Artist?

Vincent

Banned
I'm curious what people think about art, being an artist and social anxiety.

I have come to realise that its my calling.

I know that sounds pretentious.

Whats interesting to me, and something of a personal revelation, is that, any kind of activity by myself, I crave others and feel the pinch of lonliness. But, not so when I'm creating in some way. I spent all day in my room yesterday, however, drawing and painting, making sculptures out of various things, I felt a kind of contentment. I didn't feel I needed to be anywhere else. I felt inside the moment. Perhaps because I am so used to feeling powerless in life, feeling constrained by my fears, yet, in that space, I was in total control. Each stroke of the brush, each word of a poem; my own reckoning.

There is a pervassive anxiety, even then, negative apprasials of myself and what I was making. I heard somewhere, that anxiety is the enemy of creativity. Then, I found that my anxiety was negative, so I harnessed it and used it. I painted a wooden butterfly returned by my ex a dark brown.
A poem I wrote at a time when I felt an extreme of hostility to an individual with no cause. A gothic picture of withered self, pouring blood from eyes and mouth. A stark yellow background, the poem titled: Around the Bubble, about sufficating inside the bubble of positivity this person posessed.

Anxiety may keep artists from knowing themselves. I know it did for me. I only rediscovered this from personality typings. The Ennegram, my type.
I find that I just let the art take itself, I find the best work comes out as being unplanned, toying with materials, the creative energy, is not rational, its not logical, analysis and creativity are opposites. I think its hard to be an artist, because you will be judged on what you produce, things that are very personal, very self expressive. Also, being into personal fashion, risks judgement. Having a unique style.

Another key point for me is that, really, given the choice I would prefer to work predominantly individually. When the work is creating from within, any other input is a compromise on ideas and orginality. But yeah, thats a pretty interesting discovery, because all this time Ive been beating myself up about being a loner, but actually, to a point, its a preference and disposition.

A series of books that has been really transformational are by Julia Cameron, an exceptionally brilliant author and artist. The first I picked up and had alot of trouble putting down, Letters to a Young Artist. The other two, The Artist's Way and Walking in this World, I have yet to read.

I really would like to hear what anyone has to say about art and anxiety.
Thanks,

Vincent.
:)
 

Silentnoise

Member
I've experianced alot of the same feelings about art and anxiety.. i think that if you look at past artists alot of them had turmoil in their life during some of their most brilliant points in their career. Emotion is a driving factor behind art and with people that are as introverted as Social Anxiety victems, the one of only place for those otherwise silent feelings to go is into a work of art.

For me writing, drawing, when in a hard emotional time can be theraputic.
 

Silentnoise

Member
young said:
Art sucks...


It's a waste of time, money, and paper...

uhh? you migh as well throw away any artistic aspects of your life of you believe that.. good bye favorite music / movies.
 
I find that Social Anxiety doesn't interfere with my dedication & skill as an artist, however when it comes to trying to market myself, approach clients, or even just showing someone I know my work- THAT'S when the SA is disruptive to my own personal delevopment.
 

Septor

Well-known member
I don't know but to me there seems to be a correlation between artists and mental health problems.It seem like all the really great artist has had some kind of mental health problems.

Maybe that's what make them such good artists.
 

blubs

Well-known member
still-in-my-shell said:
I find that Social Anxiety doesn't interfere with my dedication & skill as an artist, however when it comes to trying to market myself, approach clients, or even just showing someone I know my work- THAT'S when the SA is disruptive to my own personal delevopment.

yep...I see it as a total hinderance. When I had my degree show (which is like a mini exhibition) I was the only person to abandon my own work...we were supposed to be promoting ourselves to the gallery owners & art professionals that go to these things...& I couldn't cope...I went to a different department & drank too much from their free bar instead.
I've submitted work to a few exhibitions since then...but the same thing happens...I can't stand and talk about it when I need to....I'm like..."work? what work??" 8O & run for the free wine...or the door :(
 
I think it may even be harder for writers, because at least visual art speaks for itself to a certain degree (I mean, either it looks good or doesn't- however, alot of artist would disagree with me on that)

Here's something that really upset me this week: my friend went to an art show and I asked her how it was and she said it was really weak and that it seemed like none of the artists took it seriously or put much work into it. So I thought, "well how did they get that show, by being "cool" or talking themselves up as artists or maybe just being friends with the gallery owner?"

...but I can't whine & complain because I'm not trying as much as I should to get out there. (SA, not laziness)
 

ShiJai

Well-known member
still-in-my-shell said:
I think it may even be harder for writers, because at least visual art speaks for itself to a certain degree (I mean, either it looks good or doesn't- however, alot of artist would disagree with me on that)quote]

(O.K. I'll bite...(hypothetically speaking :p ))
You need to check out a greater variety of work if you believe that :) .
Nor does visual work speak as loudly as we might like it to. My teachers were always expecting us to be able to 'explain' our work.
Don't you know, if you can't put some deep phsycological (bullsh*t?) thought behind your work, then it's not really art... :?

