There was a period in my life when all I wanted to do was hide.
This point in my life was when I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I was approached by a man named Brandan Schieppati, a man I once worshipped because of the great music he created. He told me: “I remember when I was there, too. I remembered saying, it was either write those words on a sheet of paper, and sing them into a microphone, or put a bullet into my head. It was that, or death.”
And that is what we both began doing: putting words to a sheet of paper, and emptying the bullets out of that gun. It was at this point in my life that I realized I needed to be a Life Coach, and work with others on the same train-of-thought: that writing, in and of itself, is a way to avoid depression (or capture it in a conducive manner!).
Capturing The Moment
Think of depression and anxiety as a challenge. Capturing those moments on paper, or in song, or in verse, or in a painting…that is what separates us from “success” and “failure,” “happiness” and “depression.” Some of the most depressed people are actually the happiest, because they are able to take those emotions and spill them onto a sheet of paper or a creative endeavor. I have found many things about this.
Some people do not have an outlet. This is dangerous, because all of us are prone to high amounts of internal emotion. We all have this problem, and I would know – I’ve dealt with hundreds of people who are just as trapped as I was, but the problem lies in the fact that they let it consume them. Rather, they should let it define them!
Use art as a war against depression! That is what Brandan and I set out to do. We wanted to make sure people realized that depression was not the end of things. Rather, it is the beginning of a new way of life. Instead of letting depression take you in a whirlwind of sadness, allow it to manifest itself into an art form. But how do you choose which side to belong to?
Depression Or Happiness?
Either among the two may seem futile. Depression leads many to believe they are stuck; happiness also leads many to try new things, only to find they fail at it, leading to depression that was formed on a foundation of depression in and of itself. This may not make sense to many, but it is true: some of the happiest people are a duality of that and depression. I am one of those people…and I love that about myself.
Realizing that your sadness is captured in a single word: “depression” will allow you to avoid seeing it as just an emotion. Rather, it is a definition. When you define yourself as a sad, depressed person, you are letting it inherit you; you are allowing it to take over who you really are. What is worse than being depressed? Letting it define you! That is what! Do not be that person! Let happiness be the definition; let depression guide you to a point where you can enable this kind of thinking. It’s that simple.
How do you tell the two apart? This is difficult. Happiness can lead to sadness; depression can lead to fulfillment. This is true about many creative people. We seem to allow emotions dominate us, but we forget to use that art form as a war against it. When sad, pick up a sheet of paper, or take to a canvas, and paint your emotions. This is what we see about many of history’s martyrs: they leave behind in their wake a world of art that was formed based on depression! Isn’t that ironic?
You Decide!
What will you do when depression rears its ugly head? Will you let it control you, or will you encompass it in all of its greatness? The happiest people are those who know how to take their depressive moments and utilize an art form, or create something new. Whether that “something new” becomes a facet of fame or fortune, that is up to the world. But in the end, which will you be: the happy individual who utilizes their sadness to their advantage, or the depressed individual who chooses to stay locked in sadness? This is for you to decide. If you need help, reach out to us!
This is so true. Having an outlet is very important when it comes to depression. I think being creative can help keep your mind from pondering on depressive thoughts.
-L.K. Hodge
mentalstimulation.org
Very concise! We must learn to battle our emotions and not let them dominate us!