vague magazine: special report
April 2016
graphic by Nick Scott for Vice News
the art of healing is the link between mental health and creativity a myth?
Vague investigates mental health’s heavy hand in film, music and contemporary art
‘Marnie’. courtesy Telegtraph UK
page two 7 Amazing Musicians Who Shatter Stereotypes About Mental Illness by Kate Beaudoin for Mic
page three ‘Inside Out’: Emotional Truths By Way Of Pixar by Travis Langley for Psychology Today
image courtesy Insigh Bulletin
page four
Kehlani. from Operation EveryBand
page five
The Fraught Relationship Between Creativity + Mental Health
Why Instagram Is A Legitimate Platform For Talking About Mental Health
by Greg French for i-D Magazine
by Hannah Ongley for i-D Magazine
see more at: vaguemag.com
page 2 / April 2016 / Vague Magazine / Mental Health + the Arts
4 Amazing Musicians Who Shatter Stereotypes About Mental Illness by Kate Beaudoin for mic.com
Sinead O’Connor photo: Rolling Stone
Irish singer-songwriter O’Connor has been very outspoken about the struggles facing people who publicly reveal that they have a mental illness. In an interview with Sky News, she said, “When you admit that you are anything that may be mistakenly or otherwise perceived as mentally ill, you know you’ll get treated like dirt so you don’t tell anybody and that’s why people die.” It’s an important point — we need to create a culture where people aren’t discouraged from talking about their issues...”
Michael Angelakos photo: Huffington Post
Angelakos, lead singer and songwriter of Passion Pit, announced he had bipolar disorder in an interview with Pitchfork in July 2012... “I don’t think people talk about mental illness a lot, but they need to know it’s OK to talk about how they are feeling,” Angelakos told Pitchfork. “People are afraid of telling the truth because they think it’s going to hurt everyone around them. I’ve kept so much inside that I’ve literally lost it.”
Paula Abdul
Eric Clapton
photo: Rolling Stone By the time he started his solo career in the early ‘70s, rock legend Clapton struggled with alcoholism, which is a mental illness. “I thought there was something otherworldly about the whole culture of drinking, that being drunk made me a member of some strange, mysterious club,” Clapton told Today, according to Look to the Stars. “The stuff that happened to me as a child made me totally insular — I thought I could do all of this on my own. It wasn’t until I was quite a bit older that I finally did ask for help.” Luckily, he did. The American Idol judge and Grammy-winning pop singer struggled for 15 years with bulimia. Shortly after her divorce from actor Emilio Estevez, Abdul secretly checked herself into a clinic to seek help ... “My life took a difficult turn, and I’m proud to say I survived it,” she told People. “I have no doubt I’ll keep up my commitment to myself. I feel too good. And this is no bull. This is my life.”
photo: Getty Images
“I thought I could do all of this on my own...”
Eric Clapton
page 3 / April 2016 / Vague Magazine / Mental Health + the Arts
‘Inside Out’: Emotional Truths By Way Of Pixar Psychology Today
by Janina Scarlet What’s really powerful about this film is how accurate it is to cognitive, developmental, and clinical psychology. The 5 emotions used in this film are in fact 5 of the 6 scientifically validated universal emotions (the 6th one being surprise). Psychologist and scientist, Paul Eckman, is most known for his work with universal emotions as he traveled around the world and found that these were present in every
culture and presented in the same way through the same facial expressions around the world. Eckman’s work has been used for psychology research, as well as for the US government, and even inspired the popular television series, ‘Lie to Me’. Other concepts displayed in this movie included the conversion of short to long-term memory. When a memory is seen as salient or relevant enough
to us, or when it has been repeated enough times, the brain messengers, dopamine and glutamate, ensure the long-term encoding of that memory. Think of these messengers as computer coders or
awesome IT support team – they write the code to ensure that our brain computer is up to date with the new information. Other concepts briefly covered in the movie include psychological
changes of reaching/approaching puberty, psychological stressors, family psychology, inductive and deductive reasoning (thinking like Sherlock Holmes by using logic, reasoning, and observation to reach a conclusion), and many others ... ... The movie doesn’t stop there; it ends with a bang by reminding us that we can experience multiple (and even contradictory) emotions at the same
