Of that time, he explained, “I’ve been suffering from Major Depression for the past 4 years and it has manifested itself throughout that period in many ways, photography included.” Like others, Hopkins has also struggled with a sense of self—an aspect that comes through his images. These Artists Use Their Art To Talk About Mental Health words by Year13. We had the privilege of catching up with TalkLifer and talented graphic designer and illustrator Sow Ay, who’s work we’re a great fan of. Creative types, particularly if they are night owls, may work into the early hours because it's when they get bursts of imaginative ideas. If they come up against the prospect of getting better, they may start to wonder who they are without their problems. Through obscured portraits, he also demonstrates how jarring it can be. Note: Some of these mental illness and depression drawings are quite disturbing and unsettling.Do not look at these images if you don’t think it would be good for you to do so. "If you're always going to be that way and take it as your identity, you're going to make choices that lead you down that road," Neo said. 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Subscriber Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature.". Dmitri Mendeleev also saw how the periodic table should be arranged while he was asleep, then woke up and drew what he had envisioned. With the stigma that’s attached to it, however, folks are less than inclined to talk about it. Read more: Photos Reveal What It’s Like to Have Anxiety Issues, In photographer John William Keedy’s series It’s Hardly Noticeable, he juxtaposes normal behaviors—like flossing your teeth—with abnormal behaviors like obsessively arranging them on the sink. In 1908, Munch wrote how his condition was "verging on madness," and it was "touch and go," so he entered electrification therapy for hallucinations and feelings of persecution. Full of warm light, his subjects look at peace among the beauty of nature. There's also the matter of substance abuse, which is rife in the creative industry. If you look deeper, is it because we don't really know how to deal with emotions?". The travel and its accompanying photographs were a “very spontaneous trip.” Osban tells us, “I had just gotten over the darkest time in my life and felt I needed something else to look forward to.” The tranquil, overwhelmingly blue images represent her living with depression. Photographer and artist Janelia Mould tells us in an interview: “I have purposefully left out the head and some limbs. A study last May found a possible link between a disrupted body clock and mood disorders such as depression, so it's not difficult to see how the late night creative lifestyle could impact someone's mental health in the long run. Artists have always made deeply personal work that can be confessional and about the complexities of mental health. As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts. Neo said. His suffering is neither a medical nor social problem, but a religious experience. I believe that art should be taught as a therapy for anyone who suffers mental illness. This painting of everyday life in 15th century Venice reveals how mental illness was understood and treated in the middle ages. “Your mind is who you are,” he explains, “and when it doesn’t work properly, it's scary.”, Read more: Interview: Photographer Explores Own Depression with Surreal Self-Portraits, Janelia Mould specializes in surreal imagery, and she brought this approach to her project titled Melancholy – a girl called depression. This means people with schizotypy keep taking in a lot of information, and are unable to ignore extraneous details. Not only do stimulants keep you up, they've also been linked to several mental health issues. There are so many examples of exceptionally creative artists (as well as musicians and writers) who have experienced mental health problems: Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Edward Munch, the list goes on. ", Edvard Munch, who painted one of the most iconic and widely recognised masterpieces of the 19th century, also had his demons. "We've got a whole bunch of tortured artists," psychologist Perpetua Neo told Insider, speaking on the proposed link between mental illness and creativity. With the tortured artist identity, they may believe their creativity is a form of therapy, to create a fantastical kind of world to the real one we live in. According to Neo, it's not so much about finding a direct link, but what's going on in between. In people high in schizotypy and originality, their precuneus is still firing away. The pattern seems to go back a long way. On the other hand, artists and other creatives may suffer from "impostor syndrome." "If you're in a vulnerable time, you're trying to make an impression, and you have to stay up late, and someone pumps you full of free amphetamines, your brain starts to fire off — it's right time, right place," Neo said. Michal Macku developed his own artistic technique to best tell stories through his photography. ), it offers reflection and by extension, a form of art therapy. "It can be beautiful in a melancholic way, and creatives tend to draw this melancholy and reflectiveness as a source of inspiration.". The artist has worked for such clients as the horror king Stephen King himself, creates Cyanide & Happiness cartoons and even has his own clothing line. Munch, for instance, wrote in his diary: "My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness. For example, studies have shown how night owls (people