ShiJai.
 
Yeah, I've noticed that...

But I'm a hypocrite because there's been many times when I see a some type of conceptual art and think "that sucks, they can't even draw" but then I'll read the artist statement and think "wow, that's actually really cool"

so I don't know what I'm talking about!

Well- I still will always prefer art that is well illustrated...
 

young

Well-known member
Silentnoise said:
young said:
Art sucks...


It's a waste of time, money, and paper...

uhh? you migh as well throw away any artistic aspects of your life of you believe that.. good bye favorite music / movies.

Soo true. You'd save soo much money if you gave up all your hobbies and dreams and aspirations. 8O

But art sucks. I hate art. I hate drawing. And painting. And cartooning. I hate pencils. And pink erasers. And crumbled papers. And writers block. And t squares.. Strike that t-squares are fun.
 

Shyguest

Well-known member
Hi,

It is a fact that artists enjoy a solitary environment and they use their creative expression to draw or paint. At the same time, they communicate their thoughts to the world and do this in various ways.
 

Vincent

Banned
backlash

Thankyou for all the comments.
:)

I don't know any examples except for Vincent Van Gogh (go figure), about mental health and art, but from general research, there seems to be a correlation, as you say Septor. Actually, no, I do know of two kiwis (NZers), that suffered greatly from depression and I think anxiety, until they found release with art. I think that most people with social anxiety may be more emotional than others. Emotion is fundamental fuel for art I believe. Agree, otherwise?

Wrting versus visual forms. They say that a picture tells a thousand words, but I disagree with this concept. I think there is many many more options with writing, and that writing is alot more expressive. But let me qualify this. I am talking about the time it takes me to paint a picture compared to writng a poem. However, I think painting is time limited, whereas photography and computer editing isn't quite as much. I believe a significant part of painting and some other forms is based on technical competence and knowhow, rather than a more pure form of creative energy. I think that the more abstract the art, the more creative it is and the less technical. Therefore, the more artistic. I like symbols, love metaphors. I think mixed media is the best kind. An idea is best expressed using as many different forms of senses and cognitions as possible. Visual, audio, touch, taste, smell, intellect, emotion, gut reactions. Poems with pictures I have concieved are my stepping stones to self actualisation.

As my art is based on emotion, and my "emotional landscape" (coined from Bjork) is so vast, I don't run out of ammunition when talking about my work, as it is my emotion. I haven't been in this position yet, but am speculating except when I have showed friends or family.

Please, more comments. Anything. Im lost, trying to find the way out. This may be it?
-Vincent.
:?
 

Aramoor

Active member
young said:
Silentnoise said:
young said:
Art sucks...


It's a waste of time, money, and paper...

uhh? you migh as well throw away any artistic aspects of your life of you believe that.. good bye favorite music / movies.

Soo true. You'd save soo much money if you gave up all your hobbies and dreams and aspirations. 8O

But art sucks. I hate art. I hate drawing. And painting. And cartooning. I hate pencils. And pink erasers. And crumbled papers. And writers block. And t squares.. Strike that t-squares are fun.

Just imagaine the blandless of life without art. I've had this argument with many of my friends over the years, who gave me stick for pursuing art.(they all did medicine, engineering, economics etc) They would say how pointless it was, and what a wste of money it was and then run on home to play their Playstations or watch cartoons. No art = a grey bland world.

Totally agree that when I'm being creative and on my own I forget about SA and stuff, and just get in a really focussed mode. I dont feel like I'm being a wierdo for spending all day in my room because I'm using the time to create something. I actually spent all day yesterday designing possible layouts for my online portfolio and it felt good.

As for mental health and art, well they go hand in hand dont they. Not just visual art, but music as well. Many musicians have been a bit mad or emotionaly inbalanced, right from the days of Bethoven through till recent times (Kurt Cobain, Axl Rose) as I'm sure many writers have.

I find that Social Anxiety doesn't interfere with my dedication & skill as an artist, however when it comes to trying to market myself, approach clients, or even just showing someone I know my work- THAT'S when the SA is disruptive to my own personal delevopment.

This is exactly the problem I have, and it worries me alot. I know I have the abbility to be a damn good graphic designer, but the talking to clients and constant communication scares me.

Art is a way of communicating an idea, and I would feel alot more comfortable conveying an idea I had through visual media than by talking about it. Its almost like I make up for my shitty communication skills in the real world, by being able to communicate things easily with words and images. I also think that in Art a lot can be left to be interperated by the viewer in a different way. Its a much subtler form of communicating, where if the sledgehammer bluntness of the real world were applied to art it would simply end up being crap. I think this is why many artist over the years have been a bit fucked in the head, this unsureness or anxiety or over sensitivity can be harnessed to highten cretivity.
 

itchy

Active member
I'm an musician and I have social anxiety disorder and I'm pretty convinced that SAD is one of the reasons why I love to create. More broadly I think I have lots of problems that are destructive to myself, things like self pity and worry and depression, but inversly I feel all these things are vital to my creativity.

