Sneak Peek Into My Art and Mental Health Interviews Process
Sneak Peek Into My Art and Mental Health Interviews Process
Full interview and thoughts are free; bonus content is paid below the fold
Welcome to Create Me Free where I share all of my deep research into and musings about the complex relationship between art and mental health. While I touch on art as therapy and the benefits of creativity, I really dig into the ways that our mental health symptoms can impact our creative process, content, productivity, medium choice, self-perception, and reception by others.
A few months ago, I set up a Google Forms survey for any interested artists with mental health challenges to share their stories. I continue making my way through this in order to share more insights from contemporary artists. (And you can still fill it out here.)
This kind of “interview” or survey is just a starting point to deeper conversations - sometimes with the artist, sometimes just in terms of my research. Today we have the responses from an anonymous musician. For this one, I’ve decided to share with you what my immediate related thoughts are as I read something like this. These are the kinds of notes that I’d take to address in further follow-up interview questions and in my own further research. So, in italics, you’ll find my own notes as I mused on their responses.
What is your background with mental health and art? What have been your mental health conditions/symptoms? What kind of art do you create? How do you see the two relating to one another?
I’ve been diagnosed with just about everything from schizophrenia to bipolar to anxiety and depression and autism. I make music and digital art from time to time. I don’t see a connection although maybe abstraction and fluidity seem to be increased between my undiagnosed friends and I.
Here are my initial thoughts/reactions as I read this:
Diagnosis is complicated in so many ways. For me, and many others, receiving a physical or mental health diagnosis can be a relief because it gives a framework and community to your experience. However, it can also be limiting … I say that I have recurring depression because that’s what fits best but other diagnoses would also apply and that one isn’t quite right anymore and … all the things. For a deeper look at all of this, I love Sarah Fay’s Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses and her Substack-serialized memoir
.So, first there’s how you relate, if at all, to a diagnosis. And then there’s the second layer of whether or not you experience a relationship between that and the art that you create. From the outside, we can draw all sorts of conclusions about that relationship, and there can be a lot of value in those conversations, but that doesn’t mean that the artist experiences it that way, and their experience is obviously valid. You’ll see this more if you follow my Artist’s Mind virtual book tour in conversations about Agnes Martin who didn’t share her schizophrenia diagnosis during the nine decades of her life and who felt like it was not related to her art, although others see her ordered lines as trying to bring chaos to a disordered mind.
Finally, so curious about “maybe abstraction and fluidity” … if I am able to do any follow-up to the interview, I’ll ask more about this. Ultimately, our brains can’t be separated from our art (and perhaps that’s true of our whole bodies, see Dr. Kathleen Waller’s great post Writing From The Body) so whether or not you relate to your diagnosis or see yourself as having specific symptoms, the entire experience of the brain and the way you see the world will impact your creativity.
In what ways have mental health symptoms affected/impacted/altered the content of your art? The imagery, the medium, the colors …
At one point, after being medicated I couldn’t create the same. Everything about art felt dull and flat. I was on like five different medications at one point. Now I’m on one medication and I can create holistically again and better than ever I think.
I really appreciate that this experience demonstrates that medication isn’t all or nothing. People tend to have really strong opinions about psychiatric medication in either direction. But in my experience it may or may not be right for you, it may be right short-term but not long-term, it may be … many things that change with time. I don’t think that there should be shame or stigma around taking medication or pressure to take it either. It’s very common for people to experience medications as changing their art or thwarting it all together … that may mean not taking the medications or it may mean switching to different/fewer medications. It’s a process and it’s critical that you do what’s right for you, although figuring out what that is can be very hard.
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In what ways have mental health symptoms affected/impacted/altered the process of your art?
When I experienced mania, (or so I have been told it was mania) I felt like I had a huge rush and burst of energy to create music. I would make these songs that resembled the planets and universal frequencies of relaxation. Like I said earlier, once I was on a cocktail of medication, it took me years of trying to figure how to make music again. It was like a wholly different process. Completely different. I went from being the art itself to learning to channel it consciously. Very confusing and hard to do at first but then I became more and more comfortable trusting my instincts and intuition to create again. Without fear of failure or a doctor telling me I was doing something wrong again.
This reiterates how hard it is to learn to trust your gut as you find what’s right for you in terms of holistic health but it’s possible and it’s important. Doctors (therapists, other professionals) can play a critical role in healing but they also have the potential to harm - and there’s a whole lot in the grey area of between help/harm) - so it’s important for each individual to feel empowered to choose the care that’s right for them.