whose natural rhythm makes them stay up later and wake up later) are often more creative than early birds. It is sometimes called “The Healing of the Madman”, but “possessed” is closer to contemporary ideas about the mind. Receive our Weekly Newsletter. “What seems to be changing is that the stigma of mental health is slowly being eroded and, in general, people feel more at ease in talking about it, particularly depression and anxiety,” f ragmentary.org ’s Daniel Regan shares. But if we're constantly repressing our true selves, you have to wonder whether it's going to come out in some other way. In addition to educating those who don't have depression (or anxiety, OCD, etc. It can be easy to look at anecdotal evidence and jump to conclusions, rather than focus on the data — especially when there are two high profile cases of suicide in close proximity to each other, such as this year with the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Experts believe the painting represents the anxiety of man, coupled with Munch's internal torment, which fueled his art. Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of. Hopefully this video will get you thinking about how art is used in mental health awareness. Expressing Anxiety and Mental Illness through Art Therapy. The theme of the exhibition was “solace” – which is the act of seeking comfort during a time of great distress or sadness. "But that's the only way they know how to deal with emotions. Photography helped pull Tyler Rayburn out of the darkest period in his life. ", "I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired," he wrote. Read more: Surreal Self-Portraits Communicate the Isolation of Depression, Diagnosed with depression at age 19, Edward Honoker’s dreamlike photographs capture the isolation that goes along with the illness. since, “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention”. And of course, if you think that, you're going to stay there that way.". Luckily, there are expressive photographers who use their depression as a way to heal and spread awareness about the disease. “Through this project I recognized how intimacy and fragility can be painful but rewarding,” Drennan says. “I want to convey that living with a mental illness doesn't leave me hopeless or complacent with a static existence but shows that I can carry on and go forth while still spending time and getting to know my condition that so clearly has woven itself in me, welcomed or not.”, Read more: Interview: Tyler Rayburn Shows Us Love Can Be Found in Our Darkest Moments. Here's how three young artists are looking after their mental health. Many artists and creatives have famously struggled with their mental health, including Vincent Van Gogh, I don't want anyone to have to feel even close to how I felt.” As a result, Rayburn infuses a sense of hope in his surreal images. It's no secret that some of the most famous artists of all time were plagued with delusions and hallucinations, and to this day we see news stories of artists and performers in the public eye struggling with their mental health, and sometimes taking their own lives. Photographer Gabriel Isak uses his depression as the catalyst for his project called The Blue Journey. Is it why Sylvia Plath put her head in an oven, while her children slept in the next room? Sleep experts also generally believe there is a period in the night which is where our brain does most of its regenerative work, and clears out everything you don't need. Inspired by the artist Magritte as well as surrealism, he created it after facing the disease for seven years. Artistic skill is not required to participate in art therapy. While awake, the prefrontal cortex in the brain dials down the things we don't need to focus on, like the taboo subjects or irrelevant thoughts we normally bat aside. Melatonin production — the hormone that makes us feel sleepy — is also highest between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Through a powerful series of self portraits, Katie Joy Crawford depicts her inner struggles with general anxiety disorder. "At the heart of it, it's about how we process our emotions — whether we are creative or not.". Mental Health and Art in Prehistory Art for mental health is not new, but has only relatively recently been recognised. "A lot of them draw on their tortured selves to create meaning and create art. Read more: Photographer Documents Husband’s Depression with Intimate Comparisons to Isolated Environments, In photographer Maureen Drennan’s series The Sea That Surrounds Us, she pairs desolate landscapes with portraits of her husband, Paul, who was going through a deep depression. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. Someone's mental state is so subjective and personal, it can be a hard thing to define anyway, so generalisations should be avoided. The ability to express yourself has power. 