Health
Mental health and creativity
The impact of mood disorders and other mental health challenges on being creative.
Creativity and Mental Illness: Is There a Link?Is it true that creative people are more likely to be mentally ill than non-creative people? Are artists and writers are more likely to be alcoholics? Clinically depressed? Commit suicide? Most people can think of at least one famous artist or writer who committed suicide (Hemingway, Plath) or did something wildly eccentric (Van Gogh cutting off his ear).- Book: Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation, by R. Keith Sawyer
http://vsb.li/9pJEmt 
Jazz article: "The Continuing Adventures of the Mad Musician and the Bipolar Genius" by Dr. Judith SchlesingerJazz article: "The Continuing Adventures of the Mad Musician and the Bipolar Genius" for "Shrinktunes" column by Dr. Judith Schlesinger. Published: May 24, 2010 @ All About Jazz
" Clara Lieu: Creating Art On Depression - What People Don't Talk About - The Creative MindDepression impacts many people, including artists. A fairly long list of visual artists who died by suicide includes photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971), painters Arshile Gorky (1904-1948), Mark Rothko (1903-1970), Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), and possibly Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). From listing: Artists Who Committed Suicide.
Swedish Study Tests Link Between Creativity, Mental IllnessBy: LiveScience Staff Published: 10/16/2012 03:57 PM EDT on LiveScience Creative types are thought to be more likely to suffer from mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A new large-scale study of the Swedish population helps confirm this link.- See HuffPost video related to above story, plus related links, in this post: Certain mental disorders are linked to creative genius
http://thecreativemind.net/101/certain-mental-disorders-are-linked-to-creative-genius/ 
Too Much On Our Mind for Creative Thinking - The Creative MindToo Much On Our Mind for Creative Thinking Our inner experience as talented, creative people could be called "teeming" - as in the title of a book by Jane Piirto, PhD: My Teeming Brain: Understanding Creative Writers.
Using Fear and Anxiety to be More Creative - The Creative MindUsing Fear and Anxiety to be More Creative "I don't do anything anymore that feels safe. If it doesn't scare the crap out of you, then you're not doing the right thing." I've always liked that comment by Sandra Bullock - but the quality and intensity of fear, which we refer to as anxiety, can both motivate and disrupt creative expression.
Are Depressed Poets More Creative?A trusted doctor and the right meds provide the possibility of creativity.- Pain and suffering and developing creativity"I've suffered enough. When does my artwork improve?" Refrigerator magnet from stickergiant.com "Suffering is justified as soon as it becomes the raw material of beauty." Jean-Paul Sartre The tortured artist mythology is an ancient and enduring notion: The idea that art depends on suffering, and artists are likely to be fraught with suffering and dark emotions, and even need their pain to create.
- Continued in this "Pain and suffering..." post: But a number of artists say that is a wrong idea. In his appearance as a guest on a TV show [The Ellen Show], Colin Farrell said he is finding that he is more creative being sober and happy. “I was terrified that whatever my capacity was as an actor would disappear when I got sober,” he admitted. “I ascribed to the notion that to express yourself as an artist, you have to live in perpetual pain. And that’s nonsense.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - Also see the site Anxiety Relief Solutions - Products and self help programs to relieve stress and anxiety
http://anxietyreliefsolutions.com LeAnn Rimes is "starting over" after 30 days of treatment for anxiety and stress | Mental Health & Creativity
"The 30-year-old singer - who completed a 30-day stint in an in-patient facility for stress and anxiety in late September - insists she is ready to begin a new chapter of her life and feels fortunate to have been given another chance to do so."The Mad Hatter [played by Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's version of Alice In Wonderland]: “Have I gone mad?”
Alice Kingsley [Mia Wasikowska; she checks Hatter's temperature]: “I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”
Photo from "Alice In Wonderland" - from my post Madness and creativity: do we need to be crazy?Claire Danes as CIA agent Carrie, with bipolar disorder | Mental Health & Creativity
"Claire Danes, the incandescent star [of "Homeland"]...I know her character all too well...Like me, Carrie has bipolar disorder." Photo: ...
Traumatic Childhood, Creative AdultHalle Berry said she recalls being terrified that her violent father, who physically abused her mother, would turn on her, adding, "I thi...
" Facing Our Demons And Creating - The Creative MindOne of those cliches about creative expression is to "Write what you know." Maybe it can be expanded to "Create from what you know and wh...
"I want to wake up and be scared. I like not knowing what to expect.” Charlize Theron vsb.li/aSwQ2q http://pic.twitter.com/8UI3peqf
" Lena Dunham on Creating From "The Parts of Me I Find The Most Shameful" - The Creative MindThe acclaimed HBO series "Girls" was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding comedy series. I have appreciated the perspectives of cr...
