Amy Tan really related to me, and I bet with a vast number of other artisans, when she spoke of the connection between a natural predisposition for mental illness and creativity. I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety along with BPD (borderline personality disorder). One thing that is really typical of people with BPD is that they daydream a lot, and when there is a high level of stress fantasy becomes real and our perception of reality of distorted. In extreme cases, a person with BPD seems psychotic but really isn’t. These untypical perspectives while in a crisis state, I think, contributes to creativity. Art, when it’s expressed clearly and well, communicates and convinces the audience of the existence of almost a different realm. This typically makes people with mental illness more equipped for that specific since they’re perception of reality is obliviously different than someone without mental illness.

She also speaks that creativity is derived from past experience. Inspiration and drive come from the key factors of one’s life. Each person’s experience as a human is different. This equips an artist with a unique perspective, thus adding towards his creativity.