The “tortured artist” trope
You don’t have to be sad to make great art
My personal history with depression and anxiety
The ebb and flow of depression
Learning skills to deal with mental health disorders
Anxiety developing as I’ve gotten older
The importance of understanding my experience with mental health disorders
Changing my mindset to be more compassionate to myself
The importance of prioritizing wellness over productivity
Patterns I recognize that affect my ability to make art when I’m experiencing depression
Increased self doubt and self criticism when depressed
Not letting myself pursue creative ideas
Growing through attempting “bad” creative ideas
Being harsh on myself and ideas or work
Lack of motivation for creative work when depressed
Motivation is not always needed to create
Feeling a lack of care for things I usually care about
Shifting the focus from worrying about being productive to wanting to heal
Lack of stamina and focus for creative work when depressed
Being frustrated when I’m unable to focus or work as hard as usual
Trying to force myself to operate at a level I’m unable to
Learning to accept a reduced ability to work on art or creative projects
The conditioning to hyper-focus on productivity
Unlinking my self-worth from my productivity and achievement
Focusing on opportunities to care for myself
Prioritizing well being and mental health over creativity
Your mental health is more important than trying to always create or make art