Some thoughts about mental health in the creative industries
A graphic of a heart with a pulse monitor line running through it.
Young artist Jake Gaule reflects on mental health and creativity, and shares what he has learnt from his experience so far.
Working in a creative role can be really tough on your mental and physical health. We often have to take side gigs, or work day jobs to pay the bills. Applying for funding can feel like pouring your soul into a blackhole only to be told that you didn’t get the funding and that so many people applied that you’re not going to get any feedback.
There’s often an expectation of unpaid overtime and gratefulness for the opportunity rather than acknowledgement that what you’re doing is (often highly skilled) work and that you deserve not only respect for it, but also to be compensated fairly and treated well as a worker.
So, before descending into bleak existential angst and abandoning all hope of “making it”, here are some of my thoughts and tips on how to keep your mental health in order and stay positive whilst carving out a creative career.
Remember there is no meritocracy.
Now I’m not saying that there’s no value in hard work, or that folks don’t get anywhere by trying their best and being persistent, but I think it’s important to remember (at least for me) that some of us have advantages that others don’t. For example, I’m a sound designer and composer, a craft that is dominated by (mostly) white, cisgender men. When I talk to other folks about my craft, I’m privileged because, as a cisgender white man, most people tend to assume that I know what I’m talking about and treat me accordingly.
So, the point I’m trying to make here is: if you didn’t get a gig, it might not be because you weren’t good enough. There are lots of factors that go into decision making, which could include things like unconscious bias, known candidates—or just the volume of applications and the time of day you sent yours in.
It’s definitely helped me to remember that the opportunities extended to me are not always a fair and accurate representation of my skills and that failure is not necessarily my fault. And if you do have privileges that others don’t, use them! If you get an opportunity, share it, bring others with you,send the ladder back down.
Companies are not your friends.
I pinched this line from Adam Croft’s book “Quit Aspiring” which I would highly recommend to any aspiring sound folks out there. Whilst I’m generally not a fan of self-help books as I find they can often suggest that all we need is a positive mindset in order to succeed (which I don’t agree with for reasons pointed out above!) this particular point struck home with me.
It’s reasonable to say that most of us want to work in a team or company that supports and nurtures us, and ideally, pays us well and allows us to maintain a good work/life balance. However, sometimes you might take a gig where, even if you really like everybody on the team, something about the culture or working style just doesn’t chime with you. In my opinion, it’s usually best to get out of this situation if you can, even if it seems like a bad career move.
Even when everyone who works somewhere is lovely on an individual level, there can sometimes be structures, power dynamics or workplace cultures that affect our mental health negatively. Remember: your mental health is always more important than a job and there will always be another opportunity.
Reaching out to people you admire can be very comforting.
Over the last couple of months, I have started emailing and direct messaging people whose work I admire, to say hi and ask for guidance. I have been pretty overwhelmed by the fact that the majority of people I have reached out to have been extremely kind, supportive and very often up for meeting for a coffee or a beer to talk shop (albeit virtually right now). I’ve found this to be a really helpful way of reminding myself that even people who are really at the top of their game are just people and they started somewhere just like the rest of us. In my experience, getting in touch with someone to say that you think their work is awesome and you’d like to chat to them about it is almost always met with a positive response.
It’s ok to take a break.
Yep, this is trite, but it’s also true! Sometimes, it can feel like we need to learn all of the skills and do all of the projects in order to get ahead. This can be super overwhelming and lead to us taking on too much, burning out or just generally having poor mental health. So, with this in mind I think it’s good to remind ourselves that it’s normal and healthy to take a break!
How you go about this is totally down to your personality type and lifestyle. I personally like to plan things out in advance as this helps me feel calm and in control of my creative goals, and my life in general. If you’re like me then I’d totally recommend giving some form ofbullet journalinga go, it’s really helped me out! If you’re not a planner, that’s totally cool too, the point is to find a method that allows you to take breaks and feel good about it, rather than beating yourself up for it.
So, the tl;dr here is that it’s ok to not be in love with creative work all the time, because it’s still work! If you reach out to people for help, they will probably surprise you by being nice, and if you fail at something, it might not be entirely your fault and might be a necessary (and helpful) part of the journey!
About the author
Jake Gaule is a sound designer, composer & field recordist working out of The Island in Bristol.
"I have worked on short films, TV, podcasts and games and spent the majority of last year working at Doghouse Post-Production in Clifton. I’m driven by the notion of sound as a vehicle for creative and emotional storytelling across all genres, both fiction and non-fiction."