Why are Artist so Emotional?

"Why are artist so emotional" 

This phrase will show up when you type into Google, "why are artist..."

While this phrase does hold some truth for a lot of artist, it is not completely true.

I, myself, may seem like I am 'so emotional', but that is not what it is.

I don't like to be called this and for sure don't want to be labeled as such. 

I have a mental illness. I am not overly dramatic/ super emotional/ crazy. I am very open about my personal demons, and I have been called these things by people who either have never gone through any of these things or they have only had a mild form of depression and anxiety.

I don't have a problem. I am not broken. And I am NOT crazy.

I feel that we shouldn't label all artist as these things. I have met artist of a wide spectrum and know of very famous artist who are very cocky and outgoing. The opposite of what society feels an artist is "supposed to be".

I am sure that a lot of artist are fighting a personal demon or two. Whether it is severe or mild. Maybe they use creativity as an outlet.

But that is all part of being human. If you talk to a military veteran, they are some of the most heartbroken people. But not all of them are artist. These sufferers have seen terror you and I could not even imagine. Surrounded daily by fear, terror, loss, tragedy, and destruction. Yet do we say "why are all veterans so emotional/crazy/dramatic." Heck no!

Veterans can't even freely talk about their pain for fear as being viewed as weak. They have the highest suicide rates in the nation. Have the most violent and horrible ptsd outbreaks and no one is talking about it or even trying to help. The Government does the minimum for mental health for the people who go to war for them. And the only people who seem to understand is people who get mental illness or people who are veterans themselves.

Their are a huge amount of organizations either started by veterans or their families and by people who understand.

So as an artist myself, am I emotional? No. I am a survivor. I have struggled with anxiety and depression so severe that I can't sleep at night. I have been in psychiatric hospitals. Lost my family and lost everything I've worked towards. Should I be validated for my hardships? Of course! I want people to understand what it is like to have a panic attack or to wake up at 3 am after two hours of sleep. I need someone to tell me every once in a while that having mental illnesses is okay. That taking medication does not make me weak or crazy. 

I know that I am strong. I have survived what most people go through in their 50s and 60s. I went through losing my family, my father dying in an horrible accident, losing my home, job, and quitting school all in a course of 3 years. 

I am strong to not have broken down by now. Not weak, emotional, or crazy.

Do I have bad days? Absolutely. Am I an artist? Yes. Does the mental illnesses make me the artist? NO.

This goes the same for everyone! A military veteran should be able to talk about their loss or things that wake them up at night. 

I hope that one day mental illness can be talked about freely without predjudice. That it won't be made fun of or spoken about lightly.

"Oh man, I have a crazy test coming up. I'm freaking out. I have severe anxiety about it"

"Jeez, she's so wishy washy. So bipolar"

"Josh didn't ask me to the dance. I'm so depressed"

Semicolon Project

If you would like to learn on how you can help veterans with mental illness. Here are a few organizations you should look into.

Soldier's Project

Real Warriors

Wounded Warrior

I will try to post every Wednesday

Comment below your personal struggles or demons. Or a family member yourself that has disabilities or is a veteran.