Check out this essay by Mandolin!<\/p>\n
“Unlocking the Garret” by Rachel Swirsky<\/a><\/p>\n Excerpt:<\/p>\n It\u2019s in the stereotype. The artist of tempestuous temperament who drinks to excess as he stumbles, lean and tuberculotic, up the winding steps to his garret. Van Gogh cut off his ear. Plath put her head in the oven. The artist is passionate; the artist is mercurial; the artist is mad.<\/p>\n Sometimes stereotypes do hold a shard of truth.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know why there\u2019s a connection between creativity and madness. One could provoke the other; both could be caused by another factor. It could be inherent. It could be cultural. Whatever the why, there\u2019s a high frequency of mental illness among artists.<\/p>\n Despite this, we rarely talk about how mental illness affects the work. Taboos about discussing personal experiences with mental illness remain, promoted by shame and ignorance. In this toxic fog, the stereotype of the mad artist looms large, discouraging some from even seeking treatment because they believe creativity can only persist in the garret.<\/p>\n I have bipolar disorder\u2014the second type, the one that lacks extremely high mood. I\u2019ve been in treatment for ten years or so, and I\u2019m lucky in that medications work for me. They don\u2019t work for everybody, and for some people, they come with unbearable side effects. Still, disability remains something I have to navigate daily, and it probably always will be. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read the rest here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Check out this essay by Mandolin! “Unlocking the Garret” by Rachel Swirsky Excerpt: It\u2019s in the stereotype. The artist of tempestuous temperament who drinks to excess as he stumbles, lean and tuberculotic, up the winding steps to his garret. Van … Continue reading