5 min read. Is that why Virginia Woolf swam into the middle of a river and drowned herself? "But at the same time, as a psychologist, I would ask if perhaps they need to believe, to create their identity, to be an artist with a tortured soul.". But if that therapy starts to not work anymore, what happens then? “ Who ‘myself’ may truly be is still something I struggle with daily.”, Read more: Interview: Liz Osban's Hauntingly Beautiful Photos of Iceland Aid in Coping with Depression, Liz Osban and her boyfriend traveled to Iceland—a journey they had waited eight years to take. Wain, along with members of his family, suffered from various mental illnesses. Mary Shelley famously got her inspiration for Frankenstein from a dream. In these images, the subject seemingly rips himself apart, not unlike the feelings that depression and anxiety can bring. During this period, it is also quintessential that they have a counselor who they talk to on a regular basis. Getty Images/Self-Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, Visit Insider's homepage for more stories, mental health problem can become weaved in as part of their identity, people simply interpret life's events differently, disrupted body clock and mood disorders such as depression, 13 things you shouldn't say to someone who is struggling with their mental health. After painting "The Scream," he said the idea came to him in a vision, where the "sky turned blood red. Psychologists have long been fascinated by the tentative link between mental health and creativity. For the man being miraculously healed by a priest amidst the human drama of the Rialto bridge has been taken over by a demon. Crafted as self portraits, you can never see her face. "Everything becomes beautiful [at night]," said Neo. Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening. Last week in Sydney, a bunch of local artists exhibited a show at Goodspace Gallery. Essentially, these thoughts are set free, and that's why dreams can be so vivid. In a recent VSCO survey, over 80% of Gen Zers polled said that they feel more … Artists who have mental health problem would not practice for a long time. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. This would help to forestall any signs of mental health problem. The results of the study found that the brains of people with schizotypy and those who were highly creative and original were wired quite similarly. In 1888, Vincent Van Gogh famously cut off his ear after an argument with his friend Paul Gauguin. But there is no overarching explanation, and you can never really know why someone decides they can no longer deal with the world. 10 Creatives Expressing Themselves With Depression Photography Louis Wain: The Bachelor Party Chagrined Cat with Black Eye Out with Auntie Cat’s Nightmare Artist Profile Louis Wain was a British illustrator born in 1860 in London, United Kingdom. The personal struggle of each of these artists continue to echo to this day through their artistic legacy. Therefore, artists with mental illness will arrive at more solutions and put more concentrated effort into a piece, which will increase that chance that it will be a successful work of art. Neo said that's called post-traumatic growth. "Then it starts becoming a habit. The drawing above – entitled The Glass – was created on a flight to a comic convention last year. The artist chronicles his journey as a way to express himself in a culture where mental illness is often a taboo topic. The isolation, worry, and fear that comes with this invisible affliction can stall or even stop the forward progress in one’s life. One study from the Office of National Statistics in England, covering the years from 2011 to 2015, showed people who work in arts-related jobs were up to four times more likely to die by suicide. Meanwhile, another study, from 2013, found being an author was specifically associated with increased likelihood of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and suicide. While some artists may perpetuate their problem in the pursuit of more profound creations, others may find comfort in it, and even use it to help other people who have also been through tough times. "Now and then there are horrible fits of anxiety, apparently without cause, or otherwise a feeling of emptiness and fatigue in the head... At times I have attacks of melancholy and of atrocious remorse. One way they can go about this is to go for health checks on a daily basis. And modern art has romanticised mental suffering as integral to creative expression, and part of the human condition. "After they create this art, they still feel a bit lost, then obviously there's a limit to how much this art will help them.". Throughout history, numerous artists have battled mental illness, leading scientists to examine the link between creativity and mental health. But when we sleep, the prefrontal cortex has a rest, while the visual lobe kicks into hyperdrive. Edvard Munch is another famous artist that was plagued with mental illness, including anxiety and hallucinations. Many photographers represent this feeling by obscuring the face. Sow shares his personal experience with mental health through his honest and captivating drawings. The process of making these images was therapeutic, however, and she hopes that it will help others who face similar struggles. But most of us don't live in a world where our social and work schedule fits around our body clock, so we have to make do with being a bit sleep deprived some of the time. But researchers keep trying to piece the puzzle together, as more answers ultimately mean more potential ways to help guide people through their struggles. Thus we the public are more aware of it when they take their own lives, or suffer from a debilitating mental health problem. Staying up instead of getting rest in this important time period can easily throw you out of sync, which can wreak havoc on your body and mind — especially if you're doing it all the time. Some may even train themselves to wake up from dreams, disrupting their sleep cycle. Although not exclusively about depression, My Anxious Heart conveys many of the same distressing emotions produced because of it. There are plenty of possible reasons someone may start to struggle