The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person's Path Through Depression

With so many books being published about creativity, it may be repetitive to read about the same old reflections and the same suggestions to nurture your abilities. Eric Maisel has found a refreshing way to address creative people's issues. With the Van Gogh Blues, he presents his approach to deal with the anxiety and depression creative persons tend to feel at different points in their lives. While he doesn't shun the medical take on depression, he brings an existential understanding of the situation. This view expresses that a creator that repeatedly makes meaning, hold on to that meaning in his life (life's work meaning and meaningful day-to-day life)will have a better chance of dealing with an inclination to depression. Eric Maisel covers the field as to how meaning can be created using other's artists biographies, emails from contemporary creators and his experience as a creativity coach (which might be the coolest job in the world, I think). The book's question could be: As creatives, how can we create meaning in life? This way, the books appeals to more than only the depressed artists. To top it off, the author writes in a clear but not-dumbed-down way, ideal to the sophisticated, intellectual reader who appreciates good writing. Even for a person who constantly reads on creativity and life purpose, I found this book brings new ideas and a fresh take on what assails the creative person.

The Van Gogh Blues by Eric Maisel is profoundly insightful and written in a style that offers respectful gentle support along with practical, hands-on instructions for handling the blues along with a good mix of supporting data for those who want to learn more. It's a gentle, wise resource that should be at the top of the list of resources to share with anyone who gets depressed, at any level, whether they call themselves creative or not. Any thinking person can get depressed and the help in this book can be used by everyone.

Acclaimed singer Alanis Morissette, promoting her album Jagged Little Pill in 1995, reported feeling a "dissonance in the midst of all the external success.. I was expected to be overjoyed by it, and at the same time I was disillusioned by it." This kind of "crisis of meaning" - which many highly talented and creative people experience - is addressed in the book as a key element in depression. Psychotherapist and creativity coach Eric Maisel acknowledges that medication or biological treatment, as well as therapy may help in alleviating depression, but he emphasizes that "Creators have trouble maintaining meaning... Not creating is depressing." In addition to a number of perspectives and insights by artists, the book provides information and cognitive behavioral strategies from a variety of psychologists and creativity coaches to help deal with meaning crises that can erode creative expression and mental health.

I'm so ready to make it happen -- this is the feeling I had after reading "The Van Gogh Blues"Your job as an artist is to live in a way that makes you proud of yourself. Tell the universe where you stand, then take action....Of course, there are so many other roadbumps, & Eric Maisel deals with them all -- the facts of existence, our ego & narcissism, our anxieties, our relationships -- and sorts them out.You'll get depressed, because you've opted to matter. Read this book thoroughly & understand that you need to restore meaning each time it takes a blow. Creative troubles may be complicated, but the solutions here are simple. This one's a true treasure!!

I really appreciated Maisel's effort to make sense of the depression that lots of creative people experience--maybe all creative people. Rather than look at creativity and depression through the lens of psychology or biology, Maisel looks at it through the lens of meaning, an approach I really appreciated. This book was a real help to me and I think it would be a help to many others.