Creativity and Mental Health During Hard Times

Photography: invisiblepower on Unsplash

As creatives, we tend to feel things very deeply. In many ways, this is the pathway to our art. We observe and absorb the world and we create something in response. We sing a song that connects us to what is happening, we write a book that tells the story from our perspective, or we paint a picture that reflects our emotional energy.

So what do we do in a time when we may be feeling especially stressed about the health and safety of our loved ones, financial hardship, and social justice? Let me start by saying there is no right answer to this question. There is only the unique answer for you in this moment.

Let’s check in with you. Begin by asking how you can best nurture yourself today. What is one thing you can do that will make you feel good? If the answer is laying around, eating junk food, and watching TV, that is totally okay! If the answer is finishing your script, that is also okay!

There are very few (if any) moments as an artist when we have the perfect balance of work, personal life, and creativity. Especially during this time I have noticed two major themes for most of us:

1.     Putting pressure on ourselves to create something but having limited emotional capacity to make art. Having this desire to create is ingrained in us, and it’s often how we navigate the world. In a time of so much turmoil, it is absolutely normal to feel blocked creatively and sometimes our minds need the stillness of gathering information before we can create something that truly expresses our thoughts and feelings.

2.     Producing more artwork than we normally would, so much so that we feel overwhelmed by our own output and wonder whether our art is still attached to some kind of meaningful, inner need to express or if we have pigeon-holed it into the categories of “marketable products” and “work”. It’s hard to grapple with the idea that art can be sold.

Although these are two very different reactions to the same issue, they both stem from a place of shaming and blaming ourselves for not “getting it right”. It’s easy to believe we are not doing the things we are supposed to do. The good news is that you are not alone because this is a normal, human behavior.

Our minds are wired to think about our lives in the categories of right and wrong. This was very helpful in the days when people needed to make sure they ate to survive. (e.g. “If I eat, I will live. If I don’t eat, I will die.”) There is clearly a right and wrong here.

However, this is not life or death, and it takes duality of thought to grapple with it. Is it possible that you can both sit on the couch all day and be an artist? Of course! Does monetizing your art mean that you’re not a true artist? Of course not! Both can be true at the same time, and the work is about making peace with this duality.

Here are two questions you might ask yourself during the day to begin your self-nurturing practice:

1.     What do I need today?

2.     What does my art need today?

Sit with those questions for a few minutes and see what comes up! Remember, there is no right or wrong answer. Give yourself permission to feel however you feel and be wherever you are in this moment.

Did this blog fix all your problems? Darn. Let’s talk! I am a licensed psychotherapist in private practice and would love to meet you for a free 30 minute consultation.