Meet Wendi: A Mental Health And Art Interview
Full interview with a creative Substacker (bonus content below the paywall)
I love to interview creative people about their experiences with the impact of mental health symptoms on their creativity, so I was thrilled to hear from fellow Substack author Wendi Gordon. I’ve only just begun getting to know her writing, and I’m really inspired by it. Honestly, I was captured from the get go when I saw her “About Me” tagline reads:
“I write to change lives, starting with my own.”
Normally this is where I would give my introduction to the artist, but she phrases it a whole lot better herself, so I’m just going to dig right into our interview. Meet Wendi…
Hi, I’m
. I’m a freelance writer, mental health guide, and nature photographer. At least, those are three things I try to be. Some days I succeed at being at least one of them, and other days I don’t. That’s because I live with depression and anxiety.
For you specifically what do depression and anxiety look like and how do they relate to creativity?
Sometimes those conditions fuel my creativity. They inspire (or compel) me to write honestly about the ups and downs of my life. I write about how I make it through the most difficult times and sometimes eventually benefit from them. My weekly newsletter, “Changing Lives,” chronicles my journey and quotes others whose lives or writing inspire me (including Kathryn). I also created a Depression and Anxiety Survival Kit (free PDF download) of simple things that help me cope so I can help others feel better, too. I now have an online shop where my best photos of the scenery and animals I see when I walk in the park to calm down are available on a wide variety of products.
Other days depression and anxiety kick my ass and it’s challenging to just get out of bed and get dressed. I cry most of the day, or pace anxiously and hyperventilate because I’m so scared about the future. I’m absolutely certain my life and the world’s problems will inevitably get worse and I’d be better off dead. I get stuck in a spiral of negative thoughts about how worthless I am and how much better other people are. Then I beat myself up for beating myself up instead of loving myself, being grateful for what I have, or doing something that would help me feel better.
Thankfully, that doesn’t happen as often now, and I no longer wish I was dead. I’m also getting better at loving myself and paying attention to my needs instead of condemning myself for not being productive enough or making more money. I’m learning that I’m actually more productive and the quality of my work is better when I take breaks and allow myself to walk in the park, read a novel, or take a nap.
When I finally found a therapist who was helpful, the main thing we worked on for what seemed like a year was learning that I’m really hard on myself and that actually being gentle with myself makes my life and work better in every way. So I am glad that you’re taking those self-care breaks. What has helped the most in healing?
Writing has definitely improved my mental health. I wrote an article about how writing online is the best thing I’ve done for my mental health. I wrote another one about my morning routine of journaling and how important it is for me to start my day that way. Journaling is essential because it helps me pay attention to my thoughts and feelings, gain insights into what triggers them, and release those thoughts and emotions on paper instead of carrying them in my head and body all day.
I also have an evening writing routine, in which I journal every night, but in a totally different way. First, I list five things I’ve done that day. That helps me see that I was more productive than I thought. When I was severely depressed, I listed things like brushing my teeth, taking a shower, and getting dressed. Now my list includes activities like going for a walk, working on an article, doing laundry, washing the dishes.
Next, I list five things I’m grateful for. The first one is always my husband Steve, who has been my greatest source of support and unconditional love for the last 32 years and counting. The others are often other important people in my life, but can also be things like a chocolate dessert, an animal I saw at the park, or a book I’m reading.
Last but not least, I write a list of affirmations. These vary, but are always qualities I admire about myself or positive messages I want to believe more fully. Some examples: “I am lovable,” “I am enough,” “I am a good listener,” “I am honest,” “I am courageous,” and “I am making good decisions.” This list is longer than the other two; I fill the page with as many as possible. Ending each day by writing positive statements helps a lot, especially when it’s been a hard day and before I write them I’ve been criticizing myself and/or feeling hopeless about the future.
