Monday, November 26, 2018
The myth of the tortured artist: How New Zealand is safeguarding mental health in the arts
NZ Herald: Although the notion of musicians and actors suffering for their art persists, rising Kiwi pop singer Josie Moon says her depression actually got in the way of writing and creating. However, much is being done in the New Zealand entertainment industry to safeguard mental health.
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I always find the dichotomy of art and mental health very interesting. Artists are so much more susceptible to diseases, yet one of the first things any source will recommend to help cope with a mental health problem is a creative outlet. I like this article a lot because of the wide range of people they looked at. From big named celebrities to performers in shows with little producing. I don't know if there is enough information to actually make the claim that New Zealand is protecting artists from mental health issues, but I do agree with the idea that opening up the discussion on issues with mental health promotes a better atmosphere to cope with those problems. Greater than just being open about one's struggle with mental health, is the conversation of specific episodes and strategies that help and situations that hinder. Theater showing those conversations is a good step in a better direction.
"...How New Zealand is safeguarding mental health in the arts" is a very lofty headline, and I'm not sure I agree with that wholeheartedly after reading this article, but for sure I can see how artists are seeking help and opening the dialogue to de-stigmatize mental health and other issues. I especially stuck with the part about Victoria Abbott, and how during her show, especially because it was dealing with some very sensitive material, she made it clear to the audience that they could leave anytime they wanted to. ("If you're hosting a dinner party, people can get up and go when they need to go. They're still your mates. I don't see why theatre should be any different.") This feels significant for me because a lot of times people get in possible triggering situations because they're worried about being polite, but this re-affirms that you are the most important person, and if you need to leave, you can, no questions asked. Especially in theater, which brings a lot of topics to a wider audience, it's important that the conversation of if everyone's okay is incredibly important, especially as the show moves from design stages, to rehearsals, to the performances. This is necessary in order to protect those involved.
This article reminds me of a previous article on this platform about how anger/rage fuels creativity. There is a big dialogue happening around the world about mental health and the arts. Be it between a group of friends or conferences or between colleagues, that conversation is getting louder and drawing attention. I am so glad that this conversation is happening. The relationship between the arts and an individual's state of mind is a very tough one to navigate and can be tricky. The article in itself does not list any methods as to how New Zealand is safeguarding the mental state of its artists instead it talks about the conversation that is being had about it and the way artists have come to the realization that they need help. There are no set guidelines as to how to handle mental issues and artists but companies and artists themselves have come up with ways they have implemented that has helped them. An article talked about employing a psychologist on staff to help a company's employees which I think is a wonderful idea. I also think that the company as a whole can come together and come up with ways that will be if benefit to the staff (performers and designers included).
There is a culture of exhaustion on the arts world. Specially the theatre world. We act around putting out fires and if a production doesn’t have any fires, we worry that there is something worse going on. We, I’ve caught myself doing this from time to time, love to talk about how tired we are. And how much the project is killing us, and all the things that need to happen. But in reality, peaceful projects exist, and learning how to manage stress is one good skill an artists needs. This reminds me so much of my experience with Dutchman. The process for Dutchman was SO PLEASANT, suspiciously pleasant. At a certain point we were just waiting for something to blow in our faces and it didn’t. As Artist we should not be on the lookout for things to go wrong, and overworking ourselves to death. Companies that are prioritizing their artists mental health are taking a step forward towards pushing this myth away.
I thought this was an interesting article. I especially enjoyed mention of the research study by Brandeis University where the "notion that artists should suffer for their art was. . .challenged," and that a study done by the institution "looked at the works of great painters such as Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. It found a correlation between events of emotional turmoil in their lives and the artists' less recognisable, less enduring, lowest-selling works; in conclusion, suffering wasn't conducive to creativity." I often times have heard in jest the phrase I must suffer for my art. It is often in jest, but I think too often there is a grain of truth in these statements. People think suffering means you are working hard, which is not always the case. Making great work doesn't mean you have to go through hell first, nor should it be a prerequisite that suffering dictates greatness. Equally absurd is the notion that if you do what you love you never have to work a day in your life. Art is hard, what we do often does not pay enough or come with enough economic security to feel like we can compete with out friends and family who have houses and families by 30, but the hard work does not mean we must resign ourselves to suffering for greatness.
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