Artists, Boredom & Addiction: An Eric Maisel Solutions Single for Creative and Performing Artists

by Eric Maisel

Artists and other smart, creative people are at greater risk for addiction than the general population. There are many reasons for this—one among them is that they are more susceptible to meaning crises that are experienced as intense boredom. A bored artist is at grave risk for abusing substances and for engaging in behaviors meant to provide at least temporary relief from intolerable boredom.
Join Dr. Eric Maisel, co-author with Dr. Susan Raeburn of Creative Recovery (the only recovery program designed specifically for creative and performing artists) and 40 other books, among them Mastering Creative Anxiety, Rethinking Depression, and The Van Gogh Blues, as he explains why artists, especially artists in recovery, must pay special attention to the dangers of boredom.

“Eric Maisel helps artists cope with the traumas and troubles that are the price of admission to a creative life.” – Intuition Magazine
“Eric Maisel’s psychological approach sets his work apart.” – Library Journal
“Eric Maisel’s books should be required reading for anyone involved in the arts, especially students and their teachers. Maisel demystifies the process of creating art.” – Theatre Design and Technology Journal
"Eric Maisel has devoted his life to sharing his deep understanding of creativity, meaning and life purpose."– Gail McMeekin, The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women and The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women
“Maisel is a meticulous guide who knows the psychological landscape that artists inhabit.”—The Writer Magazine
“As a science writer and student of scientific innovation, I fully appreciate Dr. Maisel’s groundbreaking work on the way that big ideas really happen.”--John Moir, Return of the Condor
“I’m an executive coach and a coach trainer, the author of Soul Purpose and Be Your Own Best Coach, and the founder of London’s Alternatives Coaching Circle—and Eric Maisel is my coach. I can think of no person better qualified to lead you on your own brilliant self-coaching journey.”-- Jackie Holder, master coach
“Eric Maisel’s coaching tips have dramatically helped us both personally and professionally and are worth their weight in gold. Eric has a deep and unique understanding of the territory of meaning and he gets to the heart of the matter faster than anyone we know!” -- Vivian Nesbitt and John Dillon, Executive Producers, Art of the Song Creativity Radio
“I’ve coached thousands of clients, from high school students to business executives to Pulitzer Prize, Tony, and Academy Award winners. I’ve worked with some of the world’s best opera singers. I’ve written the book on mastering test anxiety. So where do I turn when I need a coaching tip of my own? To Eric Maisel. He is the best!”-- Ben Bernstein, Ph.D., aka Dr. B, The Performance Coach
“Eric Maisel has gone a long way toward explaining our current situation and pointing us in new directions.” – Louis Breger, Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis
“Dr. Maisel envisions a new paradigm and framework that restores compassion, complexity and dignity to the care of suffering souls.” – Shawn Rubin, Journal of Humanistic Psychology

5 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2016

About the author

Eric Maisel, Ph.D., is the author of more than 40 books in the areas of creativity, coaching, mental health, and cultural trends. He is a psychotherapist and creativity coach, and writes for Psychology Today and Professional Artist Magazine and presents workshops internationally.