Are Artists Unhappier than Non-Artists?

There’s a question in the subject of happiness that puzzles me. Are artistic folk – or people of other kind of genius -- less happy than other people, and if so, why?

On the one hand, studies suggest that people who are happier are more creative, more resilient, more engaged, and more persistent in the face of difficulty and frustration. This would suggest that happier people would tend to be better artists (or whatever) than less happy people.

On the other hand, as discussed in Daniel Nettle’s Happiness, studies suggest that creative and influential people in the arts and public life tend to be more “neurotic” – meaning that they’re inclined to have more frequent and deeper experiences of negative emotions like anger, guilt, sadness, and fear than less-neurotic people.

Certainly popular culture teaches that artists and geniuses tend to be tormented, brooding, angry, etc.

Which is true?

I’m not sure. I do believe that the association of unhappiness with great ability goes along with Happiness Myth #1: Happy people are annoying and stupid. Because unhappiness is associated with discernment, sophistication, and depth, it seems right that artists and other extraordinary types would be less happy. Plus it seems cooler. What’s more, given that association, people who want to demonstrate their soulfulness or intellect may be choose to emphasize their negative emotions.

It’s also true that unhappy people tend to have more colorful lives than happy people, so their biographies are juicier, and we tend to know more about their lives.

I don’t know what’s true as a general matter, but I know that for myself, I’m more creative and productive when I’m happier. I’m more willing to take risks; to spend energy in ways that may not be directly useful; to shrug off criticism, rejection, failure, and scorn; to open myself to new experiences, ideas, and people.

As for art in particular: a deep love of art, whether creating it or appreciating it, does bring a kind of melancholy – the yearning for perfection, the desire to swallow it up, the despair of achieving your vision, the painful beauty of masterworks. But that melancholy is also set in a context of beauty, discernment, and joy.

I remember one afternoon a few years ago, when I needed to pick something up from a friend who is a brilliant artist. He has a painting school which meets in the first floor of his house, so when I stopped by to see him, I walked through a room full of students who were busily drawing a model, while music played and light poured in from a skylight. I walked back to my friend’s private studio, which looked exactly the way you’d imagine – cans full of paintbrushes, canvases stacked against the walls, odd casts and stretchers and other artistic apparatus lying around.

He was painting when I came in, and to my surprise, he could paint while we talked. (I can’t imagine being able to do work and talk at the same time – utterly impossible for me.) Anyway, as we were talking, he was working on a beautiful, beautiful painting.

He stopped for moment to step back and consider his handiwork, and I said to him, with more than a touch of envy in my voice, “Jacob, you are lucky.” I gestured broadly around the room.

“I know,” he nodded, and he sat back on his stool and smiled at me. “Yes, I know.”

Now I’m asking every artist I meet about this question. Are artists less happy? Are geniuses less happy? What do you think?

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I get a big kick out of the blog Living Oprah -- a woman spent the year of 2008 "living her life completely according to the advice of Oprah Winfrey." The year has run, and she's working on a book right now, but she still posts. Hmmm...does her project remind you of anyone else's? Just goes to show that everyone's happiness project is different -- I find every one fascinating.

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Excellent! A reader has started an online group for discussing reading related to happiness. If you're interested, join up!

Comments

[Solomon]

I find the thought that society finds unhappiness cooler than happiness quite scary.

[Positively Present]

What a great post!! I've always thought of myself as more artistic (and, therefore, tortured) than other people. I used to think that negativity was part of me and that, without it, I wouldn't be able to create. However, now that I'm working on living my life positively (also a type of happiness project!), I find that I am even more capable than I once was. I used to write long, sad entries in my journal, but they are nothing compared to the entries I write about positivity on my blog. Happiness (as "uncool" as I used to think it was) really IS awesome. It makes me a better artist, a better writer, and a better person.

www.positivelypresent.com

[MJ]

I think that Eric Maisel's work addresses some of this (and I tend to agree with him) in that at least some creative people are wrestling with serious issues about meaning - what is the meaning of life? why do we bother at all? what is this all about? and those questions can make a person distracted, gloomy, etc.

