Finding Your Bipolar Muse: How to Master Depressive Droughts and Manic Floods and Access Your Creative Power

by Lana R. Castle

Separate fact from fiction with this thoughtful book about the relationship between creativity and mental health—and learn how to find balance without losing inspiration. Do creativity and mental illness truly go hand in hand, as many people believe, or is that simply a stereotype? Are suffering and deprivation necessary for creative work, or is there a better approach? Lana Castle draws from research, interviews, surveys, and her own life to examine the relationship between mood disorders and creativity. Drawing from forty-five years of experience in the arts, Castle shares first-hand knowledge, tools, and resources to help both aspiring and professional "creatives" overcome challenges and move forward. Illuminating and inspiring, Castle’s new book helps artists of all types deal with depressive droughts and manic floods. With sensitivity and grace, Castle explains how "creatives" can tap into their talents and recover their lives. With the strategies in this book, you'll learn how • Manage medications and treatment without thwarting creativity • Find your focus • Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals • Grow your self-esteem • Use your creative talents to generate income

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Psychology

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Debbie Hoskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover is really cool. There's a lot of great advice in here. Like if you are in 12 step groups and need to be on medication. You need to be on medication. There is a reason why I am paying my doctor, but of course when I'm in a mood my doctor doesn't know what they're doing. There are a lot of charts, which might be great, but it got me very depressed when all I was doing was sitting on the couch reading bi-polar books.

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book on my own because I have Bipolar and I loved the idea of a positive book about the condition and using it to my advantage.

I was very impressed with the book and the amount of real life advice and study that went into this book. Although it is written for those with Bipolar, it could easily be used as a guide to tapping in to your creative side, no matter what.

The author includes TONS of information on all steps of being a creative from dealing with ideas, focusing, setting goals, scheduling creative time, finding/organizing your creative space, staying afloat financially, managing products productively, promoting yourself and your work, communicating and collaborating effectively and starting and running your own creative business.

Each of these topics is covered by talking about the basics and then adjusting how you might deal with doing them depending on if you are stable, manic or depressed. The author includes real life shares from people with Depression and Bipolar so you can see how others deal with these issues.

She also created a Creative Life Toolkit which is included in the back of the book. This is just a set of blanks to fill in as you go through the book, to evaluate where you are and where you want to be. It’s very comprehensive.

HIGHLY recommended if you have Bipolar and want to pursue your creative side.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the sections referencing technology are quite outdated now (reviewed 14 years after the book was published), it's still very helpful in the ways it specifically addresses depression and bipolar disorder and how they affect creativity and running a creative business. There are small sections that cover hiring employees, media outreach, PR, and publishing. There's a Creative Life Toolkit in the back of the book designed to help you hone in on your skills and desires. There's no one book that's going to solve your problems if you struggle with depression or bipolar disorder, but this book is a valuable tool that can make achieving your creative dreams more accessible and less insurmountable. It breaks everything down into pieces on an overall list of things one should do to achieve success.

[Michelle Stang · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more medical parts of the book were better than the business parts, simply because a lot of the information was outdated and didn't/couldn't explore more online resources freelance options.

[Selvaggina, · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to a 3.5. Covers basics like addressing gaps in resumes [been there], interpersonal relations [working on it. Found it in other tomes.]. Did help to put how much time I'm spending on stuff and the gentle reminder of how many hours a day I'm at my day job, sleeping and how little time I've carved out for creative persuits.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be very informative and I would recommend it to anyone with a mood disorder.

[Sandra Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

it wa very informative for my bipolr. learned lot. know wht to ask dr on next visit

[Cherecwich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book I found it a excellent read because it talks about finding that creative spark to help you better manage your path..