ARTIST’S MENTAL HEALTH - navigating big EMOTIONS
the myth of the tortured artist
For many creative people, making art goes hand in hand with emotional turmoil. Like a painter who gets caught up in a manic burst of creative energy, making tons of work, but then falls apart when he loses track of where the art ends and he begins. Or a novelist who loves what she’s working on one day, then re-reads a draft the next day and hates it. It’s common for creatives to feel ecstatic after finishing a project, followed by an emotional crash and foul mood.
Why are so many artists this way? They’re often highly sensitive people who get easily overstimulated. Between a dysregulated nervous system and the emotional rollercoaster of being creative for a living, it’s no wonder so many artists, musicians, actors, and writers experience meltdowns, burnout and overwhelm. But it’s a mistake to believe that the best work comes from the “tortured artist.” We don’t want the artist to tolerate - or even encourage - chaos in their lives. They might stay in an abusive relationship or continue to abuse themselves with drugs and alcohol (see below) in an attempt to keep the creative inspiration flowing. In this way, the “tortured” part of being a tortured artist is voluntary.
The first step towards finding peace is to expect and accept this experience - and not judge it. Big emotions are part of the job. A creative person who’s prepared for the highs and lows of the creative process will weather the storm more quickly and with less tension. And she needs people in her life who understand what’s happening and wait patiently for the storm to pass, because it usually does.
avoiding artist’s burnout
Writers, actors, musicians, artists who want lasting careers can minimize burnout by taking up stress management - setting aside time each day for meditation, exercise, journaling, or day dreaming. Talk to a mental health professional or a holistic medical provider about how to start making stress management a daily practice. Or find an app designed to build healthy, daily habits like grounding exercises - or any other mindfulness meditation practices - and use it every day. Don’t wait until your nerves are fried to start stress management. It’s easier to get started when life is stable and routine.
A mindful meditation practice can minimize the chances of burnout, but emotional crashes still happen. When faced with crushing career setbacks, artists need to re-calibrate their system. If possible, take a few days off, almost the same way one would treat the flu, with no expectation that the artist get out of bed for days. Didn’t sell your manuscript, TV script, painting, or movie? Lost your contract or got a scathing review? Stay in bed for a few days. Feel as awful as you need to. These blocks of time spent resting and recharging can re-fill the creative well. But after an agreed-upon length of time, get out of bed and back to work.
when big emotions are fueled by drugs and alcohol
When a musician, writer, actor, or artist feels everything deeply, they can turn to substances to numb their emotional pain. But in time, the substances tear away at the quality of his life and become the cause of the pain. Soon enough, all the artist’s emotional highs and lows come from depleted chemicals in the brain’s reward system.
If substance use has you not sleeping enough, not eating enough, if half your day is cleaning up messes from the night before, you’re heading for burnout and you’re probably not getting much art made. The best thing you can do for your work and life is to consider cutting back or cutting it out. Talk to a therapist who treats substance use disorder about how to do make it happen.