I'm sorry, but I have a hard time letting go myself of the idea that happy people are stupid and uniteresting. I just know way, way too many from school, work, and family who are blissfully untroubled by unhappiness - and blissfully untroubled by thoughts too. None have ever done much of anything, because they seem unaffected by ambition, quesitons, drive, interests, goals, etc. No thank you.

However, existential doubt and angst do not necessarily have to lead to unhappiness. Just as happiness should not be a defined as being cheerfully vapid or moronic either.

[Vi]

The way I see it, art is about self-expression. It is about taking everything within to create something without. The best art is an honest, truthful, and uninhibited display of a person’s entire being. Whether or not artists are happy or not is irrelevant. Art is about expression.

With that said, I do think that the act of creating art makes people happy. Some artists might be unhappy, but perhaps they create such beautiful art because they need an outlet. That is, they need a way to get all of that misery out of their system, to express it outward, to show the world, and then they feel better through their creations.

[Lexi]

"I’m more creative and productive when I’m happier. I’m more willing to take risks; to spend energy in ways that may not be directly useful; to shrug off criticism, rejection, failure, and scorn; to open myself to new experiences, ideas, and people."

For me, it's actually the opposite. The less happy I am, the more it springs me to take action in my life. I tackle greater risks to improve my situation, dive into more unfamiliar experiences, meet new people, and become all-around more fearless.

When I am in a happy phase, I tend to get into a general rhythm where time just passes and it doesn't invoke as much creativity/life changes.

[Alex Fayle]

I think artists are more willing to be uncomfortable. And a lot of people confuse comfort for happiness. Two totally different things to me.

[Kevin Fenton]

The poet and critici Donald Hall has written an excellent essay on this called "Dylan Thomas and Public Suicide" in his memoir Remembering Poets.

[Heather]

I tend to think that artists (and others who struggle to find meaning, to create meaning) are more in both ways - unhappier and happier. For myself, when I am not creating art, I am just grayer. Creating art makes everything in my life more vivid.

[Zyada]

I see several things going on here:

Engaging in creative activity improves your happiness. In addition, the artistic community is more accepting of people who are outside of the mainstream of life. While both of these factors help individuals improve their levels of happiness, these also mean that people who start with more happiness "challenges" are more likely to be drawn to the arts.

However, having art as a career is very difficult. Only a miniscule number of people even manage to survive in the field of arts. Thus, there needs to be a great drive to go into the arts, which can come with a price. On top of that, many people who would like to go into the arts must contend with the disapproval of family and peers. This means that in pursuing art, some people strain or lose some of the other happiness factors.

I wrote this several years ago and just came back across it recently, and I think it also sheds some light on this discussion:

Thoughts on listening to the "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack:

True art comes from the very depths of the artist's soul.

Pain is telling you that Something Must Change. When you are dealing with emotional pain, sometimes you have to dig deep into your soul to get to the root of the problem.

To create art about pain you have to go in a direction you were going anyway. But to create art about happiness, you have to take a journey to where past pain and sorrow may have been buried. Before you can create this art, you may have to re-visit past unhappiness.

Sometimes it's easier to just accept surface happiness, than to risk having to pass through the fire again. Maybe this is why so much popular music is crud. The audience has to go with you when you are truly creating art, and few are willing to tread that path.

[Andrea]

I would say it depends on the art. Some artists seem to access their creativity through struggle (Nirvana, Van Gogh,Virginia Wolf ) others through contentment (Jack Johnson, Gauguin, Charles Bukowski ). Latter applies to me.

[Heather]

I graduated in music performance--I recall a professor sharing the results of a survey that the university had recently sent to their alumni. Alumni who graduated in music were in the lowest income bracket of graduates. What was interesting, though, was that they listed themselves highest in satisfaction of life! I'm not sure the amount of people involved in the survey, but that says loads to me! Perhaps satisfaction of life and happiness are 2 different things, but they can't be that distantly linked! I know that I'm often happiest when I'm performing.

[LPC]

Yes. Doing art makes you happy. Being an artist may not.

[Niel Malan]

I think at least part of the contradiction here is confusion in the language regarding 'art' and 'creativity'.

Art is the communication of emotion, be it with shape, colour, sound or movement.

It therefore seems logical to me that artists would be people who are well-acquinted with their emotions. Unfortunately most emotions are associated with unhappiness, hence most artistic works would portray artists in their unhappy state.

Creativity, on the other hand, does not have particularly much to do with art. Solving problems is creative. Much of science is creative. Engineering is creative. Good politics is creative. In all these instances it seems obvious to me that creativity would be better with more happiness.

[EscapeVelocity]

Society's understanding of art also plays a role. If art is supposed to be the artist expressing his or her tormented soul, then people equipped with tormented souls will have an easier time making successful careers in art. If art is about reproducing nature or creating beauty or providing religious instruction to the illiterate masses, not so much.

[Anna Aspnes]

I am an artist and suffer bipolar disorder. My creative tendencies definitely follow in line with my mood. Happier = Less inclined to create. Somehow I work through the "dark and twisty" stuff in my art. I also think that all artists, to a certaine extent, have a "dark and twisty" side. Great post!

[Douglas Eby]

“Creative people, as I see them, are distinguished by the fact that they can live with anxiety, even though a high price may be paid in terms of insecurity, sensitivity, and defenselessness for the gift of ‘divine madness,’ to borrow the term used by the classical Greeks.... They knock on silence for an answering music; they pursue meaninglessness until they can force it to mean.” -- Rollo May, in his book The Courage to Create. From my post Creativity and madness - Rollo May and Emily Dickinson on mental health and creative people
http://talentdevelop.com/890/

[Gretchen Rubin]

Fascinating comments. This is a very complex issue, and everyone has raised more aspects to consider. And so many definitional issues, too...

[Mary Ellen]

Your post reminds me of my general complaint that there is so little 'great' literature with a happy ending. Most people come up with Jane Austen and Shakespeare's comedies and... not much else. Even children's literature has gotten pretty dark. Would 'Make way for Ducklings' win a Caldecott if it were written today?

[Paul]

I have a busy, professional daytime job, and additionally am a weekend performing musician and a fairly serious photographer. I am by far the happier when on stage, or gazing through the lens to compose a shot than I am in the office. Perhaps it is the frustrated artists who are the least happy....

[Sheila]

I have a hypothesis about this notion, and it's a slightly complicated one.

According to research by Elaine Aron, some 15 to 20 percent of the population has a nervous system that is more sensitive to external stimuli and tends to process things more deeply. (I read her book The Highly Sensitive Person and it was like reading the unified field theory of my personal universe.)

High sensitivity enables one to be more aware of subtleties but also means that one is more easily overstimulated and overwhelmed. This, in turn, can lead to depressive symptoms. (I was on antidepressants for about ten years myself.)

Lots of artists (I wouldn't presume to say all of them) probably have the trait of high sensitivity and therefore the potential for depression when too much is going on. And, let's face it, making a living as an artist can be a pretty stressful situation all on its own.

So it may be neurological as well as cultural. Just my take on it.

[Anne]

It might be a chicken/egg thing and I can only speak to my own art form. But as someone who has worked in comedy for the past twenty some odd years, I can say that in my experience a really high percentage of truly funny people have also experienced severe trauma and pain in their past. So, they come to the art with the pain and the art is a response.

[Christopher]

Artist, fireman, yuppie - doesn't matter. It's how you look at life and inside yourself that matters.

[Helen]

My experience has always been that art fits in the 'feeling right' bucket more appropriately than the 'feeling good' bucket. It's a part of me, and it's something I need to do to be authentically myself.

[Pam Belding]

I have found that making the art is highly conducive to living a happy life, while worrying about what I am "supposed to be doing with it" brings up anxiety and stress. Is there such a thing as having one without the other?

[Era]

As complex individuals we all experience both joy and sadness. An artist who has embraced their talent as a means of expression and release, will channel their emotions into their work - be they happy or sad.

Another possibility is that people who experience intense sadness may seek out artistic expression. Being guided by raw emotion may lead to unorthodox art which is viewed as fresh, raw or cutting edge -rather than painting rainbows and flowers- so to speak.

