marbles mania depression michelangelo and me a graphic memoir

In the same way that Forney initially refuses to give up pot due to her perceiving it as part of her identity despite its (at times) negative effect on her mental health, she struggles with the concept of taking medication at the risk of her creativity, another fundamental part of who she is. Forney addresses her own fears of medication, and in doing this, she also explores her own relationship with art and creativity, causing her to question how she prioritises her art and her health. She questions whether artists such as Van Gogh and Michelangelo created masterpieces because they were bipolar, and whether they would have created them if they had been medicated. In Marbles, Forney examines the connections between mental illness (specifically bipolar) and artistic creativity by discussing the effects that various medications have had on her body and her mind, and by studying mentally ill artists through history. Despite having an understanding of the mental illness, she initially rejects the possibility of having it. Despite it being referenced off-hand in popular media, a taboo around bipolar disorder still remains prominent – this is something that Forney does an excellent job of addressing in her graphic memoir: during the second meeting with her therapist, she recalls saying “My mother and I both have bipolar tendencies, but I’m not like, bipolar bipolar”. Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo And Me is an autobiographical journey which follows her years-long exploration of medication, therapy, and how they affect her creative drive.

Just before her thirtieth birthday, Ellen Forney is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She also researches the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder, including the strengths and limitations of various treatments and medications, and what studies tell us about the conundrum of attempting to “cure” an otherwise brilliant mind.ĭarkly funny and intensely personal, