If you're living a creative life or would like to live a creative life, then you might enjoy Laura's interview with Dr. Eric Maisel about his new book The Van Gogh Blues.
Laura captured my attention with her introduction: The Van Gogh Blues has impressed me as a book worthy of your attention for a number of reasons. I appreciated Dr. Maisel's frank discussion of traditional psychology and how it has and has not served the creative person well. His normalizing of the existential depression that many creatives experience, how this is a distinct experience from what we commonly call clinical depression, and how this existential depression can be engaged and worked with in a productive manner resonated with me personally and called to mind many of the individuals I coach. If you appreciate the breathe of fresh air that comes from reading authors who admit life has challenges, that they generally don't end, that there aren't 3 Simple Steps to Everlasting Bliss AND who manage to leave you feeling solid, validated, hopeful, focused and ready to roll up your sleeves despite all that, I do recommend you check out this worthy read.
3 comments:
ahh, interesting, i might just have to pick up a copy at the library
That does sound like something I should read. I've struggled with depression that thankfully has responded to treatment, but it's hard to deal with my man, who tries to understand but can't quite grasp my neverending search for Meaning. He doesn't have an introspective bone in his body, and yeah, sometimes I envy the way he floats through life.
Indeed, I was thinking I might have a look too but then you go to his website and he has all kinds of goodies there - you can download his lectures too, furiousball.
I like that he admits that depression isn't as straight forward in artists. I've had this theory for years that many kinds of artists and actors have thin skins and keen observation skills, leaving them less protected from the ups and downs of life.
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