Intro
Anxiety is an issue that, in my opinion, can both hinder and inspire a creative person. While puzzling, some facts can be sourced from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. In the article “Artists Are More Anxious Than People in Other Professions - But They Are Also Better at Coping With Challenges, a New Study Finds” on the website ArtNet News, Rachel Corbett dissects a piece of writing by Frank Barron and the formerly mentioned Yale study. In the article, Corbett states that, of 309 artists interviewed, artists “ranked moderately higher on the stress and anxiety measures, but also on those indicating hope, ego resilience, and psychological well-being” (Corbett). This paints a balanced portrait of an artist’s mental health, but it depends on how the artist tackles stress and anxiety. Even the article ends with the Yale researchers saying that artists need “strengths that enable them to respond to the challenges of their circumstances” (Corbett). The article also states that anxiety provides a “[diversifying] experience” when defining life perspectives, which can fuel creativity, but what does this mean for the artists who can’t deal with anxiety?
In the book Mental Issues and the University Student by Doris Iarovici, they state that anxiety has grown considerably in college students as time has passed. To give more specific statistics from the book, Iarovici says 63% of council center patients in 2001 felt anxious when the number was 36% in 1988. This shows that anxiety among college students is clearly on the rise, more than likely because it’s not being addressed. They even say, "Untreated anxiety can become a chronic, debilitating problem” (Iarovici 127).
Burnout
Burnout is a real issue for many people in the creative industry. In the book “Exhaustion: A History” by Anna K. Schaffner, Shauffner looks at the studies relating to the causes of exhaustion throughout history, dissecting the origins and perceptions of said causes. In the chapter titled “Burnout,” Schaffner states that “Burnout is often considered the result of chronic stress in the workplace” (Schaffner 204). The creative field is special in that we, as creatives, don’t have to do much physical labor, but we rely more on our brains for creative ideas and solutions. However, many creatives go into this field because they’re passionate about art. In a book titled Creative Truth by Brad Weaver, they state that a work/life balance doesn’t exist in the creative field and that “[without] realizing, you may begin to dread your work, to resent your clients, and even envy people who have stable jobs” (Weaver). This coincides with an article from the website Worklife, titled “Experiencing Creative Burnout? This Creator Is Here to Guide You Through It”, where they say, “63% of creatives are concerned with creative burnout, and almost the same amount of creators are finding it harder to disconnect from their work, increasing burnout rates” (Worklife). This feeling of being unable to disconnect from work makes the ability to relax all the more complex, contributing to the anxiety previously mentioned and making escaping burnout much harder.
How to Avoid/Take Care of Anxiety and Burnout
Burnout and Anxiety are two different states of the mind. Still, anxiety is likely to follow closely after burnout, so in bringing attention to these issues, I wanted to get people started on thinking about ways they could prevent and avoid falling into these painful states of mind.
Once again, referring to Creative Truth, one of the methods they pointed out to delay the effects of anxiety and burnout is to study other people’s works and break down how they work. Weaver says, “See how they got there and try to learn along the way where you can adapt their process to suit your needs” (Weaver). This recommendation is consistent with the rest of this chapter in their book, where the larger message of it is never to stop learning. Learning new things keeps the crafting of art interesting, so it's important never to fall into a slump of repetitiveness or boredom.
Another method they encourage in this chapter is to meditate and focus on one’s mind. Artists can think about a lot of things: what they want to go into a piece, how they’ll go about making the piece, what the person they’re making the piece for wants out of it, and so on, but we always have to reel our minds back a bit and make sure we’re thinking straight. In Weaver’s words from the same chapter, “Learning to meditate can decrease your reaction to thoughts and stimuli, which builds the ability to have more control over reactions outside of meditation” (Weaver). Having more control over your reactions potentially having more control over your stress, so it helps you focus on your goals as well as your feelings.
Lastly, the one method people need to enact more is actually to rest. Weaver laid out some specific ways to rest, such as taking time off from work, sleeping, exercising, and stretching. Taking time off lets you explore the other aspects and joys of your life, which lead to your mind being less muddled with work. Sleeping and exercising are essential parts that could jog your mental state when you feel sluggish, and they should be part of one’s daily routine anyways, as not getting proper sleep and exercise could result in days where one feels no energy. Lastly, when it comes to stretching, Weaver says, “Never sit for more than 45 minutes straight without taking at least ten minutes to stretch and walk around” (Weaver).
My Experiences with Burnout and Anxiety
I’ve been trying to pay attention to my mental health since 10th grade in high school when I felt my life was falling apart. I stayed up late at night, so my grades started plummeting that year. Seeing my grades lower after being a consistently good student stressed me out, and eventually, every assignment felt like its own battle, with every week feeling like a war I struggled to win. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, and if people are going through the same feelings, I wish them luck with everything in getting their lives back together.
While here at Cal State LA, I haven’t felt any stress on that level, which is very relieving and manageable but having a job as a graphic designer while studying as an animation major is no walk in the park either. I’ve had weeks where I struggled to come up with a new idea for both class and work, with both having independent deadlines. The call to be creative is a difficult one for me sometimes (as even the week I’m writing this, I feel I’m in a creative drought). I needed to remind myself of some methods to relax, seek inspiration from the world and be creative, even when my body didn’t feel like it. This extends beyond me, as even my co-workers and friends occasionally have these plights of uncreativity as well.
At the end of the day, some people want to be creative as their main job, so running out of ideas can mean more than not being creative; it can mean losing confidence in your style and your ideas, and it may even come at the cost of your payment. This is a fear of mine but, in doing this project, I’ve been reminded of ideas and methods that even I have forgotten so, the least I could do was share these pieces of information with those who need it most.
Personal Statements
Corbett, Rachel. “Artists Are More Anxious Than People in Other Professions—But They Are Also Better at Coping With Challenges, a New Study Finds.” Artnet News , 4 May 2020 , https://news.artnet.com/art-world/artists-psychology-yale-study-1848138 . Accessed 1 April 2023
“Experiencing Creative Burnout? This Creator Is Here to Guide You Through It.” Worklife , 7 Dec 2022, https://www.worklife.vc/blog/creative-burnout#:~:text=63%25%20of%20creatives%20are%20concerned,their%20work%2C%20increasing%20burnout%20rates. Accessed 6 April 2023
Iarovici, Doris. Mental Health Issues and the University Student. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014. Print. Accessed 5 April 2023
Schaffner, Anna Katharina. Exhaustion: A History. New York: Columbia University Press, 2016. Web. Accessed April 10
Weaver, Brad. “Chapter 10: Taking a Break from all your worries.” Creative Truth. 1st edition. Routledge, 2015. Web. Accessed 8 April 2023
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