#0063 Creatives Are Crazy: True or False?

The cliché of mad geniuses

Vincent van Gogh. Virginia Woolf. James Baldwin. Judy Garland. An artist, two authors, and an actor. All now highly revered in their fields. And four examples of creatives who struggled with their mental health.

Does that mean the “best” creatives are “crazy”? Should we try to follow in their footsteps, traversing the thin line between greatness and madness? Or can we be boringly stable yet still dive deeply into the voices in our head, the demons among us, the traumas of our past, the alternate realms of reality? Also, what the heck does any of this have to do with embracing rejection as we strive to stack up those 100 Rejections?! Hmmm…

Stare into the eyes of the Tortured Artist. (Source: Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash.)

As the poster boy of the Tortured Artist,¹ Vincent van Gogh (1852–1890) suffered for his art. We all know he lived with mental illness in poverty and without recognition, cut off his own ear, and killed himself. That single-sentence bio? Contains one truth and two lies. Sorta. 

Look at what came up when I searched for the feminist icon! (Source: Photo by k on Unsplash.)

Known as one of the most innovative writers of the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) used interior monologues, fractured narratives, and stream-of-consciousness techniques in her novels.² She also wrote essays and biographies as well as diaries and letters. All while enduring multiple bouts of depression leading to several suicide attempts. When she ultimately succeeded, her suicide letter included a protest against World War II. Or did it?

Next time: More about Vincent & Virginia

1. When you search “tortured artist,” van Gogh is featured (along with Beethoven) on Wikipedia.

2. The Brooklyn Museum snuck in a good biography of Virginia Woolf as part of a feature on Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party exhibition.