Artists & creatives

There is an old idea that great artists must be miserable, and that getting help will dull their creativity. This myth can stop people from looking after themselves.

The 2023 musician study found that poor well-being was linked to the conditions of working life, not to musicians being “naturally” troubled. That means better conditions and support can make a real difference.

The truth

• Many artists say they create more, not less, when they feel well
• Pain can inspire art, but so can joy, love and curiosity
• Taking care of yourself lets you keep creating for years
• Therapy helps you understand your feelings, which can deepen your work

Research on musicians links poor well-being to tough working conditions, not to creativity itself.

Feeling well gives you more energy, focus and freedom to create. Many artists say therapy helped them understand themselves and deepened their work.

Sold-out shows, awards and followers can hide a lot. Even people at the top of their field can feel empty, anxious or alone. Struggling is not a sign that you are failing. It is a sign that you are human.

• Courage to share your work with the world
• Creative problem-solving
• Communities, crews and casts who share the same dream
• Persistence through years of practice
• Sensitivity to feelings, yours and others’

Not knowing what next month will bring is stressful. It can be hard to plan, rest or say no to work, because every gig might be the last for a while.

What can help

• Build a small emergency fund in good months, even a little at a time
• Keep a simple calendar of expected income and bills
• Set aside money for taxes as soon as you are paid
• Talk with other artists about how they manage money

Many working artists teach, wait tables, freelance or hold part-time jobs. This is normal and does not make you any less of an artist. Steady income can take pressure off your creative work.

What can help

• Mix steady work, like teaching, with creative projects
• Protect a few hours each week for your own work
• Notice if side work is taking all your energy, and adjust when you can

When work is uncertain, it can feel impossible to turn anything down. But saying yes to everything can lead to exhaustion and unpaid “exposure” jobs.

Questions to ask before saying yes

• Does it pay fairly, or build something I truly want?
• Do I have the time and energy?
• Will it leave room for rest?

MusiCares (musicares.org), founded by the Recording Academy, offers help to people who work in the U.S. music industry, including emergency money help for basic costs, mental health support and addiction recovery support. It is not a crisis line.

The Entertainment Community Fund (entertainmentcommunity.org), formerly The Actors Fund, supports people in U.S. performing arts and entertainment, on stage and behind the scenes. Its services include emergency money help, mental health support and career help.

Local arts councils, grants and residencies can also help. Each program has its own rules, so check who qualifies.

Rejection often says more about timing, taste or space than about talent. Many respected artists faced years of rejection before their work found its audience.

What can help

• Separate the work from your worth: “This piece was not chosen” instead of “I am not good enough”
• Give yourself a set time to feel disappointed, then take one small next step
• Keep a file of kind feedback and wins to read on hard days
• Share rejections with fellow artists. It makes them lighter.

A harsh review can replay in your head long after the praise fades. Many people remember one negative comment more than ten kind ones.

What can help

• Decide ahead of time whether you will read reviews, and when
• Ask a trusted friend to read them first
• Look for useful points, and let the rest go
• Remember that a review is one person’s view on one day

Social media shows other artists’ wins: the record deal, the gallery show, the viral post. It rarely shows the years of struggle. Comparing your everyday life with others’ best moments can make you feel behind.

What can help

• Measure progress against your own past work
• Mute accounts that leave you feeling worse
• Celebrate other artists’ wins as proof that it is possible

Many creative people feel they do not deserve their success, or that they got lucky. This feeling is common, and it often shows up most in people who care deeply about their work.

What can help

• Write down what you actually did to earn each opportunity
• Talk about the feeling with other artists. Most will recognize it.
• Treat yourself the way you would treat a younger artist you mentor

A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that 41% of U.S. adults had personally experienced online harassment, and 25% had experienced more severe kinds, like threats, stalking or sexual harassment.

What can help

• Ask a friend or manager to screen messages
• Keep records of threats and report them to the platform
• Mute, block and report abusive accounts
• Take planned breaks from reading comments

Fans may feel they know you, and some may cross lines. Sharing your life can build connection, but it is okay to keep parts of your life private.

Ideas

• Decide what is “on stage” and what stays at home
• Keep your address and daily routine off social media
• Use separate accounts for public and private life
• Talk with your team about safety at events

Sudden success can mean more travel, less sleep, new expectations and people who want something from you. Friends may treat you differently. Many people feel pressure to repeat a hit or a viral moment.

What can help

• Keep a few people close who knew you before
• Keep simple routines, like sleep and meals, even on tour
• Make big decisions slowly, with advice you trust

Audiences move on, shows close and algorithms change. When attention drops, people can feel forgotten or worthless, even if their work is still good.

What can help

• Remember why you started making things
• Make work for yourself again, not only for an audience
• Build an identity that does not depend on numbers

A fast heartbeat, dry mouth and shaky hands are your body’s alarm system getting ready for action. Fighting the feeling often makes it stronger. Learning to work with it can help.

What can help

• A steady warm-up routine before every performance
• Slow breathing, with a longer breath out than in
• Practicing in front of friends to get used to an audience
• Focusing on sharing the work, not on being judged

The UK musician survey listed the physical stresses of playing among the pressures on musicians’ mental health. Dancers, singers and actors also put heavy demands on their bodies.