I love all of that. I do some of those practices myself. I’ve kept a gratitude list off and on. I share affirmations, among other things, in the “paid” section of my Substack posts (in the bonus content below the full entry that I offer for free). There’s some kind of magic in the incantation of those phrases, I think.
If you could magically have lived your life without ever experiencing depression, would you? How do you think that would have impacted your trajectory as a writer?
As miserable as depression has made me throughout my life, if I could magically erase my long history of living with it I don’t think I would. My experiences of depression have inspired some of my best writing and enabled me to help others who live with it.
My most severe bout of depression in 2021 almost killed me but also made me desperate enough to take the risks necessary to move toward the life I want. It forced me to see that my society’s definition of a good life is not the same as mine. It led me to start living a more authentic and creative life based on my definition instead of society’s.
That is so powerful. I’m not honestly sure that I could say the same. As with you, depression has almost killed me, and I am curious about what a life could have been like without ever having had it. That said, I also believe that we all have our struggles, whatever they may be, that shape who we are as creatives and as people, so I don’t know that I’d choose some different life either. I think it’s really powerful to see how you’ve owned and celebrated the good things in the hard of what you’ve experienced.
Let’s get a little lighter. Who are some favorite writers?
Many writers and others have inspired me and helped me live with depression. They have reduced my shame and given me the courage to tell the truth about my mental health. The writers I resonate with and appreciate the most right now are Glennon Doyle, Anne Lamott, Kate Bowler, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Nadia Bolz-Weber.
We have a lot of the same writing heroes. As you know, I love Glennon Doyle, particularly Untamed. Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic is another one that I turn to a lot. But you’ve named a couple I don’t know well, so I’ll be researching them as soon as I finish writing up our interview!
Any other writing or mental health inspirations?
The mental health professionals whose research and teachings have benefited me the most are Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Richard Schwartz. Dr. Maté emphasizes how societies negatively affect individuals’ mental health and reward unhealthy behaviors like overworking and compulsive shopping that fuel economic growth. Dr. Schwartz founded Internal Family Systems (IFS), the most fascinating and fun kind of therapy I’ve ever studied or experienced.
Oh you would have loved my Masters in Psychology Studies program at CIIS. It’s an integral approach combining Eastern and Western psychology and both of those professionals had work that was part of our curriculum.
What is one thing that we would be surprised to learn about you after reading the rest of this interview?
It may surprise people to learn that, with the exception of my husband, the person who has helped my mental health more than anyone else is Bruce Springsteen. I discovered his music when I was in high school and have been a huge fan ever since. The evenings I’ve spent seeing Bruce and the E Street Band perform live have been the best nights of my life. Nothing else comes close to those experiences of pure joy, and I would go to many more concerts during their current tour if I could afford to. I watch a Bruce concert DVD or YouTube video almost every day.
Bruce lives with depression, too. In his Born to Run autobiography, he acknowledges that. During interviews, he openly discusses his history of depression and how therapy and medication have helped him. So he has a positive effect on my mental health in that way, too. He’s also a great role model because he is still doing what he loves at age 73 and has for most of his life. He refused to give up on his dream and get a “real” job when he was younger and performed in small venues that didn’t pay enough to cover his basic living expenses. Now he uses his wealth and fame to help others. In addition to his own charitable giving, he encourages fans at every concert to support their local food bank by donating to its representatives at the venue, located near the food and merchandise vendors.
That’s terrific! He’s not an artist I’ve studied a lot so I’ll definitely be adding him to the list. Sounds really inspiring for sure!! It’s really amazing how people can inspire us across time and space in this way and help us in our own creativity and recovery journeys.
Thanks so much for being here Wendi! I’m humbled that you’ve allowed me to share your words, thrilled to let other people get to know you, and excited to continue connecting. I’ll leave the readers with an urging to check out your work, starting with one of my favorites of yours: How Our Wounds Can Be Sources of Healing Instead of Shame.
Art and Mental Health Takeaways:
Writing and creativity can heal us and also others.