[May]

A couple of years ago I found myself in an alarmingly poor state of mind. My psychiatrist said, "Your disorders are complex. But they'll make you a better writer."

Similarly, a dear friend gently reminds me that because I feel so much, things are harder for me. I am so often overwhelmed. And of course there are two sides to this coin: I can feel overwhelmed by deep beauty and also deep sorrow.

I tend to think that beautiful things are full of sadness because we know they will one day disappear or die or fade. This is what gives them their value. And I think sad things are full of beauty.

And sometimes I think that great gifts come at great cost. Usually I wouldn't want to change that even if I could.

[Tracy Talbot]

When I'm unhappy I write poetry and when I'm happy I don't feel the need to write poetry. It's an outlet, a form of personal therapy if you will.

My partner is an artist and is very happy with that singular focus. The people like me that have a more multi-focused life, that want it all instead of that singular focus, seem to find happiness a bit more elusive from my observations.

[Writer Dad]

One of the things that kept me from being creative for so many years was the mental image I had of an artist in turmoil. I am a supremely happy guy, so it never fit me at all. I've felt at a creative zenith over the last year and have only felt happier.

[Sarah]

I don't know, I think there's something to the theory - I lived a couple of years with severe depression and in those years, I was at my most creative. I was hurting, so I was exploring my own head and was writing and painting like I never had before. It was reflective, fearless and intense. When I met my husband, everything in my life shifted. We now have a beautiful daughter and a nice little house that we've worked hard to buy and maintain. But in this happy little life we've created, my creativity has dwindled to near nothingness. Everything I've attempted to put to paper has been the corniest drivel you'll ever come across. I blame my content life for my creative demise. No great loss though - it's not like it was career dependent - I wouldn't trade my husband and daughter for anything. I'll gladly retire my pencils and paints for them.

[Doug Lance]

Why compare anyone to anyone else? It's a waste of energy.

[pcNielsen]

While there are a significant number of renowned artists who have been troubled (in general with what we now know as being bipolar), I'm not sure this is a valid stereotype. Stereotypes are usually born out of generalized truths, but to say that artists are mostly an unhappy brooding bunch doesn't pan out for me in real life, as an artist.

[adora]

As you have mentioned before, happiness and unhappiness are two separate emotions rather than the extremes on a linear spectrum. I think that the core of being an artist is to be genuine, no hiding, and thus aggrandized both emotions compared to the general public.

I've been in architecture field for a decade, and I know a lot of artists and musicians. In general, happier people are more creative. (My happiest friend just got a PhD from Julliard!)

But artist types aren't easily satisfied. They might live a perfect life and yet they want more. They complain about minor problems ALL THE TIME. ("I can't find any Yellow #30 at the store, my life is ruined!") It is the dissatisfaction that makes them seem unhappy yet creative. But no less indicate that they are not happy.

The public romanticize the idea of poor sad artist like Modigliani. But really, most artists in history are generally happy.

[boots]

"...a really high percentage of truly funny people have also experienced severe trauma and pain in their past. So, they come to the art with the pain and the art is a response."

Anne, I spent 10 years as an opera singer and would say the same thing about singers as well! I kept trying to write a comment to that effect yesterday and couldn't word it right--glad you articulated it so well.

[TD]

It's not that it's "cooler" to be unhappy. I'm a serious artist and I've found that it's more about being more emotionally "sensitive" than most non-artists. The sensitivity makes you more creative but it also makes you feel things more acutely and you don't shrug them off as easily. Also, it can be harder for more superficial distractions to ease your load, like watching tv, stuff like that. Just my observation.

[Meream]

I am dating an artist and he seems generally less happier. However, it is easier for him to find happiness in the littlest things. Does that make sense?

[chicago office space]

Thanks for posting, very interesting.

[Jason]

I think those with personality issues use the guise of 'art' to explain their issues, and hide behind the mantra. These are the same people that fight for the idea that art is in the eye of the artist not the viewer's ability to interpret.

