But Seriously, Is There A Link Between Creativity And Mental Health?

It's no secret that some of the greatest artists of all time struggled with their mental health. We look at the likes of David Foster Wallace, Kurt Cobain, Vincent Van Gogh, Sylvia Plath, Jean Basquiat, Ernest Hemingway, and Avicii and they all had something in common: their mental health. Incredible works of art aided by immovable sorrows, only to end in a self-inflicted death is a reoccurring theme. So we must beckon the question: Is there a positive correlation between one's mental stability and one's creative output?

In 1963, Dr. Frank Barron, a pioneer psychologist of creativity and the human personality, published his ten years of research on the creativity inside ourselves and others. He described the highly creative person as "both more primitive and more cultivated, more destructive, a lot madder and a lot saner than the average person".

That exact quote alone inspired group from Yale University to perform a new study and elaborate further. They found artists to be more susceptible to experiencing negative emotions, depression, anxiety, and psychological stress than the non-artist counterparts. The occupational demands, bouts of unemployment, intense scrutiny, fear of presenting the work; The list is seemingly endless. A Swedish study that spanned over 40 years and 1.2 million people showed that overall, individuals with bipolar disorder are more likely to be of a creative profession than not.

So then what is this connection? Where does this take us? Well, it might not be a connection. It might actually be more of a release.

Artists As Highly Sensitive People

A highly sensitive person can be described as "a neurodivergent individual who is thought to have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli". In layman's terms, it's someone who is more tuned into their surroundings. Kurt Cobain said "There’s good in all of us and I think I simply love people too much, so much that it makes me feel too fucking sad." So maybe we all experience the same emotions, just certain people experience them at heightened levels. David Foster Wallace's This Is Water is a great example of someone who is hyper-tuned in to their surroundings and self-aware. Someone whose deep empathy towards others resulted in a profound sense of sadness, much similar to Kurt Cobain.
Being more sensitive means you are more susceptible to being triggered into a moodswing or episode. These triggers can induce a flow state, a mental state in which a person is completely focused on a single task or activity, resulting in extended periods of creative output.

Art As Therapy

Science has been able to prove that there is a direct correlation between the creation of art and one's quality of life and mental health. When dealing with bouts of stress, anxiety, or depression, art can act as a form of release. It can increase one's self esteem, reduce stress, decrease depression, and ultimately help one cope with their feelings. It's a great distraction at the very least.
We as a society tend to romanticize the pain and suffering of an artist. We remember the sad untimely death due to an unshakeable condition. It's the gasoline that stoked the fire of creation. It was their troubled mind that helped them produce all the greatest works of art. Always the "tortured" artists who changed the world. It's hard not to think like this when we've been conditioned to do so.

Well, this is giving grace.

In case you want a more in depth list of artist and their respective mental health issues, Billboard has so graciously put together an extensive list.

--The flow state is the greatest of all distractions. You exit the world for a short bit of time and find solace in the creative process. Which is much better than sitting with your thoughts and stewing. It's a wonderful escape.--