Mental Health Series: Asher In The Spotlight

With the title "creative" comes a big responsibility! It is very easy to carried away in your work and withdraw yourself from the outside. In creatives vocabulary that's what we call the "flow state", that is where creativity thrives best. Do you have to wait for inspiration to strike, or you can hack 'the zone'? And is there a fine line between following your bliss and denial/an escape of some sort?

We sat down with Asher Mutandiro, a mental health blogger and we explored what is means to be a creative and the link to mental health. Here is what he had to say: 

So as a blogger please share your mental health story, how do you cope as a creative?

How do I cope as a creative? I really don't see much to it (mental health) maybe that is the problem, I don't see anything much to it as a creative. I have a passionate obsession for my creative work, so probably the passionate obsession makes me overlook or ignore the mental health problems I have.

Do you think that contributes to the notion that mental health is high in creatives?

It is. Depends on what the creative wants to gain or establish from that creative work. For me I became obsessed because I feel that when marketing my creative work the audience connect with my work which ultimately, make me valuable or have a status and attribution. So I would rather pursue value and attribution from my creative work rather than having personal dignity or character. I have lost a lot of people whom I cared/loved due to this passionate obsession of my creative work. I felt that they could have loved me more if they wanted to and I could attribute and transfer the value of my work to myself.

Do you ever feel disconnected from the outside world and loved ones because of this "obsession" and being too much into your work?

I do not feel disconnected from the outside world because I never felt connected to it. One of the reasons is that I found it difficult to connect with myself because I did not like myself, therefore, I struggled to connect with the outside world. Plus I'm plagued with childhood traumas but when I am behind the keyboard doing my blogging  thing that's when I started feeling connected and that connection became a passion that evolved to an obsession which then turned to a passionate obsession. I see it as an obsession because of the people I have lost to my passion but the issue with me though is that I never had human affection even when I was a minor.

Are you for the notion writing is therapeutic and has it been the case with you. Please share how it has helped you overcome your traumas?

I believe to some people it is but it has never been or will be the case with me. Because I started writing when I was 10, it is a GOD GIVEN GIFT.  But my story is  my guardians never supported my writings and were always harshly sceptical about it. So when I was 19 I took my writing digital, using the platforms to seriously make up for the decade that I had missed. Blogging made me runaway from my traumas because I believe I am a product of childhood traumas that manifested into mental tremors.

Has your childhood traumas altered the way you view life?

It has and still does. See every relationship I have been in I intentionally screwed it over because I got screwed over as a child. So I can not trust myself enough to be in a relationship. Plus my childhood traumas made more insecure but I feel more secure when I'm blogging.

Has last year’s hardships changed your relationship with your work and your sense of self?

Last year for me and my blogging career was the best thing so far. Everything went digital and I got 24,000 viewers in 2020 to accumulate to 46,000 in total. My sense of self is in my blog and what I write. That's what I do which I am trying to make who I am.

Did you find yourself in your craft

I know what I do as my craft but I do not know who am I would rather make what I do be who I am 🤷🏾‍♂️

What have you done besides blogging to turn a new leaf? Have you ever considered a professional and what are your sentiments?

Considered getting professional help NO. Not that I despise professional help but I have come to enjoy the traumas and tremors. It is what I have become.

Thank you for reading, this was an insightful and quite sensitive conversation. But the pain has to be confronted and difficult conversations need to be had to identify gaps and areas we need to work on. So we can be well informed when we continue on our mandate to raise mental health awareness. Catch second interview tomorrow!