How to Beat Artist's Depression
Creative types and artist are often known to have some trouble with depression or other related disorders. They may often be misunderstood, thought of as antisocial, mysterious, irrational, or dark. Whether it’s a natural disposition or a result of the instability involved with exploring something new and creative boundaries, there seems to be a certain correlation between creativity and imbalance.
The best art is produced from passion. Much of the best art has been created from an intense longing to get something out, to express emotions fully, and to experience a release in doing so. There’s a comfort in being heard. Art has the ability to articulate something in a way that a conversation can’t explicitly convey.
Artists are driven by a longing to express the intensity of emotion within themselves. The inability to express oneself properly may result in depression or anxiety. While some artists may have a tendency to abuse drugs and alcohol – those substances do not contribute to creativity or make an artist great. Substance abuse occurs when an emotional experience is unable to be coped with properly.
The more painful and intense a painful experience is - the greater the capacity becomes in relation to the depth of understanding involved with love and happiness. You can’t fully understand how great life can be unless you experienced the worst. Without a reference point or an emotional understanding of both the light and the dark, we’re left in a neutral position of indifference.
As an artist, it’s easy to get lost in the pain and think we’re just victims to an unfair life. However, the quote “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it” is true. We all have ups and downs – some artists are just more prone to a higher emotional sensitivity. You are ultimately responsible for taking care of yourself, no matter what happens to you.
Metaphorically speaking, creative types can think of themselves like a complicated machine, rather than a flawed machine. Let’s say your directions are more complex - there are more buttons and levers to figure out, and you initially require high amounts of maintenance to work properly. However, after you’ve spent the additional time to read all the directions, take care of the details, and learn how to run the machine properly – you now are capable of doing an incredible amount of dynamic things. The rewards are worth the effort because you understand what’s required to tap into your potential completely, and you’re ability to work with focus is advanced.
If you are an artist that struggles with depression or any kind of disorder, you need to take time to heal. Pain can be a great way to tap into something creative, but living with unhealed or ignored pain is costly. You cannot be driven by pain for long without it sapping all your energy. The beauty in life can also serve as an inspiration, but you need to heal yourself and get a proper perspective on life in order to get in touch with that beauty.
If I didn't have God as the center-point of my life, I would be very lost. Through Christ we are made complete, whole, and healed properly. We discover our real purpose though God - we're no longer just making it up as we go. With a solid foundation, you know which way to go - you know which doors to take. You also have comfort knowing that the pain you experience will make you a better person as you mature and develop. All the best to your journey, your creativity, and your balance as an artist~
For further reading in balancing yourself in today's busy world, read: How to Fix Overstimulation and Imbalances from Technology.