I have been a professional artist for 20 years and just like other creative types - authors especially - you devote all of your energy into your work and it is a struggle to interpret ideas into something meaningful, but I wouldn't say it is torture. It's the journey of re-understanding the world around you.

I'm very happy with my latest work, but since I'm already moving onto my next piece, I'm always 'struggling' - some would misunderstand that as being unhappy... they'd be wrong.

[Hannah]

I experience deep joy when engaged in artistic activities - painting and drawing, making and teaching music, and dancing. Yes, perfectionism rears its ugly head at times, but as long as I remain focused on the process rather than the product, these pursuits are a huge happy factor in my life.

Sheila's comments about high sensitivity are dead on - in addition, I think the capacity for great fulfillment in any area opens up the possibility for despair when things don't go well in that same area. And yes, the arts are a great vehicle for strong emotions.

[Philip Branton]

I think many people are just affected by, or programmed by, society to act the way they are 'supposed to'. I remember that in the college the kids who were into the drama club affected black turtlenecks, smoked, and adopted the bohemian persona. I even had an English professor who said that 'descent into vice and corruption' (by which I think he meant lots of affairs and plenty of alcohol) were necessary to be a 'real writer'--you have to 'experience life and live larger than other people'==he said.

Now. I'm a surgical pathologist (far removed from the literary and bohemian life of the coffeehouse). I'm not sure how a pathologist is supposed to 'look' but I've been told that I don't look or act like one. Which may be a compliment (or not)--but I think that the roles 'society' assigns to different callings or professions are ultimately stereotypes.

To answer your question: I believe there are and have been a lot of artists of all types who are not tormented alcoholics or drug addicts (Anthony Trollope, Mark Twain, Robertson Davies, Yo Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Placido Domingo). Some of this I think was a 20th century construct (Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dashiell Hammet, Dorothy Parker--and a lot of them were the creatures of an era that celebrated intoxication). The generation that taught me (and probably Gretchen since I expect we're about the same age) were the students of that generation and so they absorbed the lesson that 'real artists are drunks or drug addicts' or on the fringe of society where they can experience real 'despair'/ I think all of us have moments of sadness, anger, despair, angst--and these give artists who are the ones among us inspired to creat art the spark and inspiration to do what they do. The rest of us take that energy and do other things with it in our own lives and professions. But ultimately, I believe that artists are just people--as doctors, lawyers, soldiers, and policemen are--with a myriad of traits and behaviors.

[Whitney]

I have made my living as an artist for over 10 years now, and most of my friends do the same thing. My observation has been that artists are no more happy or unhappy than the culture at large. I think there is a general desire to have a romantic vision of the artist as tortured and neurotic to balance out the fact that we are supremely gifted. I personally think this vision is ultimately undermining to the artist, and encourages a lot of unfortunate behavior at art schools. But it also helps maintain the artist status as an exalted outsider, which is maybe what we need to be left alone long enough to get our work done!

[Tracy]

My son is a very talented artist and also one of those people thought of as an "old soul". He frequently amazes me with his insights into daily life, living happier, being a good parent, etc. Overall I would say he is a very happy person & his art reflects same. However, it's obvious many works of art stem from an artist's darker side and human nature seems to be drawn more to observing, noticing that side of ourselves. I don't think happiness & artistic ability or creativeness are linked, I think people as a general rule just tend to gravitate towards celebrating, noticing the darker side of life.

[Liz Stanley]

As an actress I know that there is an expectation of suffering. You cannot create good art until you have suffered, therefore every event in life becomes waaaay more dramatic than it needs to be, everything is a travesty, the end of everything. So, in my experience it's own need to suffer and experience life that breeds unhappiness. I know when I don't allow things to upset me, I am happier than I am when I allow myself to feel it with all of my emotional senses raging.

[Erin]

To add to the discussion - I work in a psych ward - there are a lot of neurotic/bipolar/depressed/substance abusing "unhappy" individuals who are NOT creative/artistic/geniuses.

[Kate]

The tortured artist and cynical hipster are two popular "anti-happiness" models in our society. Im sure they are more - but those spring to mind. You mention it yourself in the happiness myth - it's not "cool" to be happy...but I think we are moving away from that.

