Eric Maisel, PhD, is author of The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person’s Path Through Depression. In our recent interview, he addresses some of the meaning and mood issues facing creators.
Q: The kinds of anxiety we call stage fright, or fear of the blank canvas (or blank page) — can these be related to meaning [...]

“In the same spirit as those earlier collectors filling their cabinets of curiosities, I feel compelled to collect quite a variety of things. I draw artistic inspiration from the treasures I find at the flea market.”
That is painter Mark Ryden - and his studio is a rich collection of objects that inspire his creative imagination. [...]

Coach and author Suzanne Falter-Barns notes that “Not all of us are blessed with families of origin that really honor our unique creative gifts… some are even downright hostile about them.
“We may love these folks in a visceral way, even when they kick sand on their dreams, and if that’s the case, we need support. [...]

In a new LA Times article ["PJ Harvey emerges from the musical laboratory," By Natalie Nichols, Los Angeles Times, October 26, 2007], the musician talks about staying vital and creative.
“I think of myself more as an explorer than as a maker of pop music,” PJ Harvey, 38, said while she was in town last week [...]

“I hope I’m becoming more eccentric. More room in the brain.”
That quote by musician Tom Waits [from Eccentricity page 2] is a witty reminder of one of the values of non-conforming.
Author, artist, and psychotherapist Natalie Rogers, Ph.D. talks about the need for being eccentric “In these times where conformity is being thrust upon us by [...]

“We found that creativity is positively associated with joy and love and negatively associated with anger, fear, and anxiety….”
That is one of the conclusions of a study by Teresa M. Amabile at the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School - reported in the article : The 6 Myths Of Creativity - by Bill Breen, [...]

“Artists need to be outsiders in order to really view what’s going on. That little bit of detachment has been great for me… As artists, we have to be brave. If we aren’t brave, we aren’t artists.” Writer, Producer, Director Paul Haggis [imdb.com]

Haggis is speaking from the perspective of a creatively accomplished adult. [His films [...]

Before acting, Terrence Howard studied chemical engineering at Pratt University, and is working on an album of his “urban country” music for a Fall 2007 release.
His perspectives are from a Bullz-Eye Interview by Jason Zingale (2005).
We have to remember.. that we’re all artists. Every one of us is an artist, and as an artist, you [...]