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The Mind of a Creative Genius
Words Annabel Gold
Ovidiu Hrubaru; ShutterstockPressure, peace and performance are three key pillars you’ll need to understand and control if you really want to master your mind. Annabel Gold, Mind, Health and Wellbeing Coach reveal the secrets that will enable you to excel as a creative.
During the peak of COVID-19 and lockdowns, we saw what we wore change. There was no need to buy clothes for going out and there was more of a need for more loungewear. Social media has helped many people to make the most out of dressing up to go nowhere. Many social media challenges and TikTok have helped us to still express ourselves in appearance. The current times have highlighted that the most common and necessary thing to wear is a face mask. There now has to be an adjustment to the ‘new normal’ or better yet, it’s an opportunity for designers to get innovative and create the ‘new normal’ through fashion. How are fashion designers handling the pressure especially in this season of post COVID-19? Furthermore, how do fashion designers stop, restart and restructure themselves and their brands? How can they get back to normality or adjust to drastic changes and interruptions of the seasons while being unwavered by the intense pressure that comes with it?
Pressure is known as ‘The act of pressing or urging with force.’ Fashion designers are used to living up to the standard and expectations of their clients and producing 4 or 5 seasons a year. There is an urging force from consumers, employees and media - the whole world is affected by the trends that fashion designers and creatives set. It is interesting and necessary to look at the pressure of the industry and how it affects the mental health of high performing fashion designers and creatives within that space.
Some of fashion's greatest minds have experienced mental health issues. In the last few decades, some of the most influential fashion designers have died by suicide. Alexander McQueen, L’wren Scott, Kate Spade, and more recently Josephus Thimister, are notable designers who ended their lives at the peak of their creative career. There are many contributing factors that lead to an individual committing suicide, however there seems to be an outcry within the creative industry which needs more attention and awareness.
FashionStock; ShutterstockIn the Netflix documentary on the British designer, Alexander McQueen, we see how possible it is for an ordinary young man with a genius creative mind to be heavily overwhelmed and somewhat swayed by the demand and urging force to perform. His collections were heavily & harshly criticised for being so beautifully different and controversial. At his prime, he provoked the minds of everyone and didn’t care. The documentary showed that at some point in his career he lost himself. More money came but his appearance changed and he turned to drugs as a way to deal with the pressure. Unfortunately, McQueen seemed extremely fragile and mentally weak for the jungle industry of fashion. His passion wasn’t driven by fame or money; he wanted to be normal. It was too late to be just normal anymore. His creativity led him to the stage of the world. In another case, we see that Kate Spade suffered from depression & anxiety for many years. Although she was actively seeking help and working closely with doctors for treatment, she still committed suicide.
A lot of people around fashion suffer from anxiety, depression, panic attacks - in the midst of losing who you are, so much darkness can rise. However, there are world changing designers who have continually climbed up in the industry and are still very much grounded and strong. Tom Ford, mentions in an interview, how tough the fashion business is and that you have to be very strong to remain in it. It is no surprise that he understands the pressure of the industry very well.
Last year, Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, cancelled several appearances and shows taking a few months off his hectic schedule to better his physical and mental health and this year he seemed to have returned with an even more solid sense of the leadership position. Who said you can’t take a necessary break?
FashionStock; ShutterstockWellbeing Tips for Fashion Creatives
Stay True and be Real
It can be so difficult being real in a fake world. You don't have to be famous to be superficial. Once you get to the stage of fame and have all eyes on your every move and decision, it would be more difficult to express your true-self.
Dealing with and managing the pressure as a designer/creative - dealing with the force and urges that comes from the creative industry. It can be easy to lose touch of who you are in such an intense and demanding industry. Before you know it, you as the designer have to change who you are to fit into a system that you intended to change and bring a difference in. The question is; are you willing to be transparent with yourself and the rest of the world, despite the criticism and scrutiny that comes with it?
In psychology, restricted self-expression is suggested to be one of the many predictors of depression. The ability to express one’s emotions, thoughts and feelings is therapeutic and contributes to enhancing mind wellbeing. As a creative, there's always some sort of expression but there has to be a consistency in expressing your true self at every moment, whether true self is negative, controversial or weird, you have a right and responsibility to express it. Overcoming any mind struggles starts with the ability to share those struggles with someone other than yourself.
Mindfulness with YOU
In such a hectic, fast-paced industry where there is constant noise about trends and seasons and how to keep up, it is important to practice moments where you can get silent on the inside and strengthen inner peace.
Mindfulness is the psychological process of purposely bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment. Theorised benefits of mindfulness include self-control, enhanced flexibility, equanimity, improved concentration and mental clarity, emotional intelligence and the ability to relate to others and one's self with kindness, acceptance and compassion. This type of meditation has been useful in managing anxiety, stress and depression.
How to Practice Mindfulness
Take a seat. Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you
Set a time limit. If you're just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as five or 10 minutes
Notice your body
Feel your breath
Notice when your mind has wandered
Be kind to your wandering mind
Transparent Mentorship
In the stories of fashion creatives who have committed suicide, it has been common that leading up to their death, there were experienced of extreme depression and low mood. The feeling of being alone and the strong thoughts that no-one will understand what is being experienced strongly characterises mental struggles, especially depression. Within the industry, it should be encouraged that designers/creatives who have been somewhat successful in the industry should take more of a responsibility for those who are coming up in the industry. The current fathers, mothers and gods of that industry should position themselves as transparent mentors that can share common experiences, thoughts that the pressure of the industry can bring.