Artistic Expression and Mental Illness
After his death, Vincent van Gogh’s work became some of the most instantly recognizable paintings ever laid to canvas. While he was alive he was relatively unknown, broke, in poor health, and suffering from what was most likely a severe mental illness. Van Gogh would help create the story of the “tortured artist,” or one whose mental illness blessed his art but destroyed his life. This concept has become so common place in western culture that many have referred to it as a cliché, with countless other famous artists being diagnosed with mental illnesses posthumously. What is the connection between mental illness and creativity? Why does it seem that the most creative artists can also be the most mentally unstable? Can talented artists harness some of this so-called creative madness to create art without losing themselves to it completely?
Read the article Creative Mythconceptions: A Closer Look at the Evidence for the Mad Genius Hypothesis by Judity Schlesinger here
Read more about the Swedish studies on creativity and mental illness here and here
Learn about the muses here
Find the book How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling by James N. Frey here
Learn more about Elizabeth Wurtzel here
Lean more about William S. Burroughs here
Read more about the film Wonder Boys here