Peace and Blessings! I know it has been more than two months since Anime Milwaukee (I’m a busy medical student), but I’ll be giving my last review on the panel “Creativity and Mental Health” hosted by Words After Dark. The slides from the panel can be found here.

The theme of this panel was how to manage your mental health while working on a creative project. It gives advice on how to get over anxiety on starting a project, procrastination, self-criticism of your work, perfectionism, failure, obstacles you may encounter, and the neural networks behind building and changing habits.

As someone who studied behavioral neuroscience in college, I liked how they explained how the brain forms bad habits and how it is hard to change them. You may be used to telling yourself that “I’m lazy” or “I’m afraid of writing,” resulting in you never starting a project out of fear, such as fear of being badly criticized. You would rather stay in this “safe” spot rather than branching out of your comfort zone and starting a new project. Your brain however is highly plastic and is capable of forming good habits and let old ones fade. This can be done with the help of others who can support you, and help you learn new skills to combat these negative habits (such as a therapist!).

One of my favorite parts of the panel was learning the downsides of perfectionism and having an “All-or-nothing Mentality”. As a medical student, I had to unlearn how I used to think about grades. During my college years, I tried to be perfect at every subject I took, and now, moving to a pass/fail curriculum, I no longer have that mentality that I need to know everything perfectly. I shouldn’t stress myself further by holding unrealistic goals of perfecting every class, and instead I should strive to just be competent enough to pass my classes. I still work hard in my studies, but I now give myself more times during a week to relax, destress, and engage in my hobbies. These ideas can also apply when working on a creative project. For example, one should not expect to be a great artist on their first try at drawing, and should accept that it takes time to learn a new skill and mistake will be made. Instead of trying to be perfect, enjoy the process of learning this new skill and in time you will improve.

Another lesson I learned was the benefits of facing failure. Failures should not be feared because they give you opportunities to learn from your mistakes and grow. If no one ever critiqued you, you wouldn’t be able to improve on a skill you are trying to learn. This reminded me of the time I didn’t get into medical school the first time applied. This was disappointing at first, but this didn’t stop me from reaching my professional goals. I retook the MCAT and engages in more experiences in mental health care that I wouldn’t have had if I gave up. It ultimately made me a better candidate. Now, if I ever fail at something, I’ll take the criticism, learn from it, and try harder next time. These lessons can also be applied to any situation such as starting a new creative project.

The main takeaway I got from this panel was to not be afraid of starting something new, like a creative project, and to enjoy the process. Don’t set high expectations, and learn from your mistakes. Don’t forget to check out the full panel slides here, and I wish you all the best in your creative endeavors!