Creativity coach, author and psychologist Eric Maisel, PhD, notes “Some people become doctors, lawyers, accountants, or marketing executives. Some people stay at home and raise a family.
“But millions of people make another sort of choice, …
mental health and artists
Lena Dunham on Creating From “The Parts of Me I Find The Most Shameful”
The acclaimed HBO series “Girls” was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding comedy series. I have appreciated the perspectives of creator and star Lena Dunham on being multitalented, and on using many of her “neurotic” qualities (which we all have, after all) for writing about the lives of a group of young women in New York. In […]
Creative People and Mental Health
Many people experience mental health and emotional health challenges, perhaps especially those who are actively creative. The idea of the “mad” artist has a long history, and is supported to some extent by research, and the experiences of mental illness shared by many creative people. What do psychologists and artists say about this complex topic? […]
Facing your emotional demands as an artist
As an actor or other artist, your creative work is often about making others experience emotions you express through a character or work of art. But how well do you deal with emotions yourself? Creativity coach, author and psychologist Eric Maisel, PhD writes about how the creative life can be an ongoing source of stress […]
Fiona Apple on Taking a Break
Fiona Apple took six years off from performing before releasing her album “Extraordinary Machine.” She says about taking such a long time away from her creative performances: “I realized that after six years of not doing this kind of stuff, it doesn’t define who I am, and I’ll be just fine without it. It’s not […]