The notion of catharsis comes from Aristotle’s Poetics and signifies a “release through drama”. It was used to describe the emotion that audiences felt when witnessing a stage performance. Through the act of play, the audience was able to transpose their own experience onto the characters and, in the unraveling of the story, they could attain a sense of moral peace.
We experience catharsis as readers and as spectators of films, TV shows, and even video games.
These are an escape but also a very particular delving inward, almost like a dream world. It’s no surprise that the above-mentioned activities are deemed hypnotic states that encourage an awakening of the subconscious mind—the part of our brain that influences our actions and feelings without us necessarily being aware of it.
As we are invested in absorbing storytelling forms, the subconscious mind comes forward to organise ideas and thoughts — just like in dreams.
I personally experience this hypnotic state notably when I am watching films. In these instances, I am simultaneously paying attention to the story but also using that interim of time away from the normal goings-on of life to examine current themes or problems in my life. It is a highly therapeutical state.
Art also offers catharsis to the creator, not just the spectator.
Being an artist is no regular job. As a result, there’s often a myth surrounding the life and work of creative folk, and so naturally we are inclined to speculate as to how the artist may feel when they complete their work.
Is it a dramatic release? An orgasmic exeunt? A wild and terrifying conclusion?
Consequently, you as an artist may be in a state of waiting for this moment of revelation. You imagine the skies opening and a flood of light arriving. Angels singing. Catharsis is reached.
Needless to say, it never happens this way. Your ideas are seldom crowned worthy by anyone or anything external — not even prizes or awards. That’s the big uncertainty that is so deeply attached to being an artist or creator. You’ll just never know—and in a way, that’s the beauty of it, because this inspires you to keep searching.
I digress.
The reason why catharsis is so important is because a lot of artists, especially those starting out, have a tendency to hide behind the myth of perfection.
While great work takes time, it is so more because there are elements needed to complete the piece—whereas, with perfectionism, the yearning is rather for an abstract feeling that has no empirical precedence to refer it back to.
Perfection is often synonymous with a sense of overall worthiness. That is why it is such a close neighbor to imposter syndrome. They both keep you in a loop of negative self-image.
Catharsis, on the other hand, sets you free.
In this article, I want to share with you the three elements to consider if you want to engineer a point of catharsis in your art. Now, bear in mind that they may not lead you to a catharsis on the first try. Despair not if they don’t. This is not a science trick, this is your artistic voice. Finesse the individual elements, and keep going.
1. Face your stories
I was speaking to an Austrian therapist on the phone recently about working with people in recovery from addictive states. During our phone call, they kept referring to the patients as “traumatized” individuals and yet, due to the therapist’s accent and a dodgy phone line, I kept understanding “dramatized”.
I found there to be wonderful poetry to the term “dramatized individuals”. It’s got a bit of a superhero ring to it, which I think reflects quite aptly the nature of folk in recovery—they have incredible stories to tell—but also the nature of artists.
#creativity #art #mental-health #creative-process #writing