with their mental health. This form of poignant depression photography is often autobiographical. This, along with other vignettes, offer a look into the lives of people who have mental illnesses that, as the title suggests are “hardly noticeable.”, Read more: New Photography Technique Reflects Themes of Anxiety. Neuroscientist Andreas Fink and his team at the University of Graz in Austria recruited creative people and people living with schizotypy — a less severe form of schizophrenia — and looked at their brain activity. In the United States, stigma is attached to mental illness. "There's this idea, this perception, that I don't know how to manage money, I'm bad at this, I don't know how to be commercial. Those in the limelight are bound to be more likely to struggle with this, because of how the media can twist what happens in their lives to sell stories. So it's the right time, right place, right person.". Art Therapy Exercises For Mental Health – Dance – Foto: pixabay.com Listen to meditation or relaxation music – this is one of my favorites art therapy exercises. "Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. Not every creative person has anxiety or bipolar disorder. The images feature Crawford bound in plastic wrap, trapped in a birdcage, and her head in a cloud—among other things. Get it now on Libro.fm using the button below. Another possible link between creativity and mental health was discovered in a paper from 2014. A creative's desire to be profound and influential in their field might outweigh any desire to get help, ultimately leading them down a road where their mental health deteriorates further. Whether it's drawing, writing, presenting, or performing, illegal highs can become an entirely normal aspect of the day. Completing projects like these can be the path to clarity. Normally, when you're doing a complex task, a part of your brain called the precuneus will become less activated so you can focus. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and crisis situations. "This therapy only has a certain kind of effect," Neo said. "We go to school for so many years, but nobody tells us if you feel that, it's okay. “Vulnerability is what makes us human, what makes us beautiful.”, Read more: Young Photographer Takes Surreal Self-Portraits to Cope with Depression, For Christian Hopkins, photography was a way to cope with his depression. Those who have this mental illness can often feel like they’re all alone in their struggles. "They often feel like they don't deserve something, or it's because the gulf between the expectations of where they should be, and where they actually are, is very big.". "It's got to do with this disconnect of how they see themselves," said Neo. Everybody only sees a certain side of us, she said, because of how we are portrayed, or because people simply interpret life's events differently. “My subconscious mind inspired most of the images in the series,” he told us, “as they all feel like small memories of what I went through during my depression.”, Read more: Photographer Explores Her Own Anxiety Disorder Through Haunting Self-Portraits. They have no laser focus for one task, and instead absorb absolutely everything, making connections other people might not comprehend. Life is art so people are artists, I think. Her aim was to help remove the stigma surrounding the illness. He died by suicide two years later in 1890. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. It's important to add that creativity doesn't beget depression and suicide. We’re also on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flipboard. And some people tend to be a lot more impulsive, some people less. Whenever you feel stressed or angsty, listen to relaxation music, piano music, rain and nature sounds. Essentially, it's when someone believes they have only gained success or fame out of chance, rather than their achievements. They might think, "Who am I when the pain is gone?" They have no control over what's printed about them, or how they are perceived. In Western cultures in particular, it's still somewhat frowned upon to be honest about your feelings, out of fear of "airing your dirty laundry" or making someone else uncomfortable. Whether you sketch people as stick figures or awesomely as Da Vinci, mastery is not what art therapists look for. But many psychologists are skeptical about the proposed link, suggesting people with emotional volatility might be drawn into creative industries and the entertainment world. For many people with a mental illness, arts-based programmes become a catalyst to resume and/or pursue their art practice more seriously. It’s the starting point for imagery that depicts the darkness this disorder brings—particularly the loss of a sense of self. Its roots are ancient, universal and identifiable as a language for mental, emotional and spiritual healing. South London-based digital artist Kirsty Latoya — also known as KirzArt — is using her work to unpack the complexities of mental health. Ultimately, their lives reached tragic ends in a way nobody else will understand. The charm of this artist resided in the paintings he created while in the acute stages of his illness while he was staying in the mental health institute of Saint-Rémy. Author: Opposing Views Staff Updated: Mar 1, 2018 Original: Jul 13, 2012. They are indistinguishable from me, and their destruction would destroy my art.". ", Artists can be pretty unhappy people, she said, and they are often quite honest about that fact.
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