The Van Gogh Blues [Hardcover]

Eric Maisel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2002

From The Van Gogh Blues ...

"...virtually 100 percent of creative people will suffer from episodes of depression. Why virtually 100 percent? Because every creative person came out of the womb ready to interrogate life and determine for herself what life would mean, could mean, and should mean. Her gift or curse was that she was born ready to stubbornly doubt received wisdom and disbelieve that anyone but she was entitled to provide answers to her own meaning questions."

Creative people of all kinds look for understanding, empathy, and meaning in life. That is what they do, what they work with. This will often lead to depression-- but not because understanding, empathy, and meaning are not possible. They are simply not always on terms that are easy to accept. This depression of creative people does not have to be physiological, nor does it necessarily respond to pharmaceutical treatments.

Dr. Eric Maisel, an internationally known expert on the creative process and best-selling author, has developed a four-step plan for engaging this type of depression and moving past it. Using examples of famous creators like Vincent van Gogh and Fyodor Dostoyevsky and not-so-famous creators who have struggled with this kind of depression, he shows that despite the difficulty, creative people hold the ability to forge relationships, repair themselves, and create meaning in an utterly unique and powerful way. Dr. Maisel's approach legitimizes creative people's own instinctual beliefs that standard treatments are not the answer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The assertion that creative people are especially vulnerable to depression certainly isn't surprising, and Maisel (The Creativity Book) knows it. But it's not that they're genetically prone to psychological disorders, he says-it's that they feel depressed because they're "caught up in a struggle to make life seem more meaningful." The author of several small press novels during his younger years, Maisel now identifies himself as a creativity coach, and here seeks to offer artistic types a "plan for managing creator's depression." This isn't a simple how-to: his somewhat scholarly, philosophical style can make it difficult to translate analysis into necessary action. But given that creative types are inclined to enjoy the abstract, they just might benefit from this work, as well as enjoy learning about aspects of their personalities that they may not have previously identified or understood. Maisel explores the creative's sometimes disheartening quest for meaning, and he suggests possible solutions to the personality weaknesses creative people are also prone to, such as narcissism, addictions and critical thinking about themselves. Although at times insufficiently specific-how exactly can we learn to "brave" anxiety?-Maisel's book has helpful suggestions for artists and writers searching for encouragement and emotional respite.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Psychotherapist Maisel (Living the Writer's Life) is deeply concerned with meaning. Effectively mixing academic research, his own thoughts, and the stories of artists, he persuasively argues that creative individuals measure their happiness and success by how much meaning they create in their work. When they can't channel pathos, they often become depressed. Rather than resort to pharmaceuticals, however, Maisel, a self-described "meaning expert" who coaches and counsels artistic clients, prescribes a four-step plan to help readers harness depression and use it to explore what's lacking in their lives. That's not to say that Maisel is irresponsible: he does suggest considering drugs in certain cases, but on the whole, he does not think that artists respond well to them. Useful for mental health professionals, artists, and art libraries, this book purports to be a lifelong approach. Those looking for a quick fix should check out Jordan Ayan's Aha!: 10 Ways To Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas. Also consider Frederic F. Flach's optimistic and refreshing The Secret Strength of Despair.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (November 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157954570X
• ISBN-13: 978-1579545703
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good start for ANYone seeking meaning, December 11, 2002

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Van Gogh Blues (Hardcover)

This book will be useful to just about anyone who seeks meaning while trying to create. Even if your creation is a business or a marketing plan, not a book or a painting, this book will offer rare and helpful insights.

Maisel argues that creatives become depressed when they lack meaning in their lives. Drugs? A review of the past? Possibly helpful but, for most creatives, depression will be alleviated when people learn to find meaning in what they do. Given the rejections and setbacks of the creative life, Maisel's message is, "Find meaning in what you create, regardless of whether you find a buyer....

And the book is realistic: some people have to come to terms with creating art as a sideline, not a main source of income. We could have learned much more about this difficult topic.

As other reviewers have noted, this book is considerably stronger on insight than on guidance. We get page after page of notes from other "creativity coaches," presumably trained by Maisel. I found myself skipping those accounts after awhile, which left a fairly thin book. After all, we buy a book to gain the author's expertise -- not a series of anecdotes by those who have not traveled as far on the knowledge highway.

The author urges us to come up with a mission statement for ourselves along with a series of "core operating principles." In practice, I have found this prescription difficult to follow for myself and my own clients. A life purpose tends to evolve out of one's own experience and I believe we gain purpose from serendipitous discovery, not from sitting down to set guidelines.

Despite these concerns, I recommend this book for the gems that can be found, especially in the first part of the book. Understanding the source of creative depression is a good first step. Unfortunately, it is only the first step, and we could use a lot more follow-up.

I also can't help noticing that Van Gogh Blues communicates nearly the same message as The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, just packaged differently. The message of "show up" and "it takes less energy to do the work than to resist" appears in both sources.
A blocked creative -- the target of Cameron's work -- seems to resemble the depressed creative that Maisel writes about. Some readers will undoubtedly prefer one approach to the other.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a Rut? Read this book!!, May 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Van Gogh Blues (Hardcover)

I'm so ready to make it happen -- this is the feeling I had after reading "The Van Gogh Blues"

Your job as an artist is to live in a way that makes you proud of yourself. Tell the universe where you stand, then take action.

...Of course, there are so many other roadbumps, & Eric Maisel deals with them all -- the facts of existence, our ego & narcissism, our anxieties, our relationships -- and sorts them out.

You'll get depressed, because you've opted to matter. Read this book thoroughly & understand that you need to restore meaning each time it takes a blow. Creative troubles may be complicated, but the solutions here are simple. This one's a true treasure!!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard going, October 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Van Gogh Blues (Hardcover)

I am a big fan of Eric Maisel and have found all of his previous works both useful and accessible. But this book is rough going - it reads more like a professional presentation than a book aimed at laymen. In addition, he gets very circular with all the "meaning" references - he uses the word in every other sentence! So while I found the substance of the book insightful, I think the presentation will make this a difficult book for most people to absorb.