We can celebrate how the experiences of depression and anxiety lead to some of our best creative work while still acknowledging that the symptoms of those same things can inhibit our ability to create that work. Both can be true.
Being gentle with yourself and practicing self-care is good for your creative work. Starting and ending the day with writing can be a powerful tool for that self-care.
The people who help us most in both creativity and wellness can sometimes be people we’ve never even met. Words have power.
I was really moved by Wendi’s response to the question of whether she would get rid of depression if she could. I honestly don’t know whether or not I would. I can say that I would absolutely get rid of it now (and try actively to do so with medication, self-care practices, all the things.) Whatever good it may have done me no longer serves me and I’d be fine living the rest of my life without its symptoms.
That said, would I erase it from my entire history and life experience? For the sake of the twenty-something girl who almost died from it, maybe. But she didn’t die. And I wouldn’t be doing the work that I’m doing here if I hadn’t had those experiences. And honestly, most of what I experienced was just a deeper, more intense, more debilitating level of the human experience that most people have in some way or another. So perhaps knowing it in a way that allows me to create from it is exactly what I’m here for.
What I do know is that this is how I am and how I express myself. And I am endlessly inspired by all of the other humans who reach into their challenging experiences and give us the best of themselves out of it. Like Wendi does.
Art and Journal Prompts:
I offer you some creativity prompts that you can use for journaling, creative writing, as a start to an art project, or however you may see fit.
How do symptoms of depression or anxiety or life stressors influence your creativity?
If you could go back and magically erase the hardest things that have happened in your life, would you? How do you imagine that you’d be different if you did?
Create a visual gratitude list. Use collage, drawing, or mixed media to depict the things that you are grateful for.
How would you visually represent the journey from darkness to light? Or how would you express it in writing?
How has or might practicing self-compassion impacted your mental health and creativity?
If you were to conduct an interview with your own creative self, what questions would you ask?
Related Tips for Using Creativity to Improve Wellness:
In addition to the above prompts, you might want to try some of these creative activities to help improve mental health:
Create morning and evening journaling routines that work for you. You might start with Wendi’s and tweak it as you go.
Listen to Bruce Springsteen! Dance or sing along!!
Read a piece of writing by one of Wendi’s favorite authors: Glennon Doyle, Anne Lamott, Kate Bowler, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Nadia Bolz-Weber.
Practice mindfulness while engaging in creative activities. Engage your senses in the creative process. Experiment with different materials, textures, colors, and scents to stimulate your senses and deepen your connection to the present moment.
Related Tips for Coping with Mental Health Symptoms That Impact Creativity:
Do you have symptoms that are impacting your ability to create? Here are some additional wellness tips:
Prioritize self-care by allowing yourself breaks throughout the day. Find what feels restorative to you and incorporate it into your daily routine.
Check out Wendi’s Depression and Anxiety Survival Kit.
Research the works of Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Richard Schwartz.
Take a nature walk or spend time outdoors. Observe your surroundings, paying attention to the sights, sounds, and smells.
Identify who is in your support network. Who can you turn to when times are tough?
Affirmations, Quotes, Meditations, Etc.:
Reading or writing affirmations / mantras can be very powerful. In relation to this article, play around with writing them down (I usually do ten times each for the one I’m working with) and then with simply thinking them or reciting them out loud and see what feels best for you.
Let’s start with the ones Wendi already named:
“I am lovable”
“I am enough”
“I am a good listener”
“I am honest”
“I am courageous”
“I am making good decisions”
And here are a few others:
"I embrace artistic inspiration."
"My creativity knows no bounds."
"Every day, I nurture my creative spirit."
“I embrace the joy of expressing my creativity."
“I am creative.”
And finally, Wendi’s tagline makes a great affirmation: “I write to change lives, starting with my own.”
Additional Resources:
Check out Wendi’s Kindle books
Bruce Springsteen’s Journey: Overcoming Depression and Anxiety
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