There’s excellent writing about the creativity fueled in the manic or hypomanic phases of bipolar experience (Kay Redfield Jamison being the most famous writer in this area) … but as a result there’s often a stereotyped perspective about what this means that might be limiting to some individuals.
In what ways have mental health symptoms affected/impacted/altered the productivity of your art? The amount created, art as business / income …
I don’t like to talk to people too much in larger social settings. This makes public music performance very difficult. Public music performance is where most musical artists make their most money. Streams are an incredibly difficult way to make income from, due to the influx and high volume of music on streaming platforms.
This is an aspect of mental health impacting creative sharing that I’ve seen often in my research and interviews and have some personal lived experience with as well. For me it’s actually not typically challenging to speak to people in large social settings … but I’ve had a lot of phone anxiety over the years which has limited my ability/interest in doing interviews and podcasts. See how this has changed for me. It’s been a balance for me to learn when to keep my world small and when to open up my growing edge a little bit. Sometimes this has to do with self-care that’s necessary separate from the writing. Sometimes it has to do with where I’m at in the vulnerability of the writing itself in terms of feeling less safety around sharing it.
of Art Dogs recently shared an essay about Barbra Streisand, which led me to learn more about her (something I’ll share a little bit more of in Friday’s Link Love post this week, and hopefully more in the future) and something notable is that she chose not to perform for almost three decades which might have been linked with her own experience of social/performance anxiety.
How does money play into the relationship between art and mental health for you?
I don’t do it for the money. I am lucky enough to be supported by my mom and family at the moment. Very blessed. Thank you 🙏🏻
I ask this question because money adds a lot of complicated stuff to the relationship between art and mental health that I’m trying to puzzle through. Some people don’t feel like they’re “real artists” unless they get paid full-time for that work and all kinds of self-esteem stuff and mental health symptoms can play out in that in different ways. And some people keep money and art very separate for similar reasons. But a lot of us explore different ways to make money including through our art and I am curious to further explore what this means for each of us. I’m in early stages of research around this.
The fun stuff ... how has art been therapeutic for you? How has it helped with mental health challenges?
Art is like a necessity. Almost a compulsion. I can’t not create art. I live, breathe, and am music, sound, and frequency. Everyday I’m doing something musical. Whether it’s listening. DJing. Playing guitar or piano. Filming a music video and or creating in the studio.
I hear this a lot. I’ve said it myself. I would write if I never got paid to write. I’ve been writing my whole life. Who would I be if I didn’t write? I don’t even know. Children naturally create all of the time. We are all creative beings.
But I also think there’s something interesting here about the word “compulsion.” It feels to me, then, less like joy or healing and more like … I’m not sure. Whatever associations I have with compulsive behavior as a negative due to my training in psychology I suppose. And maybe there’s something in me that resists anything I feel like I “need” to do so that limits my thoughts around this.
I am also very intrigued about music as an art form in terms of how it differs from other art forms because I find that it tends to have a lot of differences but I can’t quite describe them. There’s such interesting research into music in dementia and how music is stored in a different part of our brains and helps us remember and experience things differently. I don’t have a strong musical self … I like music but I’m not passionate about it the way some people are and over the years of knowing really musical people I’ve discovered that I literally don’t hear the way that they do. I can’t pick out different notes or even different musical instruments, even when I’m taught how to do so. I don’t hear it. And so my experience of music is different from a musician’s. So when I read the line: “I live, breathe, and am music, sound, and frequency,” I really feel like there’s a truth to that that’s different from other art forms. I suppose in a sense, as a writer, I am always breathing words. But it feels different somehow. More to muse on here.
Are there any artists I should be studying to learn more about the relationship between art and mental health? Or any books or other resources that come to mind?
The documentary The electrying life of cats (something like that) this guy has various mental health problems but ends up changing the world with his paintings of cats. It’s based on a true story I believe. He makes cats a household pet in the modern world with his prolific artwork on them.
Yes! It’s The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, which I watched as part of my research for my book The Artist’s Mind. If you want to learn about an artist whose perception was impacted by schizophrenia, your preliminary research will almost always turn up Wain as a source, with people often saying that you can see the progression of the condition in the changes in his artwork. This is especially interesting because that’s one lens and, yet, he didn’t have a typical experience of schizophrenia at all (of course, everyone’s experiences are different, but his manifested much later in life than usual, for example.)
