Artists and depression - seeking advice

HorseFilms said:
I can't begin to tell you what will work for you. This works for me, though. I shoot something. Anything. I've shot a lot of s**t that nobody will ever see. Just doing something makes me feel like I've accomplished something.I can't say it will help you, but it works for me.:beer:
Click to expand...
It is funny that you say that... I feel the same way! If I spend too much time between shooting , I feel the creativity and life draining out of me. After shooting something I feel much happier and positive... even if I never use what I shot.
 
First, rule out possible physiological causes of depression; have your thyroid and testesterone levels checked; as hypothyroidism and hypogonadism directly cause depression.
Learn about neurotransmitters and how they affect mood. As a general rule, you sohuld have all your hormones checked.(plus the full blood test of course)
There are natural &healthy alternatives to antidepressants to enhance mood.
Vitamin b deficieny(combined with other vitamin& mineral & essential fats deficiencies) may cause mental diseases. Google is your friend.
 
I agree, have your thyroid checked. I had insomnia and fatigue but not depression when my thyroid went ka-put.

@Sad - I didn't say be with "happy" people. I said be with energized people. I played with some solemn people on a co-ed softball team but once we all got together, it was great. Funny thing, I was asked to play for some fundraiser and it was for narcotics anonymous. I was the only one of a few on my team that did not have to go to a AA meeting in between games. More power to 'em. They were out there!
 
Last edited:
Sad Max said:
For some people pharmaceuticals can be very effective. For some they're downright destructive...
Click to expand...
Well...? Which one is it? You glib or something??

tcruise4.jpg
 
I've seen plenty of friends and colleagues go through periods of depression and also bipolar. It's seems all too common in the creative community. As others have said, avoid staying inside all the time and just get out, experience life. I feel we place too much burden on ourselves to create all the time and many of us need to recognize we aren't creative robots of manufacturing. When the juices are flowing, then create, get to work, when the juices aren't there, then have activities that are as far from the creative norm as possible to pull one's heads away from the pressure we place on ourselves to always create. This year I've found such a peace from fishing, spending more time with friends doing no creative stuff (photo or video).

Also, Steven Pressfield's book The War of Art is always a good kick in the butt we all need sometimes, like a coach telling you to get off the couch and do something regularly. He speaks about Resistance which he describes as the singular term to represent any and all things which prevent us from just doing. He also has a new Kindle book for free along the same lines of doing work. His books are quick reads and good to revisit annually or more frequently if needed.
 
Lol GOD I love this place. For the creativity, the potshots, the humor and drive by one liners.

I did see a medical dr and had all my stats checked. Everything normal.

@VGurcu: Yes, I learned a lot about my physiology and health, which is how I came to my healthy eating / exercise routine. B vitamin supplements, Magnesium taurate, and multi vitamins daily.

@Charli - thanks for your suggestion to PLAY with OTHER people. I've tended towards solitary exercise (swimming, running, lifting), and only last year discovered that I LOVE to play tennis, though I suck at it. I've been dilly dallying around joining a tennis league to find others who suck just like me so I can play against them. Are there any tennis players here who live in SF that suck?

@photonashville: Thanks for reminding me about this book. I read it a few years ago and lent it to a friend and totally forgot about it. I need to get this book back. I remember it saying that practicing art should be conducted regularly regardless of how you feel.

I used to shoot hours and hours and hours of crap when I was younger and swore to stop shooting crap. Maybe that was a mistake. I think I'll start carrying a dslr with me from now on.

Since others here are advising me to just go out and start shooting, I think I'm gonna do it! I could use the target practice. ... .. .

Thanks everyone. This is such an incredible community of which I'm humbled to be a part of.

Gratefully,

Dillon
 
Dillon, there are tennis player world-wide that suck. Also consider squash and racket ball. It's easier to pick-up a game of racket ball then tennis. Look on Craig's list under activities and even advertise that you want to play tennis with someone. Get yourself out there. It won't take away the depression, but it will refresh the soul.
 
Hiya.

Them professionals diagnosed me with Bi-Polar depro and PTSD after a traumatic car accident which triggered my genetic disposition to severe depression (My mother and her brother both committed suicide).

I spent three years after that in a fog of anti-psychotics, anti-depressants and monotone psychologists and psychiatrists.

None of it worked. The drugs just numb you and if they work, they simply buy you time to come up with an answer.

I found something "out of the box" that really works for me - maybe you can try it. I'm firing on all 18 Cylinders and handling multiple projects simultaneously without any severe lows or 'episodes'. :D

I dunno if you have heard of Neurogenesis? (Google the heck out of it and become an expert - it's friggin awesome!)

Basically, the only place we can still crank out new brain cells is in the hippowatsis through memory and learning.

The short short version:
To keep your neural pathways firing nicely and to keep all sorts of chemicals pumping around in your brain you have to consistently learn new things and then remember them for the purpose of teaching them to someone else.

The sense of purpose (expressing your leaned knowledge creatively) serves as the motivator and the new stuff you consistently learn serves as the healing agent for your depro coconut.

What to learn? Anything that interests you - From toys to software to games to movies to whateverthehellyoulike. Play more PC games, Read more books, watch more movies and try to average about 6 hours of sleep (I sleep from 12-6 every night).
Don't believe that crap about exercise, if you are not naturally athletic it will just make you tired (one walk a day is enough for anyone) - Diet is 90% of the physical feel good fight!
Exercise is cool if it is a passion but if not, it can be a contributing factor toward low energy and frustration for those who are not mesomorphs.


Anyhoo, I'm tired of typing and Deus Ex: Human Revolution is calling me (OMG what a game!).
PM me if you want more info, these forums scare me.
 
Wilbur - I think you mean the hippocampus (from the Greek, for "horses go camping").

There's also significant neurogenesis in the lateral ventricles of the brain, but to a lesser degree it happens throughout the cortex and neocortex.
 
Sad Max said:
Wilbur - I think you mean the hippocampus (from the Greek, for "horses go camping").

There's also significant neurogenesis in the lateral ventricles of the brain, but to a lesser degree it happens throughout the cortex and neocortex.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what I said, the Hippocampottamus.

:D
 
Jordan Scott Price said:
I echo this whole-heartedly and with every ounce of my being, speaking from experience.
Click to expand...

me too! - better than this "go dancing with the flowers and meet nice people bullshit"

"I suffer from depression" is almost becoming popular - it denigrates the serious nature of the illness when every patient that visits a doctor is diagnosed with the condition and given pills.

from reading the posts I can see that some people have really been 'bitten' by the black dog and others don't really have a clue - "it's just a phase, get off your arse and do something, you'll be fine"

I apologise if the bitterness of real experience is showing through. Medication works for me - if this condition is real and it is chemical then it can only be cured/maintained/subdued by chemicals. not that we have to ingest them, I think the learning idea has huge merit.
 
tired said:
me too! - better than this "go dancing with the flowers and meet nice people bullshit"

"I suffer from depression" is almost becoming popular - it denigrates the serious nature of the illness when every patient that visits a doctor is diagnosed with the condition and given pills.

from reading the posts I can see that some people have really been 'bitten' by the black dog and others don't really have a clue - "it's just a phase, get off your arse and do something, you'll be fine"

I apologise if the bitterness of real experience is showing through. Medication works for me - if this condition is real and it is chemical then it can only be cured/maintained/subdued by chemicals. not that we have to ingest them, I think the learning idea has huge merit.
Click to expand...

Very true and fair...but...the original poster asked for alternate methods for dealing with depression and not medication.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top