Creativity and Mental Illness are often equated, giving rise to the term “Tortured Artist.” However, is this just a stereotype, or does it hold some truth?

The most effective missions and meaningful life messages are born from your deepest pain!!

Jubi Jia

Creativity

It is one of those traits people seem to understand intuitively, but when asked to define it, they struggle for a suitable answer. From Frida Kahlo to Steve Jobs, you can list numerous creative people and their projects, be it art, novels, or new inventions; however, understanding the concept of creativity can be even more challenging. Despite being creative by nature, there are times when I wonder why I gravitate toward some particular elements, arts, or colors or why some aesthetics resonate with me. Creativity is a complex phenomenon in that regard.

However, defining creativity is the first step towards bringing something new into existence. Whether it be a new method for solving a problem, an innovative device, or an original artistic work. “Then again, Creativity in the modern world can be a critical challenge for dreamers and artists. It is because what you discover, observe, or feel already exists in books, movies, artworks, novels, and other media in the physical world. However, your opinion, experience, perspective, and mindset define who you are, which makes you “unique” to everyone else. And your purpose becomes more transparent when you can finally make people resonate with your emotions and feelings.”

You see, Creative Productivity correlates with several “Personality Characteristics.” An essential and most common personality trait of creative individuals is the sense of autonomy or independence who are nonconformists. Most creative individuals also exhibit introversion as a prominent characteristic. Another desirable characteristic is mastery of a specific field, in other words, knowledge or activity requiring advanced proficiency. For example, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak revolutionized the tech industry by using their knowledge of computers to design the Apple II. Then, Coco Chanel, a French fashion designer, empowered women and transformed how women dressed.

Mentally challenging side effects associated with Creatives

Creative people may lack to possess powerful capacities across all Human Abilities. In other words, some Clinical Research Studies suggest high rates of mood disorders, both bipolar illness and unipolar depression, to be prevalent in creative individuals. Consider some of the most prominent artists, such as Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, Alexander Mcqueen, Martin Luther, Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, Avicii, Winston Churchill, Amy Winehouse, Sylvia Plath, and the list goes on. Mental Illnesses have all affected them, leading to suicides.

Van Gogh suffered from mood disorders throughout his short life, culminating in his suicide at age 37. In the final half of his life, he suffered from both psychotic mania and psychotic depression. Yet he produced more than 300 of his greatest works. Sylvia Plath, another suicide victim, at the young age of 31, also suffered from severe mood disorders. According to reports, she probably suffered from depression at the time of her death. But this interval was preceded by a period in which she worked late into the night and awoke early. It helped her produce intense poetry with a heavily ironic tone; suggestive of hypomania or depression.

Then, Martin Luther went through periods of severe depression and high energy. Having launched the Reformation with his Ninety-five Theses, he spent considerable energy writing theological tracts to support his position. Amy Jade Winehouse was known for her deep, expressive contralto voice and eclectic mix of musical genres, such as soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz. The prevailing consensus is that she died of substance abuse and an overdose of drugs and alcohol at 27. Even though she had a big name and financial benefits, she wasn’t mentally at ease.
However, despite several instances of talented and highly skilled artists, there is no scientific evidence that Creativity is directly associated with Severe Mental Illness.

Mood Disorder

In 2017, the Perspective on Psychological Science journal published a study entitled “Creativity and Mood Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” This study investigated whether mood disorders cause creativity, creativity causes mood disorders, or mood disorders and creativity are correlated. Some Researchers found that bipolar disorder, which involves periods of mania and depression, is most commonly associated with creativity. Alternatively, creativity seems unrelated to persistent depressive disorder (PDD), also known as dysthymia or low-grade depression. The symptoms of PDD are less severe than those of major depressive disorder (MDD), but they last longer, averaging five years. However, according to the study, people with MDD have a higher level of creativity than those with mild depression. Yet, the same research teams have also concluded that tight deadlines, high expectations, fierce criticism, and intense travel are typical characteristics of the hectic lifestyles of many artists, which may lead to depressive symptoms.

