The creative mind is a mystery that we’ve been trying to solve for as long as we’ve had creative people. To this day, we don’t know what drives creativity in the brain and why certain people are more creative than others. It might seem to many observers that some people who suffer from mental illnesses have more creative ability, but is that actually true?
In the world of painting, there are many painters who are confirmed to have been mentally ill: most famous among them is Vincent Van Gogh, who had what we would call schizophrenia today. He most famously cut his own ear off after an argument with a friend and was even admitted to an asylum, where he painted “Starry Night”. To Van Gogh, it seemed like painting was therapeutic to him and an outlet for his sadness. Perhaps the most famous painter who suffered from mental illness is Edvard Munch. Although his name is not as well remembered as Van Gogh or Michaelangelo, his painting “The Scream” is perhaps the most recognisable ever. It depicts Edvard in an episode of anxiety he had while overlooking a fjord and reportadly heard a scream (a long narrow valley of water that reaches inland) in the afternoon. Edvard suffered from anxiety, depression, loneliness and probably had Borderline Personality Disorder.
The world of music also seems to be full of the mentally ill at first glance. Names like Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Syd Barret of Pink Floyd, and Demi Lovato come to mind. Poets like Sylvia Plaith and Actors like Jim Carry or Marilyn Monroe also come to mind.
We can easily name hundreds of artists who suffer from mental illness, but here’s the thing: the perception that mental illness is extremely prevalent within artists is only a trick of the mind. Our brains have an extreme negativity bias that reinforces negative information and remembers it better. Internal strife of any kind allows the opportunity for self-expression through art and as a result, art that is made after a personal experience can often be the most powerful (eg. The Scream). We may also like to see artists as more likely to suffer from mental illness as it fits many people’s narrative of romanticising mental illness that comes from social media; which views them as tormented but mysterious and beautiful. While we shouldn’t shame the mentally ill, we shouldn’t want to be like them either and I’m sure that they don’t want other people to experience their hardships if they had the choice.
While it is true that many artists use their art as an outlet for their mental state and artists in general tend to have a slightly smaller chance of being mentally ill, there is no real correlation between creativity and mental illness. Just think of all the artists who don’t suffer from any mental illness like Leonardo Da Vinci or William Shakespear. Almost every field has people who suffer from mental illness, even therapists and psychiatrists have been known to be treated by other professionals. Mental illness is a serious issue and should not be seen as an advantage in any capacity.
Read More:
https://feminisminindia.com/2018/06/27/romanticising-mental-illness-social-media/
https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/brilliant-musicians-whove-battled-mental-illness
https://artmejo.com/artists-with-mental-illnesses/