CHRIS FREMANTLE

We were challenged in the q&a after our presentation on the Art(s) of Failure at the Scottish Graduate School for the Arts and Humanities Summer School on the question of mental health.

There is no smart relationship between working with failure and mental health issues.  Anyone saying to someone depressed or with other mental health challenges that they need to learn to ‘work with failure’ is wrong.  Using failure as part of a creative process requires a degree of mental strength and resilience.  It just does.  Only the person knows what they can do.  All the serious advice on mental health and depression says to support the individual, not give them any sort of ‘get over it’.

If you know someone with mental health issues then please don’t advise them to find ways to use their failures.  Rather support them appropriately.  If you are not sure, here are a couple of links.

Scottish Association for Mental Health

Advice for friends and family from MIND