time, such as happiness and sadness. The movie also shows that everyone experiences these emotions, as they are, in fact, universal. This demonstrates a psychological concept of common humanity, or the idea that other people are just like us, they might struggle with the same emotions, insecurities, heartbreaks, and neuroses as we do, further validating our internal experiences. photo: SCPR.org
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page 4 / April 2016 / Vague Magazine / Mental Health + the Arts
by Greg French
In the past 25 years, rates of depression and anxiety amongst young adults have risen by a staggering 70%. It’s estimated that 1 in 4 people aged between 16 and 25 have had suicidal thoughts, and amongst our personal network of friends or colleagues, we will all experience some form of fallout from mental health issues within our lifetime. According to the World Health Organisation “globally, there is huge inequity in the distribution of skilled human resources for mental health”. Those are worrying statistics - but more worrying is that those numbers are set to rise significantly in the next five years. Obvious reasons can be identified: the growth of social media, financial pressures and the media’s portrayal of unachievable ‘beauty’. These have all been identified as some of our modern-day triggers. The pace of our day-to-day lives too can so often prove a burden - a recent issue apparent in the fashion sector, with the departure of some
of our great designers from leading fashion houses. It comes as no surprise therefore that in 2015, an Icelandic study claimed to find a genetic link between creativity and mental illness, with results suggesting that 25% of creative people are more susceptible to bipolar disorder or schizophrenia due to specific genes that they carried. It begs the question, how and why are creativity and mental health so intricately connected? Artists have long projected their mental status into their own creative practice. Picasso, for example, had a recognisable transition between his Rose and Blue Period; a shift that occurred in the Spanish artist’s aesthetic following the suicide of his dear friend Carlos Casagemas. Gone were his characteristically colourful splashes of paint -- replaced with melancholic azure tones following a severe bout of depression. This lasted for four years, evolving into his Rose Period where the blues were replaced by cheerful
photo by Nick Knight
the fraught relationship between creativity + mental health i-D Magazine oranges and reds. “Art,” Picasso once said, “washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Mark Rothko is another example - his fluctuating psychological condition can
be traced through the pairing of colour in his paintings. His large scale canvas pieces, swathed with varying tones, are perhaps most known for their visual impact on the viewer -- their colours transitioning to grayscale following Rothko’s diagnosis of an aortic aneurysm. Shortly before his suicide, Rothko produced one of his final paintings - Untitled, Black on Grey - an indicator of the troubled mind of the artist. Walking into the Rothko room that forms part of the permanent collection at London’s Tate Modern -- there is an instant feeling imparted on the viewer. It’s a reminder of the power and aura that artwork can have on us. A new charity, The Hospital Rooms -- founded by Curator Niamh White and Artist Tim A. Shaw recognises the significance of this -- and commissions world-class contemporary artists to renovate mental health wards in hospitals with museum quality site specific artworks. The project is supported using public funding
by Arts Council England, Morris Markowe League of Friends of Springfield Hospital and is also partnered with Dulux Trade, Liquitex and Metro Imaging. “Art and mental health do have a well documented history, and many of our most revered artworks depict internal trauma,” Niamh explains. “These images have had a hand in de-stigmatising mental health and communicating it as part of the human condition.”
“It is a myth that
young people in creative education are more susceptible to suffering from mental health issues...
”
productions. It’s no secret that Lee himself struggled with mental illness - and the work he made that grappled with those emotions are notable amongst his oeuvre.
