorning myself back there felt like a step backwards, a betrayal of all I’d learned about myself and what matters to me.”
This is so honest and I relate to so much of it. Content writing was my bread and butter for many years, something I liked and then hated and then was okay with and then burned out and then balanced with other things (not in any particular linear order.) It is currently still how my money comes in while I try to figure out how to make Substack actually work financially. It’s complicated. By we can’t betray ourselves once we know what matters to us. Inspiring new work Kathryn Anna!
RELATED: From of in Predictable Little Cowards Do Not Make Money
“Ironically, the more you choose a path because of the income potential, the more broke you’re going to be, because the less you’re going to want to do any of it. You won’t want to talk about it. You won’t want to write about it. You won’t want to scream about it from the rooftops. And that means your marketing is going to feel like torture, and your days are going to feel like sludge, and you’re going to have a really hard time getting any traction, because people can tell when you are faking it.
So, don’t do that to yourself, okay? It is the wrong decision.
Follow your enthusiasm, your incandescence, your effervescence.
Trust your curiosity. Your curiosity isn’t frivolous: it’s a map back home to yourself.”
I need to re-read that daily.
of shared The Hidden Costs of Charging More
as part of her important How to Stop Working For Free Series. In it, she shares how she decided to finally price all of her tapestries at a value that actually accounted for the real work she put into them, how hopeful she was, and how it resulted in …
“not a single sale.
To say I was crushed was an understatement. But more alarmingly, because I’d spent the best part of two months working on this collection at the expense of other parts of my business, I was now financially in a very tight spot. I’d even taken out a high-interest emergency loan to cover the time when I’d been working on these tapestries, feeling sure that once the collection launched I’d be able to pay it back.
I somehow managed to claw my way back into a better financial position in early 2022, but I was scarred by the whole experience.”
She lived the very thing that so many creatives fear and that is the reason many don’t price their work higher, often to their own detriment (burnout, etc.) She goes on to explain, though, that she realized she could price her work higher, but it meant taking a different approach to business. She’s an example of continuing on even when the business of art hurts you.
How Art Heals
of shared Impact Through Art
with a story that brought tears to my eyes, only a part of which is:
“Meeting Elena was a blend of nervousness and excitement. Out of all the designs she had to choose from, she picked mine. She was drawn to the colors and vibrancy, and that filled my heart with immense joy. My art resonated with her in a profound way.
This moment was especially precious to me because, as an artist who often creates work for brands and clients, I don't always get to witness firsthand the impact of my art. But that day, I not only had the honor of gifting her the prosthetic leg but also witnessing her put it on and walk.”
WOW. Read the whole article. <3
of in "I write to make myself strong and come home, and it may be the only real home I'll ever have.”
describes so well how writing heals …
“Home, I discovered, is not a place.
There is literally no place like home.
Because home is a feeling.
For me, home is a feeling of safety, refuge, belonging, and love. It’s a sense of community; it’s creativity and connecting with myself and others.
Writing helps me to connect with all of those feelings on a daily basis.
Writing takes me home.”
Art in Community
of shared Reading to Cats
“Recently my friend Kate Morgan Reade took a copy of my book Numpurrs to a cat shelter where readers are participating in Cat Tales - Kids Reading to Cats at the Caring for Cats shelter in North St. Paul, MN. “
You must go see the photos of children reading to cats. I have seen this program regularly for dogs. One big reason behind it is that children who may be afraid to read aloud because they have difficulty with reading or are afraid of being bullied or whatever read instead to dogs who are kind, compassionate listeners. I’d never seen it with cats before. Love this.
Short Shares
A few more poignant passages that I felt moved to share:
of shared The Proust Questionnaire, Part I
answering the first 11 questions with a haiku and a piece of music. It is brilliant. Don’t miss it. For example, in response to the question: “what is the trait you most deplore in others?”
“Do you need to speak?
Are your words helping the world?
I need quiet, please.”
And if you enjoy poetry, check out Pink Peppercorns by of
A small bit:
~Bite an olive fresh from tree
it’s a thousands miles away
from the brine variety~
From of in No more heroes:
“Drawing is movement held in stillness. Or maybe drawing reveals the stillness within movement. Water seems to be the perfect expression of this duality. Water is as old as the Earth, perhaps, some say, even older. And yet it’s in constant motion, responding to every shift of light and air, freshly new every moment, as liquid water, invisible vapour, solid ice and all manner of fogs, rains, floods, blizzards and bogs.”
From @Nat of in Diazepam state of mind:
“When I was younger, I imagined the inside of my head as a dusty old storeroom full of different-sized boxes.
The gloomy light shed enough brightness to make out the messy shelves that flanked the inside of my skull. Here, I’d file away memories in heavy boxes at the very top of the shelf, lock it and then swallow the key with a huge gulp.”
From of in Negative Capability:
“John Keats studied to be a surgeon for many years before leaving it all behind to be a poet full-time. After spending years seeking to understand the body, cutting up corpses and seeing what we were made of, he still arrived at the conclusion that there was something beyond what he was capable of understanding through study. He may have understood blood vessels and organs, but such study never uncovered the soul or what lets a body be a being, what lets a body sing into the dimming of day into night.”
What I Wrote This Week:
Thanks to
and for participating in interviews this week!
A Few Thanks and Congrats
- of delighted me so much by naming me next to a mental health writer that I’ve admired for a long time: “Kathryn Vercillo andKate Speer inspire me DAILY to include interviews and podcasts in my Substack, and I’m finally ready to do so (definitely give them a subscribe for all things mental health, art, and intersectional living).” See Rachel’s post about collaboration.
Thanks to
of for letting people know about my invitation to collaborate and letting her readers know a bit more about what I do.
Housekeeping:
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Kathryn, I answered the "Do you typically work on one creative piece at a time or multiple pieces?" question, but it's complicated for me, too. I do like to focus on one piece at a time, but there are moments when I need to have a backup place for creativity, so if I hit a block, I can move somewhere else. Generally speaking, I prefer to scratch my OCD itch by really focusing on one thing at a time, though.