Creativity and Mental Illness with Tortured Artists

How often do you hear about an individual with High Creative Talent without suffering from some form of Mental Illness? Hence, it raises concerns about the requirement for “Tortured Artists.” Why should one endure “Trauma” to discover their “Inner Artist” or creative potential?

The relationship between Mental Illness and Creativity is a never-ending debate. Most people in modern times also acknowledge that creative thinking does not require torture or mental instability. For example, while multiple notable artists struggled to survive despite their outstanding works, Leonardo da Vinci was a creative polymath who excelled in the visual arts, mechanics, and engineering, even with his dyslexia. As mentioned earlier, creativity is a very complex phenomenon; therefore, there are no set definitions to describe creative individuals. Some creative individuals, for instance, are drawn to chaos, contradictions, and apparent imbalances due to an underlying frustration with asymmetry and chaos.

Solitude and Creativity

On the other hand, some creatives have an in-depth, broad, and flexible understanding of themselves and may also display a high degree of self-assurance. Then, some have a reputation as intellectual leaders who can identify problems with great sensitivity. However, one of the common traits of creative individuals is their solitary nature. And solitude generally comes from multiple life struggles and traumas. It could also be a way to escape into the abyss of your thoughts, disconnecting from the stress and anxiety.

Creative people tend to be reflective and inner-directed. They rely on their intuition rather than interaction with others to inform their attitudes and responses. It does not imply a lack of social skills but rather that they are inner-directed and reflective. In light of that, let me give you a personal example. The “crowds” generally exhaust me, but that doesn’t mean I dislike people. And when I say “crowds,” even a single person could be identified as a gathering for me. Sometimes, I will entertain myself with a large or smaller group, but for the most part, I prefer solitude. Being alone with my thoughts opens my mind to feel closer to the world and my “self.” And perhaps, many creatives would relate to this.

Difference between Tortured and Artists and Clinical Illness

Now let’s get back to the concern of “tortured artists” or why people need trauma to be creative. The truth is that trauma victims do not want to be depressed or mentally ill. But these conditions come with life experiences that impact everyone differently. And in some cases, the nature of our world or human society can sometimes lead to depression or mood disorders, not because of something tragic that happened to a person.

However, when we talk about Creative People with Mental Illness, it is essential to recognize the significant difference between clinical depression and chronic depression. Because no person can function normally with Severe Mental Illness, let alone create or produce something. For example, no artist can design or construct any form of artwork if they are physically immobile. When people talk about “tortured artists,” what they do not comprehend is that art or creativity is a form of self-expression. It was never about earning money or becoming famous. And this is where the gap develops.

Emotions, Creativity, and Mental Illness

Throughout history, creativity has always been about expressing one’s inner self and unique views and abilities. Whether you’re depressed or unable to comprehend the insanity of the world, it’s nearly impossible for creative minds to express themselves through regular conversations. In other words, art therapy provides a positive outlet for people suffering from mental distress. Several studies have found that writing about painful past events can temporarily boost immunity. Due to the therapeutic properties of creativity, people with mood disorders may instinctively turn to artistic expression to alleviate their symptoms or find healing. Art, Writing, Innovations, Music, etc., enable creative minds to balance their extreme emotions.

In addition, the nature of the creative process leads artists to behave in ways that read as disordered. The Renaissance master Leonardo Da Vinci learned to manage his dyslexia to create legendary masterpieces. In contrast, Vincent Van Gogh struggled immensely to cope with his psychotic depression. However, this does not necessarily make one stronger or weak since everyone has different coping mechanisms. But the cases only indicate that every great artist struggles with Mental Illness.

The unfortunate reality is that unstable mental emotions have greatly influenced many excellent books, paintings, movies, music, poems, and other forms of creative work. Then again, many might argue that “Creativity and Mental Illness” do not correlate or are myths. However, my experience has shown that I have only been able to write or make art during my darkest moments. As I quoted, “the most effective missions and meaningful life messages are born from your deepest pain!!”