There is an age old myth of creativity and poor mental health going hand in hand. When we look back at famous creatives, it’s not hard to see the distinct issues they dealt with: F. Scott Fitzgerald with alcoholism, Vincent Van Gogh with depression, or Elton John with anger and addiction. In contrast to the emphasis on this connection of creative people being distressed, studies have shown that those who work creative jobs are no more likely to struggle with stress or anxiety than a person working a non-creative job.
A positive relationship has been demonstrated between mental health and creativity — and a correlation exists between mental instability and great creative heights. From one angle, you could say that great art comes from unstable minds; but it could also be reasoned that creativity allows a precarious mind to find stability. Van Gogh was prolifically creative during his stay at a psychiatric hospital in the south of France, but produced very little in the depths of his depressive episodes.
For the last five months I spent hours on end growing my creative ability to see how helpful it really is to my mental health. In the past I would go to counseling where I was encouraged to try writing my feelings down in a journal or illustrating them in painting, but for some reason, neither seemed to ever stick for me.
Even though journaling never seemed to work out for me in the past, there must be a reason it is such a common therapy tool. According to the Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association, the aid of art in therapy presents the “expressive language of the conscious and the unconscious mind.” Following that concept, I took a new shot at art therapy without being limited to my preconceived idea of it having to be journaling or painting.
I opted to try something a little bit different than what previous counselors have recommended to me. I focused on writing for myself, instead of for a counselor or imaginary audience, and instead of journaling, I tried creative writing. I started writing poems about my dreams, nightmares, and realities. Through the process of writing, I found myself getting better at displaying and communicating my emotions. Over time, I also felt more comfortable sharing the poems themselves. Initially, they were just a way for me to put my scrambled thoughts to paper.
It was a freeing experience to create something with no purpose. I wasn’t trying to perform for an audience or write just the right words to get an A on an essay; I was just creating for the sake of creating. I thrived on knowing that what was written entertained me and it didn’t matter if someone else wasn’t impressed.
I can’t say that working on creative projects will magically fix your problems in life, but it might be worth a try to pursue those hobbies you put off in favour of getting ahead in the workplace, academics, and perceived life milestones. I opted for writing, but the options are limitless: woodworking, painting, music, photography, or just learning something new for its own sake. I wrote some poems — and, yeah — I do feel a bit better.
Emmaline is working on her BA and ambitions to become an English teacher. They always say, those who cannot do, teach. She spends her free time buying, reading, and hoarding books with the hope that one day she will have no furniture and instead only have piles of books.
