To Feel Understood: Artist Identity and the Therapeutic Alliance

Jerry Saltz, the marvelous and cheeky art critic, recently tweeted: “Being an artist isn’t a job or profession; it’s a condition” (2023).  I laughed my little I-know-what-you-mean laugh to myself when I read this, AND instantly had the urge to counter this notion with clarity around the word “condition.”  I agree: it is not a job or profession.  Yet, how do we identify as artists?  Of course, it is unique to each creative soul and their unique path.  And, it is really difficult to define artist identity as a way of being in the research, in the public sphere, in our own heads, and, certainly, when trying to somehow explain it to our families and friends.  Unless, of course, they identify as artists, too.  If you search artist identity online, you will likely come up mostly with hits about how to write an artist statement.  The artist identity I am concerned with is much deeper than a statement.

Back to this word: condition.  There is much to be said, and indeed there has been much written about, the benefits of creative acts and making art as strategies for fostering mental well-being (Kaufman, 2018, Chen et al., 2020).  There is also ample research that claims a distinctive connection between artists and psychopathology (Baas et al., 2016; Daniel, 2018; Chen et al., 2020; Zhao et al., 2021; Ivcevic et al., 2022).  That said, internal and external forces that create specific challenges for the artist population, and aspects of well-being and joy that are unique to artists, as well, are often not well understood by those who do not identify as artists (or are not deeply involved in the arts in some way, as a critic, a super fan, an advocate).  Like almost everything, we need to look at context.  Living the life of an artist is the context in contrast to assumptions about the psychological states of people who identify as artists.  So, perhaps it is a condition in that artists are living and making their work in a conditional, societal space—a space with much rocky terrain to traverse.  However, an interpretation or flippant intention could be associated with having a condition, such as a mental health condition or diagnosis, as the word condition often implies.  This could be dismissive of people, artists included, who truly struggle with mental illness; and, it could be an opening to consider a spectrum of mental health challenges for artists related to a holistic view of the experience of being an artist. 

Why did I laugh at my own immediate interpretation of the word condition specifically as a mental health condition?  Was it self-deprecation, comradery, validation, or was I conditioned to believe that artists are all a little bit tortured?  Saltz really does get artists and love artists, and that is why he is so good at what he does as a writer.  I appreciate the way he explores what it means to be an artist, the way he engages with artists directly, and the questions that arise out of this exploration.  Yet still, this word condition feels questionable to me as it can be read in ways that artists must have a condition.  Sensitivity to the ways that artists may be perceived by others, or even perceived internally, can be supportive of the well-being of artists (and in that way, the world, I might argue) in expansive and empowering ways.   

This is all to say it can be vital to the therapeutic alliance for artists to feel understood in their identity as artists and the contemporary challenges that they face by those who counsel them through difficult feelings and experiences.  Counselors and therapists show up with their own biases, as does everyone.  And, if we can work to dismantle the bias that being an artist implies that this person sitting across from us may be [fill in the blank with any number of artist stereotypes], then we are showing up with sensitivity.  Could the experience and benefits of psychotherapy be improved for artists who work with counselors and therapists who have a deeper understanding of artist identity and all that entails?  I believe the answer is yes.

Psychological resourcing for artists is not only critical for mental health and well-being, but also for the creative process.  It has been observed that people who present with a pattern of both psychological vulnerabilities (anxiety, depression, stress) and resources (well-being, ego-resilience, hope) are more likely to be in the artist camp than in the non-artist camp (Ivcevic et al., 2022).  The findings and exploratory analyses of this study suggest that the connection between high vulnerabilities and high resources were a predictor for creative accomplishment beyond the benefits of experience or age (Ivcevic et al., 2022).  It could be gleaned from this research that the therapeutic alliance established in collaboration with an empathic counselor or therapist who validates the lived experience of artists would expand the psychological resources for artist-identified clients.

In sports psychology, an adjacent field to what could be called arts psychology, emphasis has been placed on understanding the culture of athletes. The therapeutic alliance between athletes and clinicians will likely be more successful when clinicians validate the significance and value of sports in session, when athlete mental health challenges are normalized, and when clinicians present with knowledge and understanding of the stressors related to sports culture, including competitiveness (Jewett & Dionne, 2021).  An understanding of the interconnectedness of mental health symptoms with the role of being an athlete is a supportive strategy when working with this population, even if the clinician does not have experience in the field of sports (Jewett & Dionne, 2021).  This perspective could easily be translatable to counselors and therapists working with the artist population. 

To be understood is a basic human desire, and that entails understanding how another perceives their needs, capabilities, qualities, dreams, beliefs, and preferences so that better communication is possible (Reis et al., 2017).  When one feels understood by another, there is a stronger psychological connection; and, when one does not feel to be understood, feelings of alienation can arise, with both possibilities an impact on the therapeutic alliance is certain, either positive or negative (Reis et al., 2017).  For artist-identified clients to feel understood by their counselors and therapists, in the context of artist identity and lived experience, it can be anticipated that the perception of feeling understood will strengthen the power of the therapeutic alliance.

If you are a therapist or counselor working with artist-identified clients, and you question your own understanding of what it means to identify as an artist, spend some time exploring the many fascinating biographies about and memoirs by artists, writers, musicians, performers, and creative thinkers.  Engage in and enjoy the art, music, literary, and performance scenes in your community.  It is not necessary for you to be or feel like an expert; however, it is necessary to foster understanding of the lived experience of artists with curiosity and empathy in order to ethically and compassionately support your artist-identified clients.  (Check out these resources for therapists).  If you are an artist (in the inclusive sense of the word), know that it is possible to connect with a counselor or therapist who gets you as an artist.  (Check out these resources for artists). 

To want to feel understood is to be human.  To want to connect with others through your art is to be an artist.

References

Baas, M., Nijstad, B. A., Boot, N. C., & De Dreu, C. K. W. (2016). Mad genius revisited:

Vulnerability to psychopathology, biobehavioral approach-avoidance, and creativity. Psychological Bulletin, 142(6), 668–692. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000049

Chen, C., Wang, K., Chen, S., Zhou, Y., & Zhou, M. (2020). The linear and curvilinear

relation between personality and subjective well-being in visual artists: Perceived

creation stress as a mediator. PsyCh Journal (Victoria, Australia), 9(4), 533–543.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pchj.329

Daniel, R. (2018). Motivation to be an artist: Insights relevant to mental health. International

Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 4(03), 21-32.

Ivcevic, Z., Grossman, E., & Ranjan, A. (2022). Patterns of psychological vulnerabilities and

resources in artists and nonartists. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 16(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000309

Jewett, R., Kerr, G., & Dionne, M. (2021). Canadian athletes’ perspectives of mental health

care and the importance of clinicians’ sport knowledge: A multi-method

investigation. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 53, 101849–.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101849

Kaufman, J.C. (2018). Finding meaning with creativity in the past, present, and

future. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(6), 734–749.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618771981

Reis, H.T., Lemay, E. P., & Finkenauer, C. (2017). Toward understanding understanding: The

importance of feeling understood in relationships. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 11(3), e12308–n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12308

Saltz, Jerry [@jerrysaltz]. (2023, January 17). Being an artist isn’t a job or profession; it’s a condition [Tweet]. Twitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/jerrysaltz/status/1615566341062234112

Zhao, R., Tang, Z., Lu, F., Xing, Q., & Shen, W. (2021). An updated evaluation of the

dichotomous link between creativity and mental health. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 781961–781961. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.781961