I used to be your typical angsty poet, cynical & sarcastic all the time. Now I challenge friends who are still stuck in that mindset not to take the easy way out by hiding behind cynicism, but to truly express positive emotions instead. It is much easier to be the angry artist throwing stones than the artist who would pick up the stones and create change in the world.

[Janet M. Patterson RN]

I think there's a difference between being what Linda Bloom calls a "Bliss Ninny"- someone who lives wrapped in cotton wool, "stupid and annoying", and someone who is genuinely enjoying their life even if it means exploring deep uncomfortable feelings.

Happiness is best had in the pursuit, in my experience. What I achieve when my pursuit is successful is joy.

[Carol Harnett]

The most eloquent presentation of this very topic on artists and unhappiness and the topic of genius was given by the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, at TED2009 in Long Beach, CA in February. Ms. Gilbert gave a captivating performance built around history and thoughtful perspectives and had those of us in the audience on the edges of our seats.

If you are familiar with TED but missed this videocast, make certain to watch it. If you are unfamiliar with TED, watch this video but be prepared to become addicted to TED.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

[Abigail]

It is a saying in my country that a person can only know great happiness if he or she has experienced great sadness...

So I think that when artists either being happy or unhappy is in some sort of paradox...wherein they are always in the middle of happiness and sadness...Someone told me that this is the state of enlightenment...that particular point wherein art is inspired...

[LaRene Ellis]

Happiness or sadness is a choice. I've been on both sides of the street. Lately, I've been brought to my knees going through chemo for breast cancer. I chose happiness during my ordeal. On an unconscious level, we all make the choices to be happy or sad.
If you don't like where we are, the question is: Do we have the courage to start all over again?

To begin again is worth it.

[Frode H]

I have a theory. Dumb people is dumb because they know little. If you know little you do not know how much you don't know. The smarter you are, the more knowledge you have, and the more you know, the more you understand how little you actually know. And that can be depressing. :)

[Deborah]

For me, personally, being the "artistic, creative type" has both contributed to AND taken away from my happiness. During the years I had to work "for the money," I worked in the IT industry, writing computer programs, debugging system issues, etc. In programming every line of code has to be written exactly right or it won't work. I had to squash my creativity, and my desire to do something new and different, so thoroughly that after 12 years I barely recognized myself and was sliding quickly toward total depression. I quit cubicle-world hell 18 months ago and started my own little business designing digital scrapbooks and products and am "getting myself back" slowly, each day. It's so fun to see myself again! I just want to hug me!

Of course, in this economy, no one is buying and so I'm poor as can be. Still...I do what I want with each day. I'm content with less. All because I can indulge my own creative desires . . . or not, as I see fit. So now being creative DOES add to my happiness, whereas, for many years, it acted to take it away.

[Ceneca Bettencourt]

I feel many who are artistic tend to be more unhappy easier than those who are not. I say this because if an artistic mind is unable to produce in a way to let out the flow of creative thinking the mind gets frustrated and/or depressed. I am currently experiencing a time in which I am unable to use my creativity in helping others and/or to share it with the world so I am slowly leaning to a more depressed state of mind.
Also with myself being a poet, my mind has almost always been on an unstable turf between happiness and complete saddness.

[stephen phillips]

creating art makes you happy, being of a creative mind may not

[Rachel Blum]

Creating Art requires the urge to create something. Happiness often leads to contentment though, taking away the urgency to start creating.

I'm not saying it is impossible to create art when you are happy - just that it is harder to actually get yourself working on it. After all, if life is good right now, why change it?

[BTracey]

Most of us possess a mix of contradicting tendencies that would make it impossible to flatly declare that we are once-and-for-all either happy or unhappy. I think artists get pinned with the unhappiness label so often because they learn to embrace and express a wide array of human experiences including sadness, anger, depression and the other emotional states that we otherwise seem to avoid as a culture.

Our cultural preference to always stay on the lighter side can frustrate others who are trying to be more authentic and that, I think, is why some people's perpetual happiness (or refusal to acknowledge the dark side in themselves) can ring untrue and come across as annoying.

