I am a Writer. I am Creative. I am an Artist.
Since childhood, I created. Being creative was the outlet I desperately needed in every aspect of my life growing up. And yet, most of my life, I have shied away from confidently declaring those titles.
The struggle when I entered my teen years into adulthood was fitting the mold in order to be accepted into those creative circles. Whether it was dance, theatre, music, writing, film-making, I felt constantly held back from claiming my title due to each community having specific expectations that would conclude whether or not I fit in.
One such parameter is that being an artist under any umbrella carries the stigma of living an emotionally tormented life.
The Tortured Artist Stereotype
Wikipedia has the term coined as: “A stock character and stereotype who is in constant torment due to frustrations with art, other people, or the world in general.”
There’s a solitude and madness necessary to produce any art. And I’ve learned we could choose whether that is a good thing or a detrimental one.
Recently, I started reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Big Magic’ and they perfectly described the stereotype in this excerpt:
“To honor their example, follow these fundamental rules: Drink as much as you possibly can; sabotage all your relationships; wrestle so vehemently against yourself that you come up bloodied every time; express constant dissatisfaction with your work; jealously compete against your peers; begrudge anybody else’s victories; proclaim yourself cursed (not blessed) by your talents; attach your sense of self-worth to external rewards; be arrogant when you are successful and self-pitying when you fail; honor darkness above light; die young; blame creativity for having killed you.”
Has this method worked for many as far back as the Renassaince greats throughout history? Sure. But at what cost and what kind of life did they truly live?
Even those granted prestige, wealth, and fame were still miserable at the end of the day. As creatives, there has to be a better way. And there is.
A Theory On Why the Stereotype is So Common Among Artistic Individuals
Again, art of any kind is a solitary practice. Due to that solitude, our mental health conditions have more time to play. Personally, I didn’t have many like-minded creatives in my life growing up so when it came time to run to my much-needed outlet, doing so alone felt encouraged.
Those formative years unfortunately didn’t lend to an easy transition when it came to communities and I wanted to develop my skills and expand my knowledge. There was always a set type for each creative venture. Even when I tried, I never quite fit the typical mold of an actor, dancer, musician, writer, painter, etc. Somehow, I felt that didn’t give me the permission to officially be an Artist until I properly fit that expected mold.
Growing up is hard enough. Being any kind of different most definitely doesn’t help. Everyone is supposed to fit in their lane and those who don’t, find themselves struggling. Add to that, hormone imbalances, hereditary health issues, circumstantial hardships, etc, and now we have a creative who knowingly or unknowingly also battles with their mental health.
The Sigma of Art and Mental Health
Throughout history, there have been countless examples of the geniuses we praise and look up to that clearly demonstrated severe issues with their own behavioral health.
“Turn your pain into art,” expressed Van Gogh in regards to his enchanting ‘Starry Night’ which he painted during his battle with anxiety and addiction. Sylvia Plath’s melancholy genius ended with her committing suicide and Frida Kahlo obsessively painted her pain.
The Benefit of Art on Mental Health
Creativity is about release. It’s a language we need in order to express what the spoken one alone can not say. Humankind is about expression. Even occupations that may not seem to fall under an artistic nature still create expressions of life, technology, engineering, and countless more.
Not every creative struggles perhaps, but I do believe, every human has creativity in them and solitude of creating where we can quiet the world around us, reach out and chase that wonderful idea, creation, is what makes the world go round. That and love; both equally essential to the human psyche, in my humble opinion.
As we have progressed, generation after generation, we have come to understand how nothing in life can fall under the category of black and white. Life and people are far more complex than that.
So, why not start breaking the mold surrounding what it means to live creatively and take ownership of ourselves as Artists?
There’s A Better Way
In ‘Big Magic’ when Elizabeth Gilbert described the tortured artist stereotype, she presented another alternative. She expressed how there could be a more productive way that could bring ourselves and our loved ones enduring satisfaction and peace.
Perhaps we could “cooperate fully, humbly, and joyfully with inspiration” instead of grunting and numbing our pain through the creation process. In the end, it’s about the work just like anything else worth pursuing in life. And just like with anything else, we can choose how we approach that work. We can face the good days and the tough ones with gratitude and find mindfulness as a remedy or we can continue heavy-hearted, finding any excuse and means to blame inspiration for its delay, then numb the pain with your delusion of choice.
History has shown us where we got it wrong in so many ways, in order to give us the opportunity to learn and make it better; for us, for our children, for the next generations to come.
We don’t have to fit the toxic stereotype that is a “Tortured Artist”. We are allowed to claim our space and be authentic to who we are, whether that fits a mold or not.
Just as with writing, there are no new stories out there, only new ways of telling them. We are each unique and have countless experiences we could share with others but no one can express that same experience the way you can.
Community is important and no matter where you fall in the roster, there will be others who are like-minded and finding their way, meeting you where you’re at.
Embrace authenticity. Change the status quo by just being who you are. Happy creating, Artist.
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