continued p. 5
page 5 / April 2016 / Vague Magazine / Mental Health + the Arts As painter Francis Bacon noted “the feeling of desperation and unhappiness are more useful to an artist than the feeling of contentment, because desperation and unhappiness stretch your whole sensibility.” There is an extensive list of well-established creatives involved in The Hospital Rooms initiative, Gavin Turk, Acconci Studio, Michael O’Reilly, Aimee Parrott, Joh Bates and recent Turner Prize winners Assemble. Fashion photographer and director of SHOWstudio Nick Knight has also contributed two prints for the charity. The works have not been shown together before but create an incredible rhythm and energy side by side. Echoing perhaps his own relationship with Lee McQueen, Knight states “some of the most creative and accomplished people that I have known have encountered difficulty with their mental health at one stage or another. It seems to me that making vulnerable patients’ environments
pleasant and stimulating is of the utmost importance and would be conducive to recovery and recuperation.” The trust also provides monthly workshops for patients, led by some of those aforementioned artists - in order for them to vocalise their thoughts and feelings within a creative medium. Whilst the 2015 study may suggest a genetic link between creativity and mental health, many still argue that anyone is susceptible to suffering from mental health issues despite the industry or educational institution they might be in. What is clear is that creativity provides patients with a remedial outlet. Young Minds, the charity that looks after the wellbeing of young people’s mental health agrees with this stance. “Creativity is a really important therapeutic medium for many young people who are suffering emotionally to channel their feelings and experiences, and many therapeutic interventions use art and music effectively to help young people with their recovery
process” explains Lucie Russell, the charity’s Director of Campaigns and Media. “It is a myth that young people in creative education are more susceptible to suffering from mental health issues. Any young person can suffer from mental ill health and nurturing creativity in schools and in higher education can be a good way to help young people to express themselves and develop a language for their feelings” There is still a hazy area when it comes to exploring creativity and mental wellbeing. If we look back to those artists whose work is so noticeably marred with emotion - their practice provided them with a sense of escapism. McQueen once said, “fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment”. The arts are so very important to help us loosen those shackles...” []
photo: MTV
Why Instagram Is a Legitimate Platform For Talking About Mental Health i-D Magazine by Hannah Ongley R&B artist Kehlani has carved a career out of her refreshingly honest approach to talking about life and relationships. “At first, I didn’t really want anybody to know anything ‘cause I didn’t want everybody to feel bad for me,” she explained to us last year about her decision to make her story public. “I would hate for people to listen to my music and feel pity, I want them to listen to my music and feel some sense of strength and only gather the fact that everything
shaped me in a positive way.” On Monday the singer’s optimism was tested relentlessly. For anyone who hasn’t been on the internet for the past few days: Kehlani has been officially dating NBA player Kyrie Irving since January, though the two have likely been together since the end of last year — a few months after Kehlani broke up with OVOsigned rapper PartyNextDoor. It looked like a fairly amicable break-up, with the rapper later admitting his missteps on a track he
named “Kehlani’s Freestyle.” But on Monday PartyNextDoor send the internet ablaze with an Instagram post of himself lying in bed holding Kehlani’s recognisably inked hand. “After all her shenanigans, still got the r&b singer back in my bed,” he captioned the photo. Almost immediately Kehlani’s name jumped to the top of Twitter’s trending topics as people began to accuse her of cheating on Irving. That night Kehlani posted a now-deleted photo to Instagram of her hand hooked up to a hospital IV.
what are your thoughts? read more at vaguemag. com or email us at editor@ vaguemag.com ____________________ “At first, I didn’t really want anybody to know anything ‘cause I didn’t want everybody to feel bad for me...”
continued p. 6
“Today I wanted to
leave this earth,” she wrote. “Being completely selfish for once. Never thought I’d get to such a low point. But… Don’t believe the blogs you read… No one was cheated on and I’m not a bad person… Everyone is
hurt and everyone is in a place of misunderstanding… But as of today, I had no single wish to see tomorrow… But God saved me for a reason, and for that… I must be grateful… Cuz I’m not in heaven right now for a reason… On that
note… Bye Instagram.” She then deleted her entire feed... It’s ironic that we’re so quick to be dismissive of speaking about mental health on social media when we’re currently seeing the positive outcome of doing so play out in
page 6 / April 2016 / Vague Magazine / Mental Health + the Arts real time. Since cial media has offered color the Kesha case Kesha went public thousands of fans and to make a pop star’s with her battle to be other celebrities an mental health struggles released from her con- effective way to rally authentic? tract with her record behind the embattled One of the worst label and her alleged pop star, and to come opinions the internet rapist, a contract which out with their own sto- is voicing about Kehshe contends caused ries of abuse survival. lani is that she should her to suffer from Do we need harrowing be able to handle the severe depression, sofacts such as those that abuse since she put her whole life online in the first place — basically that she was asking for it by being active on Instagram. Well it’s 2016 and she’s hardly alone in doing so. The prevalence of crying selfies last year offered a welcome reprieve from pre-packaged celebrity culture, and seemed to suggest that the conversation is changing. But clearly our demand for #NoFilter honesty still comes with qualifications. So much for #LiveAuthentic — everyone wants to expose celebrities as liars, but no one wants to see them exposed as human beings. []
photo: city of tenants
national mental health hotlines Suicide Prevention: 1.800.273. TALK Trevor HelpLine (LGBT Suicide Prevention): 1.800. 850.8078 Find a Therapist: 1.800. THERAPIST Adolescent Suicide Hotline: 800.621.4000 Panic Disorder Information Hotline: 800.64. PANIC
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