Following on from the previous writing on musicians and their mental health, (AKA are we weirdos?) In this weeks’ blog I look at the research surrounding the personality traits and characteristics of the musician community. Nurture, nature, genes or environment, it’s a complex interaction! Far more complex than the 'Big 5' above. From a personal perspective, the musician’s I have met and worked with musically and clinically can be a funny bunch at times (I include myself in t

In this blog, I’ll be looking at the topic of musicians and the media portrayal of the ‘troubled genius’ or 'madness'...(Not the North London group - sorry Chas, Woody, Suggs et al.). The media have often viewed the creative artist in general as a kind of mad genius, echoing the general assumption of linking mental health problems with musicians. From this sensationalist lens, musicians are often seen and stereotyped as struggling, tortured artists. This cliched media narrati

As part of my doctoral research I looked into how seven musicians understood their mental health and their music engagement (musicking)....