Mental health is something that has been on the minds lately of millions of Americans who cope with this disease personally or through witnessing it with friends and loved ones.
Many subscribe to Roger Sperry’s iconic “left-brained or right-brained” theory, which implies that creative people lean to the right and rely more on imagination, emotion and imagination. Compared to the left, who may have more grounding in logic and practical thinking, the minds of a left brained creative can leave room for self-doubt, depression and a myriad of other emotional or mental health issues.
Being a pure creative requires much vulnerability, which only increases the chances of falling victim to mental health issues or spinning into emotional whirlwinds. You stay connected to yourself because it’s important to stay pure. So many people in other fields can get away with being “shut down” while a creative artist cannot making the creative artist vulnerable unless they develop a strong sense of control.
These 5 tips have worked for myself and many of my industry colleagues, friends and family who fall into the “creative” mindset. While there is no “one size fits all” solution, today is the day to start with trying something positive that could change your creative outlook forever.
A Team Mentality:
Stop comparing yourself to others, life does not work at the same pace equally and opportunities in this world are endless. Once one stops measuring themselves against others in similar creative spaces, it opens up the mental and emotional room to focus on their own efforts.
When one starts creatively seeing themselves as part of a greater good, contributing art for all to enjoy becomes the primary goal and you will attract more of what makes you feel whole in life. Creative people thrive on collaboration and the energy that the collective whole contributes to the world, and it ultimately feels better understanding that. A bonus to feeling better about your creativity is sharing it with others and even creating it as a team (IE writing music with others, starting a band, forming a design collective, etc)
Practice meditation:
Getting out of our own heads is one of the single best ways to refocus and almost “start over” mentally. Creative people get stuck all the time, and in a time where a million emotions, thoughts and external distractions can grind your day to a halt, meditation or other similar practices including prayer or yoga can be completely rejuvenating. The goal is to remove or to let negative emotions pass through the mind and leave, but be mindful that thoughts can never be fully removed forever. Mindset distractions and emotions come and go, but the idea is to remove them from the mind as quickly and effectively as possible.
Get a coach:
Although most coaching requires an investment that some may can’t afford, finding a professional coach or mentor who is further ahead in a similar space can be life-changing. Talking through and receiving solicited advice can help fulfill our natural need to learn, which is proven to make us happier and can help move the needle on our creative efforts. Most creative people who have had some level of success are eager to give back and love giving nuggets of advice to help fellow creatives succeed as well. As with anything, you won’t receive unless you ask though.
Collaborate with others:
One of the best ways to keep a good headspace is to collaborate with others with similar goals with living healthy, creative, fulfilling lives. The creative process is deeply personal but doesn’t always have to be that way. For those creatives who are freelancers or someone like a solo artist, the existence can often feel lonely and leaves room for overthinking. Finding ways to work with or amongst others with a parallel mindset and things in common can do absolutely wonders for bringing out the best in yourself, and even fresh, exciting ideas.
Time blocking:
In a world of endless distractions, a strategy that works for the left brains and executives in many industries is time blocking. Overwhelm is a real issue amongst creatives as the seemingly endless amount of tasks and obligations can make one feel like nothing can ever be done properly or to satisfaction. Taking the time to carve out realistic and time focused blocks of effort can lead to more work being accomplished and feeling better mentally about the tasks at hand. Many times creative individuals feel varied states of negative emotions due to not acknowledging what they have accomplished, and time blocking is an incredible way to boost those feelings
Betty Moon is an artist, songwriter and producer from Los Angeles California. Moon operates the company Evolver Music and efforts have been featured in a variety of television shows and films including Californication, Dexter, Bounty Hunters, Walking the Dead directed by Melanie Ansley, and Last Gasp starring Robert Patrick. Moon’s first album deal was with A&M Records, and her self-titled debut LP was released while living and touring throughout Canada. She has been nominated for four CASBY Awards including Best Album of the Year, Best Single of the Year, Best Video of the Year, and Best Artist of the Year. https://bettymoon.com/