On the other hand, I think artists can often erroneously reject happy emotional states because they think happiness makes them less serious or less intellectual. Like many others who have posted, I am an artist who gets more accomplished when I am feeling good and it was a great day when I discovered that it was okay to experience happiness.

[Stephanie Brooks]

Gretchen, I'm an artist and art teacher and everyday I observe my students abilities to create or not. I think you should read this newsletter I received today about distractions in the brain. It hit the nail on the head and might be a great source for your research. SBrooks
http://home.ezezine.com/344_2/344_2-2009.05.15.12.47.archive.html

[Carolyn]

The commenter who mentioned "The Highly Sensitive Person" had a good point. I am an artist and this very much applies to me. I think that in order to be a sucessful artist, one must be perceptive and observant. These types of people tend to think a lot and "live inside their heads" more than most people I believe. It is very easy for a person with this type of personality (more introverted) to become depressed or anxious if they start thinking about themselves too much, or just become overwhelmed with their surroundings/circumstances.

I also notice that I am more productive when depressed, not a deep debilitating depression, but a slight melancholy feeling. Oddly enough, these times have been when I've created some of my most "beautiful" pieces (florals, butterflies, etc.)

[Caro Bown]

Artists are both more happy and more unhappy as they are more sensitive to their surroundings and therefore more affected by the outside world which is crammed full of joyful events and terrible tragedy. So if you are one or live with or close friends with one, be aware that their emotions are a reflection of the experiences and influences around them - that's what makes them so special

[Katelin]

For me personally as an artist, I wouldn't say that we are more melancholy than unartistic people. I think our responses to emotions in general are more intense.

[Adam]

Happiness is indeed in need of a greater consideration by the general public. I have noticed over the years traveling to remote parts of the world that one would consider to be 3 world. Believe it or not, a lot of these people are generally more kind and considerate with generally a happier disposition than the average person who has many of the modern cons of the 21st century.

I have found my greatest joy in being about to bring wellness back to people who are battling with very treatable sickness. God bless Jim Humble and MMS.

[Adam]

Happiness is indeed in need of a greater consideration by the general public. I have noticed over the years traveling to remote parts of the world that one would consider to be 3 world. Believe it or not, a lot of these people are generally more kind and considerate with generally a happier disposition than the average person who has many of the modern cons of the 21st century.

I have found my greatest joy in being about to bring wellness back to people who are battling with very treatable sickness. God bless Jim Humble and MMS.

[Jen]

I'm weighing in on this kind of late, but what I don't see reflected in the comments is the issue of perfectionism.

Speaking as a musician, the pursuit of classical music is largely about constantly striving for perfection -- and if not perfection, then at least better than you did it last time. You can enjoy a performance and still know that there was something you could have done better.

For me, at least, that constant "could have done/should be doing more" mentality was ingrained in me in music school and bleeds into other areas of my life, perhaps making it hard to truly let go and just enjoy.

[David Hance]

I can only speak for myself as an artist I use whatever media seems appropriate to bring a new point of view to a subject for the viewer, but also as a way of working through my own demons. When creating art is your passion you also realize it is very difficult to finance a lifestyle with many creature comforts. People may appreciate your work, but without any commercial benefits, it's difficult to believe that your work is valued. Creative compulsion can hit at any given time, ofter interrupting sleep, schedules, life in general, but the art must be made. The whole process can be disruptive to life around you and that can create a kind of unbalanced life - feeding feelings that could be seen as unhappiness. As an artist you see the world differently. The process of trying to release feelings though art is often not easy or comfortable. The next time you see an artist's work that you connect with, buy it - support them - encourage their happiness by helping them know their expressions are appreciated and valued. You may just increase your own happiness and make a good investment as a pure bonus!

[melanie]

These posts have been so thoughtful and well-spoken I can't help but be impressed. Thanks for not posting all the trite answers that those of us who tend toward unhappiness (and fight against it) hear all the time. I wish I could invite you all over for a dinner party. Great discussion!

[Greg Allen]

Everyone alive is an artist.

Everyone alive has the same ability to choose the perspective from which they view the world.