I could say lots more about Wain, which I did in my book, of course, but since we’ve been discussing money as it relates to art, I’ll just share this paragraph excerpted from a draft of the book:
“Wain struggled making a business as an artist. He was a very, very prolific artist. However, he often failed to ask for royalties, and he often found himself financially struggling. And things got worse with World War I when there was a paper shortage, making it hard for him to find buyers for his illustrations. He needed to support his mother and five sisters, and yet by the 1920’s, he was impoverished. The stress may have exacerbated his mental health symptoms.”
Our initial interview ends here. I hope this gave you creative food for thought alongside some insight into the early stages of one part of my research process.
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Art and Mental Health Takeaways:
In summary from the above article:
You may or may not relate to a diagnosis. You may or may not define yourself as a certain type of artist. And you may or may not see those things as related to one another. There’s no one right way to view this.
Medication often impacts creativity, sometimes in predictable ways and sometimes in ways we never expected. It can have a “positive” impact as well as a “negative” one (terms used loosely and defined by the artist themselves.) This doesn’t make medication right or wrong; it makes it complicated.
Your relationship with social settings and performing (which might be part of your mental health) can impact the way that you grow, share, and profit from your creativity. It is a challenge to find what works for you.
Money can impact both mental health and creativity. Sometimes having outside financial support (from family, from a non-art full-time job, etc.) is the solution to being free within your creative self. And sometimes that’s not the answer. We, as a society, are trying to figure this out.
Artists often feel like they “must” create. This is generally either a given or a positive thing. But are there negative aspects?
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.
If you have been given a diagnosis, how do you relate to that? And how do you see it relating to your creativity?
How has medication (or nutrition) changed the way that you create?
Reflect on this sentence from the interview and respond to it in art or writing: “I went from being the art itself to learning to channel it consciously.”
How does your art shift and change over time? What aspects of your work remain constant, and which ones evolve?
Describe a time when you experienced social or performance anxiety.
How does money play into the relationship between art and mental health for you?
Explore the concept that artists have a compulsion to create.
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:
Choose a medium that you love and take some time to use that medium to explore “abstraction and fluidity.”
Draw, paint, or create a puppet of a cat that reflects your own mental state. What does this cat need in order to thrive? Bonus: watch The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.
Explore a way to visually represent the complexities and nuances of your own mental health. What does the final image/product reveal to you about yourself?
Use colors, shapes, and composition to create a collection of artworks that convey various emotional experiences.
Allow yourself to create without judgment or pressure, using art as a means of processing emotions and finding inner peace.
Consider participating in creative retreats or workshops focused on mental health and art. These retreats can offer a safe space to explore your creativity, connect with others, and deepen your artistic practice.
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:
If you aren’t feeling like your diagnosis, medication, and/or doctor or therapist are the right fit for you, trust your gut and explore other options.
Practice mindfulness during the creative process to stay present and connected to the work. Being fully engaged in the act of creating can serve as a form of meditation, reducing stress and promoting a sense of calm and focus.
Use your art to advocate for mental health awareness and destigmatization. Harness your creative voice to spark conversations about mental health and its impact on the artistic community.
Embrace the fluidity of your artistic process and embrace growth and transformation as you navigate the intersection of mental health and creativity.
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.
Quotes from the interview that work as mantras or affirmations:
I can create holistically.
I am the art itself.
I channel art consciously.
I live, breathe, and am music, sound, and frequency.
And more:
My creativity is a powerful tool for self-expression and healing.
I embrace my mental health journey as an integral part of my artistry.
My art is a reflection of my unique perspective and experiences.
Each creation I make is a testament to my strength and resilience.
My art embodies fluidity and freedom.
Mental well-being fuels my artistry.
Additional Resources:
More on Louis Wain: “Made in chalk and ink, it shows a small and cheery cat who stares out from the page with a broad and jolly grin. Underneath is written: “I am happy because everyone loves me”. It aims at positivity, but there is an unavoidable sadness to it. Made while Wain was in care, it is arguably the illustrator’s most revealing work – capturing the despair in his life and highlighting his tragic struggle for happiness.”
On multiple diagnoses: “If you had a cold, you wouldn’t want to be diagnosed with coughing disorder, sneezing disorder and aching joints disorder,” Grotzinger said. “This study is a stepping stone toward creating a diagnostic manual that better maps on to what is actually happening biologically.”
Related to Kay Redfield Jamison’s work: “Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire is an investigation of one of the most famous and well-documented cases of manic-depressive illness (the former term for bipolar disorder), as well as a fresh look at the relationship between mood disorders and artistic creativity.”
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