Artists, are we unstable?

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by laruss

Will I become unstable, will I become undatable because people assume I am unstable? What is it about artists that scare partners or potential partners away.

Yes, if you engage in artmaking, you will become unstable and no one will date you.

Seriously, as you mentioned, many believe there is a link between mental illness and creativity. I just did a cursory Google search, typing mental illness and art, and a lot came up. Also, I went on Amazon and Wikipedia, and both confirmed there is a lot of writing and research and theorizing about the connections between the two. And everyone knows about Van Gogh and Sylvia Plath and all the other artists and writers who struggled with their mental health in a time where there really was no help for them.

One definition of creativity is the ability to take ordinary things and put them together in extraordinary ways. Many mental illnesses do that, cause a person to see ordinary things in distorted ways that can open creative interpretations.

But asking if you'll become unstable if you become an artist? I can't imagine there is a cause-and-effect relationship in that way.

By the way, how wonderful that you made that huge life change.