Depression and Creativity

I read this article somewhere wanted to share it along with my views on the same:

Depression and Creativity
By Wayne J. Cosshall

Summary – Being creative is supposed to be one of the greatest things
in the world. But it is my observation that there is a down side that
is often there, under the surface, depression.

(Usual warning – this article contains personal experience and is no
substitute for professional advice).

If you are a photographer or digital artist you probably think of
yourself as creative. Creativity is a great joy, being able to pull
something wonderful, beautiful or even disturbing out of stimulation
that others do not see. The classic stereotypes of creative people
include being `different’, sometimes self-centered, a bit `floaty or
not nailed down, etc. But what can also go with creativity is a
tendency to depression.

Dictionary definitions of depression define it as severe sadness and
feeling dejected. It covers a broad range from being flat or sad for
an extended period of time through to deep depression where people
can’t get out of bed, feel no enthusiasm at all for pretty much
anything and can lead to suicidal thoughts, etc.

Depression manifests itself in many ways for creative people. Beyond
the severe end, which is completely debilitating to all aspects of
their lives, it is my observation that creative people are prone to
many `low level’ forms. This can be a general sadness when the person
is not working on a creative process. I know my wife, a painter, is
generally a much happier person when she is working on a series than
when she is not. It can also work the other way around. It is
inevitable that a creative person will have creative low periods,
either where they are ready to change a form they have been doing for
some time but have not yet worked out the new approach or perhaps
they are working through technical problems. These normal problems
can become quite a heavy weight for a creative person, driving them
to deeper negative feelings than are warranted from a cool look at
the situation. So a natural flat period can lead to thoughts of
having `lost it’, of the work being no good and then the spiral has
begun.

The spiral of depression is a real phenomenon, where a small issue
becomes bigger and bigger, in the mind of the creative person. So
computer problems come to dominate your thinking, stopping you from
doing, or enjoying, anything else until it is resolved. Or a
rejection from a gallery puts you in a bad mood for a whole week,
affecting your relationships with those around you. I think you get
the idea.

Now no two creative people are alike, not only in the degree to which
they tend to get depressed but also in what triggers it. I, for
example, am badly affected by computer issues and anything that hits
on the finances, such as yet another disappointment from some
organization I am working with, such as my art and photography
teaching, when it impacts on the bottom line, dollars. These things
don’t hit my wife so hard (well she avoids the computer entirely for
art to avoid frustration . She, on the other hand, can get very
down when a technical issue, such as getting hold of the right
materials or figuring out how to use them, holds her up from
creating. This does not bother me, seeing it as a puzzle to solve
(maybe it is a guy thing .

How we behave when depressed also differs enormously. Some get very
short fused. I tend to do several things: dive for comfort food, hide
from the world (not answering emails, the phone, etc) and want to
sleep a lot. It usually doesn’t stop me getting some things done, but
my productivity is far less than when I am ok. Others shut up shop
entirely. And of course there are those who are severely hit, feeling
suicidal, or wanting to self-harm. Thankfully I do not have anyone in
my circle of creative friends and loved ones who does that.

Depression in creative types is far more common in those who have not
yet found their creative outlet. I see this in the creativity
counseling I do. Such people have all this creative energy in them
but no effective outlet. We often think of depression as a lack of
energy, but in such people the problem is too much energy and no
outlet, so it bubbles away, triggering negative thinking, self-
sabotaging behaviors thought overload, etc.

One needs not to be scared to seek professional advice. If you have a
good general practitioner you can talk to (if not, change), talk it
out with them. Go see a counselor or psychologist. In extreme cases a
psychiatrist can be a great idea. Medication can sometimes help. I’ve
taken anti-depressants once in my life, following the death of my
second wife. For about two weeks they really helped me through a
tough time and then I found I worked better off them. I then
substituted exercise (the natural endorphins you can get with heavy
exercise are a great remedy). It is, I believe, important to get to
the bottom of what is going on, especially if depression is a
recurring issue in your life. Sometimes there can be a chemical
imbalance, sometimes it is an accumulation of life experiences, a
reaction to past stress, abuse or trauma or a whole range of other
things. Even just having someone to talk to who is not emotionally
involved can be a huge benefit. Sharing with friends or family can
also be great.

Sometimes the most important thing with depression (and many other
things) is to realize that you are not alone. Various studies that
have been in the local press here in Australia mention that anywhere
from one in eight up to 30% of people will experience depression at
some time in their lives. Personally I think it is higher than that,
it is just that some people have better skills at dealing with it
internally (or denying or hiding it) and so no one else ever knows.

Beyond the knowledge that you are not alone, if you are prone to
recurrent depression, you need to find ways to live with it or fix
it. Professional advice is a key here, as they can offer strategies
or medication. Everyone will be different and so your solution may be
very different to anyone else’s. I find it useful to have several
different creative projects on the go at once, so if I am blocked in
one I still have something else to do that I can feel positive about.
Likewise I also have several non-photographic or art projects that I
can do if I need a complete break. There are also always books,
magazines and journals around so that if I just want to chill out for
awhile I can do so in a way that is uplifting rather than pulling me
down. Also being me, I have a range of spiritual practices that I
undertake, such as meditation, that greatly help me to stay positive.
Sometimes I will channel what I would call negative energy that is
building up into an art piece, exorcising it from me into the paper.
A big assist is having a partner to keep you grounded and to pull you
up when you need it.

And, of course, it can also be ok to feel blue. We are often
convinced we have to be upbeat and happy all the time. Yet sometimes
life can be a real shit. Bad things happen. Unfair things happen.
Things go wrong. People can be horrible, selfish and uncaring.
Sometimes it is, in fact, healthy to acknowledge this, feel the
feelings for a while and then move on. I know I appreciate the great
times better for occasionally knowing the not so great and rather
than brushing it away, actually feeling it. And sometimes, great art
comes out of being depressed.

Like everything to do with people, nothing is black and white. It is
rich and complex and all part of being human. Know thyself, and find
ways to work with yourself.

MY VIEWS ON IT:
It was wonderful reading this interesting article or research study. So I liked sharing it hope readers would like it too.
As Creativity means itself creating something novel, different from
the rest, an individual tends to go away the regular o normal ways
of thinking and problem solvin which the majority is involved in
everyday life.

The more recurrent and habitual it becomes to creat something
different an individual is simultaneously pushed into an isolated
world where there may also exist an urge to relate to the normal
real social world and one may feel satisfied and happy to be
creative ony if one’s work is appreciated or liked. Ironically
creativity varies between the positives and negatives of human life.

Being a social animal human beings have a need for belongingness,
affection and like being liked which is caused due to some mutual
understanding, like mindedness and association in some or the other
way, if this need is not fulfilled definitely social rejection or
neglection makes an individual experience negative emotions hence
depression.

I would conclude it this way- Being Creative is not itself a
contentment but contentment comes from the realization of the same
by feedback from others interms of appreciation or criticism and
just the understanding of the same novel thought as one realy
thought while creating it.

ONLY A CREATIVE MIND KNOWS WHAT IT CREATES!

Phew! But thats how I understood it the link between Depression and
Creativity (Being a Masters in Psychology )

This entry was posted on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Depression-Stress, Members Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.