What can help

• Warm up and cool down
• Rest when pain starts, not only when it is bad
• See a clinical provider or physical therapist who works with performers

Late shows, long travel and changing time zones can throw off sleep. The UK survey named antisocial hours, exhaustion and not being able to plan ahead as major pressures for musicians.

CDC sleep tips you can adapt

• Keep your sleep space quiet, dark, relaxing and cool
• Limit caffeine later in your “day”, and avoid alcohol near bedtime
• Keep wake and sleep times as steady as you can

Many creative spaces, like bars, clubs, openings and after-parties, revolve around alcohol. Using it to calm nerves before a show, or to come down after, can slowly become a habit.

What can help

• Plan a non-drinking way to unwind after shows
• Find a sober-friendly friend on the road
• Notice if you need a drink to perform or create

Creative burnout can feel like blankness, dread, or no longer caring about work you once loved.

Signs to notice

• Dreading your studio, desk or rehearsal
• Feeling tired even after rest
• Making work only for money or deadlines
• Snapping at collaborators
• Starting projects and not finishing them

Almost every creative person goes through dry spells. Blocks often come from pressure, perfectionism, tiredness or fear of being judged.

What can help

• Change your medium or try something new for a while
• Lower the bar: make something “bad” on purpose
• Set a tiny goal, like ten minutes a day
• Work alongside other people, in person or online

Ideas

• Make something just for fun, with no plan to share or sell it
• Rest without guilt. Ideas often come back after real rest.
• Visit galleries, listen to music, read, walk in nature
• Spend time with people outside your field

Many artists work from home with no clear start or stop. Without limits, work can spill into every hour.

What can help

• Set work hours, even loose ones
• Have a small ritual that ends the work day
• Keep at least one day a week fully off

Actors may live inside a painful role for months. It can be hard to shake off a character’s sadness or anger at the end of the day.

What can help

• A ritual to “step out” of a role, like changing clothes or a short walk
• Talking about heavy material with someone you trust
• Balancing deep work with light, playful activities

Writers and songwriters may return to their own hardest moments. Doing it with care can bring meaning. Doing it without support can reopen wounds.

What can help

• Set a time limit for working on painful material
• Have a plan for something calming afterward
• Getting support if your work is stirring up past trauma

Intense rehearsals and long sessions can blur lines. The UK musician survey listed sexism and sexual harassment among the pressures some musicians faced.

What healthy creative spaces look like

• Clear agreements about scenes, touch and content
• Anyone can pause or say no without punishment
• A clear person to go to if something feels wrong

Where to find them

• Artist collectives and shared studios
• Community theaters, choirs, bands and dance groups
• Local makerspaces and writing groups
• Online communities for people in your field

Many creative fields have unions, guilds or professional groups. They may help with fair pay, contracts, health coverage and safe working conditions. Some also offer member support programs.

A mentor can help you handle rejection, money and big decisions. A peer group can share honest stories of what really happens behind the scenes.

• Ask a teacher or more experienced artist for a coffee chat
• Offer to mentor someone newer than you
• Start a small monthly check-in group with fellow artists

SAMHSA suggests talking when and where the person feels safe, speaking plainly, and watching how they react, slowing down if they seem upset.

Openers adapted from SAMHSA

• “I’ve been worried about you. Can we talk about what you’re going through?”
• “I care, and I want to listen. What do you want me to know about how you’re feeling?”
• “It seems like a hard time. How can I help you find support?”

Artist-specific openers

• “How are you, apart from the project?”
• “That rejection sounded rough. How are you holding up?”

• “When are you going to get a real job?”
• “You’re so lucky, you get to do what you love.”
• Comparing them with a more successful artist
• Treating a rejection or bad review as proof of who they are

SAMHSA encourages treating people with mental health problems with respect, compassion and empathy, and reminding them that help is available.

• Come to the show, read the draft or share their work
• Celebrate effort and courage, not only sales or reviews
• Cook a meal during a deadline crunch
• Help them look for a counselor or arts charity
• Keep inviting them to plans, even if they often say no

SAMHSA suggests offering help with everyday tasks and continuing to include people in your plans without being overbearing.

A cancelled tour, a harsh public backlash or a long dry spell can hit very hard. NIMH lists warning signs such as talking about wanting to die or being a burden, feeling hopeless or trapped, withdrawing, giving things away, taking dangerous risks, and drinking or using drugs more.

The 5 action steps (988 Lifeline)

1. Ask directly: “Are you thinking about suicide?” Research shows asking does not increase risk.
2. Be there, in person or by phone.
3. Help keep them safe by putting time and distance between them and dangerous items.
4. Help them connect to 988, a clinical provider or other ongoing support.
5. Follow up with a call or text in the days after.

Talking therapies help people understand their thoughts and feelings and build new ways to cope. Some counselors specialize in working with performers and creative people.

Common approaches

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): living by your values even when feelings are hard
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): noticing and changing unhelpful thought patterns
• Mindfulness-based approaches: staying present instead of stuck in worry

1. Talk to your clinical provider.
2. Ask your union, guild or school if they offer counseling.
3. Music workers in the U.S.: look at MusiCares (musicares.org). Performing arts and entertainment workers: the Entertainment Community Fund (entertainmentcommunity.org).
4. Tell one person you trust how you are really doing.

Find A Helpline (findahelpline.com) lists free, confidential crisis helplines around the world. You can search by country and topic.

Many countries also have charities for musicians, actors or artists. Ask your union or local arts council.