As we approach the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, examining the impact of social isolation on mental health has become pivotal as we process the year we have spent quarantined. For artists, the faults of being submerged into a virtual reality are hardly emphasized to the public. With live concerts put on pause and in-person interactions being extremely limited to artists, sanity has been at risk.
On March 2nd, I tuned into Sound Mind Live’s “Unwound and Unplugged: A Mental Health Benefit Concert and Panel.” Moderated by clinical psychologist Dr. Mike Friedman, the virtual panel featured Gerard Way, known widely as the frontman of emo-rock band My Chemical Romance, electro-pop artist DeathbyRomy, and alt-rock singer Julien Baker. By sharing their battles with mental health, isolation, and struggle to stay creatively connected, the event exposed the honesty within the lives of creatives a year into quarantine, emphasizing the need to “unplug” from a constant virtual reality.
Through their own thoughts and experiences, the panelists raised a question to the audience: “Have we thought about the toll that our expectations on creatives we seek comfort from having affected them, as they too have had to live and work through a world devoid of the creative validation of human interaction and live music?”
For many, the most alluring aspect of a creative’s work is the ability to delve into the darkest corners of our most raw, human emotions and express them through art. Music has the ability to become a form of art therapy, as Gerard Way put it when recalling his own experiences through the years My Chemical Romance shot to stardom, unable to get access to needed therapy.
The validation of work that comes from the most cavernous emotions can lead to becoming trapped in a dark place. For musicians, when one’s “best” art comes from dissecting unfamiliar and difficult states, one is prone to becoming trapped in a state of destabilizing emotions and feelings, spiraling into a dark recess of depression and deteriorating mental health in the need to produce art that will be received well.
Given the current state of the world, our social interactions have been thrust into virtual spaces. Spaces of connections between musicians and fans, sharing creative spaces, and receiving the validation of in-person interactions no longer exist. Instead, the livelihoods of creatives have become reliant upon a prominent social media presence: the larger the social media presence, the more successful you will become.
Yet, the panelists expressed their discontent with this reality. As Baker stated on their disillusionment with social media, the obligation to participate online comes from the need to stay connected and market online. While growing up, DeathbyRomy felt that social media had been a form of validation and connectivity, bolstering her career as a musician. Now, it feels like an obligation, regardless of its effect on one’s mental wellbeing.
The fact that social media is prone to harming one’s mental health is not new. While social media has served as a means of comfort and acceptance for individuals seeking community, it also puts users at the expense of a barrage of unyielding negativity and animosity.
Gerard Way reflected on his decision to leave Twitter five years ago, assessing his level of success and content with his work, deciding what is most important: his mental health or success. Ultimately, he decided that fame and success had been traumatic, and it was time to disconnect online to preserve his own health and wellbeing.
While Way was able to make this decision, he recognized his privilege in not needing to rely on a social media presence, given his long-standing success. For up-and-coming artists like Romy and Baker, the pandemic has stunted the opportunity for extending their reach.
Both artists described it as feeling the need to be unique online — constantly selling an image that will be received and reciprocated with validation. As Baker stated, it is a one-sided connection, where fans understand the art being poured out, but the artist does not know any relief or gratitude for the work they put out.
A one-sided connection online has left artists feeling isolated and overstimulated, anxious over the constant bustling of social media, and wondering whether they are being their authentic selves online.
A year into the pandemic has only reinforced the struggles artists have within online spaces. Throughout the panel, each artist expressed their discontent with feeling obligated to choose between happiness away from a constant online presence and musical success. It is damaging to these artists to have to feel as if they must prioritize their mental wellbeing or success during a pandemic when quarantine has perpetuated the disconnection.
Now more than ever it is necessary to reflect on our relationship with our online presence. Understanding the positions that the artists we connect to is necessary in building a community where not only creativity and acceptance fosters, but where we can uplift one another and reassess our interactions with artists online to create positive spaces online during troubled times.
Watch Sound Mind Live’s recorded live stream “Unwound and Unplugged,” featuring DeathbyRomy’s bedroom performance of “Lovesick” and cover of The Beatles’ “Bluebird.”
Article by Maya Banuelos