The way I tend to write music is I'll go out into the world, then people will start talking and I'll start drifting. I'll detatch myself. I won't be able to communicate effectivly. I'll feel misunderstood and I'll feel pain. I'll feel excluded, different, lonely and overlooked. Then, I'll go home and I'll feel self pity. I'll feel injustice against me. I'll feel sad that I'm experiencing this pain when I didn't do anything wrong. I'll also feel determination to prove myself, to all the people that bullied me or thought I was a twat, all the people who humiliated me or ignored me. I'll harness all this pain as deep into my soul as I can go and I'll convert it into passion. I'll convert it into beautiful music. Music that will blow people away. And that's basically how my creative process works.

the questions I have are, if pain is like fuel for an artist, is it better to hold onto pain and lean into it? i.e. become a masochist basically? Cause I've been thinking about all this stuff lately...if an artist's gift is like a light, what good is it in broad daylight [i.e. happiness and contentment]? Could an artists job be one of venturing into the darkness [i.e. pain] to offer a light of comfort to those lost there, and then to possibly even guide them out?

also, motivation...is there such a thing as good and bad motivation? if motivation is just the driving force then the destinations will still end up the same so does it really matter? i.e. are extrinsic motivations like wanting to prove yourself to people worse than intrinsic motivations like creating purely for the love of it? [sorry if I'm drifting from the topic....I'm just venting!]

also, I've always felt that creating, when I'm alone in my room with no outside pressures, is the purest, most undisturbed way of making art. Writing music with other people always feels like a compromise. Like I have to dilute my vision to suit everybody...but do others agree with this? or do you think if we're able to effectivly work as a team the result can be greater than the sum of all parts?
 

GIOLANDA

Well-known member
Septor said:
I don't know but to me there seems to be a correlation between artists and mental health problems.It seem like all the really great artist has had some kind of mental health problems.

Maybe that's what make them such good artists.
That's what my mother says about me. I write books and they have a sense of sadness-mystery,as I express myself through them. So my mother says that I love writing because I'm crazy and that all the writers or artists are the same. I don't know if it's true,but it makes sense.
 

young

Well-known member
Aramoor said:
young said:
Silentnoise said:
young said:
Art sucks...


It's a waste of time, money, and paper...

uhh? you migh as well throw away any artistic aspects of your life of you believe that.. good bye favorite music / movies.

Soo true. You'd save soo much money if you gave up all your hobbies and dreams and aspirations. 8O

But art sucks. I hate art. I hate drawing. And painting. And cartooning. I hate pencils. And pink erasers. And crumbled papers. And writers block. And t squares.. Strike that t-squares are fun.

Just imagaine the blandless of life without art. I've had this argument with many of my friends over the years, who gave me stick for pursuing art.(they all did medicine, engineering, economics etc) They would say how pointless it was, and what a wste of money it was and then run on home to play their Playstations or watch cartoons. No art = a grey bland world.

Totally agree that when I'm being creative and on my own I forget about SA and stuff, and just get in a really focussed mode. I dont feel like I'm being a wierdo for spending all day in my room because I'm using the time to create something. I actually spent all day yesterday designing possible layouts for my online portfolio and it felt good.

As for mental health and art, well they go hand in hand dont they. Not just visual art, but music as well. Many musicians have been a bit mad or emotionaly inbalanced, right from the days of Bethoven through till recent times (Kurt Cobain, Axl Rose) as I'm sure many writers have.

I find that Social Anxiety doesn't interfere with my dedication & skill as an artist, however when it comes to trying to market myself, approach clients, or even just showing someone I know my work- THAT'S when the SA is disruptive to my own personal delevopment.
Exactly my point. There'd be no violence. They be no hatred. cause you didn't read about it. You didn't hear a violent song on the radio, and didn't kill anyone from it. It would be a perfect utopia.

Not all artists are crazy. Some like the solitude it helps them zone out. And focus on nothing but art. IMO SA doesn't really help art. It may give you a certain perspective on life. If you're paranoid your work would show it. If you were depressed and moody. It would show. Sa can influence your style. But it won't make you any better an artist than you would be without it. You would just see some things differently.
 

Shyguest

Well-known member
Hi,

This could seem weird to some of you. However, I can't really listen to any type of music now unless it's really fast or rap or something like that. I don't like ballads and that type of thing since it really makes me feel really sad and depressed.

I have to tell people to turn music off and this is really worrying because generally most people are fond of music.

Also, would you believe that music was my best subject at school and I played a musical instrument to quite a high examination standard. I really don't understand why I'm like this. :? I keep thinking that music is evil and that it does harm to listen to it.

Can someone else relate to this?

I look forward to your replies
 
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