The myth of the tortured artist

Do you feel you have to suffer for your art? 

The myth of the tortured artist has been around for a very, very long time. Hemingway struggled with alcohol abuse. Van Gogh suffered bouts of mania. Slyvia Plath tragically died by suicide. In many people’s minds, creativity and suffering are intrinsically linked; the thought is that suffering fuels inspiration and creativity, and that through suffering, you enable yourself to create your most powerful work.

This stereotype speaks to several things. First, it speaks to the idea that finding joy in creativity is somehow hedonistic. If art is work, surely art is also suffering. In a culture that prioritizes hustle over play and considers pleasure self indulgent, art can only be important if there is an element of suffering in its creation. We say all the time on this very blog that making art and living a creative life is difficult. The myth of the tortured artist takes these kernels of truth (art is work, art is difficult) and extrapolates until we’re left with a new idea: art must be painful.

Another thing reflected in this myth is the idea that the most worthwhile emotions and experiences that can be explored through art are negative or traumatic ones. While many worthwhile works explore deeply painful topics, there are many others that explore joy, pleasure, creativity, and love. Likewise, we have this idea that if you’re writing about something heavy you need to be reliving the emotions through the creative process. I don’t mean to argue that this never happens (I’d say that, anecdotally, it happens often) but it’s also completely possible to use art as a means to heal, process, and explore real life trauma without retraumatizing yourself through the act of creation. Every artist approaches this differently, and while there’s no one right way to do this, I think it’s safe to say that one can create beautiful, life changing creative works without suffering.

Lastly, we are often inclined to lionize artists who are known to have suffered. To that, I would simply say that these artists, like all of us, are and were human beings who struggled with things like mental illness, poverty, and many more painful things that shaped their lives and their art. Their art wasn’t great because they suffered, and to say otherwise is to do a disservice to who they really were: human beings who, like the rest of us, had messy and sometimes painful lives. Their art was great because they created great art. How much more could they have created if they were able to live lives full of pleasure, joy, and ease?

A study published in 2022 in Creativity Research Journal actually found that people are more able to be creative, both in their work and their everyday lives, when they felt a sense of wellbeing and positive emotions. This study–which followed 290 creative professionals over a period of two weeks–directly disproves the notion that suffering is inherent to creating art.

So how do you prioritize your own wellness when working towards creating beautiful art? I’m not a doctor or therapist, but I can provide some recommendations based on my own experience that may help.

1. Build in rest as part of your creative process. I’m a very driven, type A person, and I feel a sense of urgency around my creative life. Whenever I finish a project, my instinct is to jump straight into something new. Whenever I feel stressed or upset about the way a project is going, my instinct is to push through and make it work at all costs. I’m serious about deadlines, and too often I work myself so hard that I burn myself out. A wise friend and mentor of mine encouraged me to build in rest as part of the creative process, and it’s been a game changer. Sometimes, space from your creative work is exactly what you need in order to come back invigorated and ready to go. I no longer write every single day, when I get stuck I’m more willing to take space from my project, and when I’m scheduling deadlines I do my best to build in fallow periods after I complete my work. 
2. Be gentle with yourself when exploring triggering topics. If you are someone who wants to explore themes or experiences that come from a place of trauma, it’s important to protect yourself from the negative effects that happen when you’re intentionally putting yourself in a dark place. There are things you can do yourself that might help. I, for example, don’t work on these types of projects right before bed. I also try to utilize tools like meditation and mindfulness in order to stay grounded when working on these things. Depending on what emotions this process brings up for you, you may also need to give yourself regular breaks from the project or work with a licensed therapist to process your emotions and make sure you are not being retraumatized. 
3. Practice self care regardless of what you’re working on. Self care is important for everyone, including artists, even when you’re not working on something heavy. Make sure you’re getting enough sleeping, eating enough, drinking enough water, taking your medication, and just generally working on feeling as good as you can. Practicing self care doesn’t mean you’re going to feel amazing all the time, especially for those of us who are chronically ill, but it can certainly make things easier.

What do you think about the myth of the tortured artist? Has this changed your perspective at all? Feel free to continue the conversation in the comments, or message me on Instagram. Happy creating!