Alice the Canine Messiah refers to it as Response Ability - it's one of the gifts of humanity, the ability to choose how we will respond to what we perceive around us.

Happiness is a choice. It's only magic because we are all magicians, capable of transforming our world via Intentional Dreaming.

Best of Now, always,

Greg Allen

[Greg Allen]

It should also be noted that there is a huge difference between Art, and the Business of Art.

The Business of Art makes everything a competition, and brings in Judgment and Classification and the like, which have absolutely ZERO to do with Art.

The Business of Music, for example, seems to be hurting these days. Music is alive and well and always will be...

[Cindy L]

What a fantastic question. I think art compels us to look at the world, ourselves, and others, with more depth and courage. And when you are willing to dig that deeply into the heart of a topic or a creative project, sometimes you're going to uncover something disturbing or painful. Then again, you could be an artist (or writer) who chooses to mine for simple pleasure in the mud of daily living.

I'm a writer with a lot of friends who are not artists or writers, and they don't wish to dig so deeply. They admire what they call "creative people," but admittedly prefer to live suburban sitcom lives, spending their days shopping, eating, golfing, jogging, working their jobs, raising their families, and seeking to avoid pain and chaos. They don't want "deep" -- not even in the novels they take to the beach.

Are they genuinely happier? Really, I dunno ... But I have to say, they don't seem nearly as neurotic, worried, or depressed as my artist-writer friends.

[Greg Allen]

"People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

- Abraham Lincoln

[li]

i find that i too am happiest when engaged in the creative moment, and although i love my work, it seems that i stare at it so much that i lose objectivity. then, any comments i might receive about it either confirm my fears that its not expressing what i intend, and/or that it isn't somehow good enough. i love doing it, its the commentary that i would like, somehow, to be able to live without. what a paradox.

[Moonchild]

This is a fascinating subject. As an artist I've always wondered why I am so moody, negative and sensitive. This blog has been a great resource for me as I am constantly reminding myself to be positive. It is uphill battle because for whatever reason I'm just wired to be negative. I'm also sensitive to everyone else's moods and problems. I have to stop myself from painting pictures in my mind of great catastrophes and insurmountable obstacles whenever the littlest thing happens. When it comes to art I find that the more positive and stable my life is the more inspiration comes for graphic design. I mostly use painting for therapy. I feel that the colors and the feel of the paint on the canvas actually relaxes me like nothing else. As for happiness, I'm still on a quest, I wrestle with demons everyday. I'm learning that it is the journey you have to be content with. There is no great one thing that will make you achieve happiness. If it was I would already be totally happy. Also being a 9-5 worker really gets to me. I wish I could do something different every single day. Go different places, see different people and accomplish bigger projects. I guess maybe that is where my journey will take me.

[Renee]

Wow....I don't even know where to start after reading your article. I have, for a long time, tried to understand myself, with great difficulty. I have such deep thoughts, strange thinking, I feel as though I am a perplex person even though others seem to understand me or know me and think I am a sweet person. That is hard for me to hear. I am one that it is hard for me to hear compliments. I view myself as negative a lot of the time and when I ask others, they say not you aren't...
I am not a fine artists but just as a decorative faux painter, when I am the wall or creating a finish for a client it is like I am oblivious to anything around me and I would rather be alone when doing this. Being a farm girl all my life, it is so strange because I am so drawn to the contemporary art.
Era's comment about intense sadness, I so understand that, and it has totally effected me more so since the lose of my dad.
But I am the happiest when I am creating. I find that hard to understand.

[Pam Belding]

Love the post! I found my art while I was going through a really difficult period of my life. I used it to help center me and give me an opportunity to focus on the beautiful, even though I wasn't feeling beautiful at the time. Making my art really helped pull me through that rough patch. Just the process of focusing on something good allowed me to see that I am my biggest help. My art represents the "pink things" in life; the reminders that life is beautiful and worth living. I've written about it here http://burlapnbeads.com/2009/08/15/my-philosophy-of-pink/.
Thanks for being one of the bright spots in my day! You ROCK GRETCHEN!!!