Wrinkle Creative | By Mallory Patterson
Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton are believed to have been on the autism spectrum. Stephen Fry has bipolar disorder. Howard Hughes struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder. When celebrities go public with mental health issues, it becomes easier to see that these issues can and do affect anyone - and are probably more prevalent than you realize.
Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton are believed to have been on the autism spectrum. Stephen Fry has bipolar disorder. Howard Hughes struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder. When celebrities go public with mental health issues, it becomes easier to see that these issues can and do affect anyone - and are probably more prevalent than you realize.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, each year about 6.7% of U.S adults experience major depressive disorder, while anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults (about 18%), causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. People you know could be experiencing distress and, like with these celebrities, you may not even be aware.
(If you or someone you know is experiencing depression, resources can be found here)
Sharing personal struggles opens the door for others to do the same. Check out this video for example:
(If you or someone you know is experiencing depression, resources can be found here)
Sharing personal struggles opens the door for others to do the same. Check out this video for example:
The headlines have been buzzing about this rising star, but let me tell you how much I love Anna Clendening, who is recognized for following her passions despite having an anxiety disorder. I found her on Vine when #songsforAnna was everywhere and thought, "Who's Anna?" It turns out she is an amazingly talented singer (and I'd argue comedian) who is becoming wildly popular after her appearance on this year's show of 'America's Got Talent'.
Now I don't watch much T.V., but I appreciated Anna's talent when she was first doing original pieces, covers and collaborations on Vine. It wasn't so much her amazing voice that drew me in, but rather her encouraging messages and openness about struggling with mental health. Anna shared her journey with the world, six seconds at time, unafraid of what people might think.
Now I don't watch much T.V., but I appreciated Anna's talent when she was first doing original pieces, covers and collaborations on Vine. It wasn't so much her amazing voice that drew me in, but rather her encouraging messages and openness about struggling with mental health. Anna shared her journey with the world, six seconds at time, unafraid of what people might think.
Anna used art to overcome crippling anxiety. She used song to uplift others and to express herself. I LOVE THIS. Now, I'm not advocating that art is the answer to dealing with ones mental health, but I do recognize it's value in expression - which is an important part of the process. Take the organization Artists Creating Together as an example. ACT, as it is known, brings students with disabilities together with artists and art projects to break down many of the emotional and psychological barriers that hold students back by building self-confidence and personal satisfaction.
Self-expression is a beautiful and terrifying thing. On the one hand, sharing yourself with the world can be a freeing experience. To take everything inside of you - thoughts, fears, inspiration, confusion, love, pain, everything - and creatively share it out loud is often a very liberating thing. Even without sharing it, artistic expression makes tangible the abstract and complicated selves we too often keep sheltered and hidden.
Conversely, making yourself and your work public makes you vulnerable to the opinions of others. Even with the highest of confidence, people can be affected by the ability of others to see inside of them. An artist's work is often a reflection of themselves in one way or another. What a photographer chooses to capture in a frame says a lot about their interests and perspectives. A singer often pulls from experience when they put pen to paper to make music. In a world of technology and trolls, putting yourself out there isn't always easy.
Although I can't imagine what Anna and the millions of other's go through, I myself feel a touch of anxiety when I create media here at Wrinkle. For the documentaries we've made, we work on them for months often doing nothing else but that and then we show it to a TV station, or to an audience, or submit it to be judged for awards - and I have to be honest in saying that it never gets easier. The butterflies never fly away - and every time I still think about whether it's good enough to be shown at all. There has even been a time when I was almost too wrapped up in my doubts to go ahead and put it out there (luckily I've got a great, supportive team here).
That's why I have to give it up to Anna and all those out there who overcome their challenges to bear themselves to the world. There's a comfort in the humanness they ultimately bring sharing talent and story in unfettered ways. I hope others can find this strength and are moved to create as well. In the words of my great friend, Adam Burl:
Self-expression is a beautiful and terrifying thing. On the one hand, sharing yourself with the world can be a freeing experience. To take everything inside of you - thoughts, fears, inspiration, confusion, love, pain, everything - and creatively share it out loud is often a very liberating thing. Even without sharing it, artistic expression makes tangible the abstract and complicated selves we too often keep sheltered and hidden.
Conversely, making yourself and your work public makes you vulnerable to the opinions of others. Even with the highest of confidence, people can be affected by the ability of others to see inside of them. An artist's work is often a reflection of themselves in one way or another. What a photographer chooses to capture in a frame says a lot about their interests and perspectives. A singer often pulls from experience when they put pen to paper to make music. In a world of technology and trolls, putting yourself out there isn't always easy.
Although I can't imagine what Anna and the millions of other's go through, I myself feel a touch of anxiety when I create media here at Wrinkle. For the documentaries we've made, we work on them for months often doing nothing else but that and then we show it to a TV station, or to an audience, or submit it to be judged for awards - and I have to be honest in saying that it never gets easier. The butterflies never fly away - and every time I still think about whether it's good enough to be shown at all. There has even been a time when I was almost too wrapped up in my doubts to go ahead and put it out there (luckily I've got a great, supportive team here).
That's why I have to give it up to Anna and all those out there who overcome their challenges to bear themselves to the world. There's a comfort in the humanness they ultimately bring sharing talent and story in unfettered ways. I hope others can find this strength and are moved to create as well. In the words of my great friend, Adam Burl:
"I'm afraid of a lot of things, I just overcome them on a daily basis."
We all have something on the inside that's yearning for the sunlight. Let the world in. You might be surprised by who you touch and the mark you leave on this world.
~Mallory
~Mallory
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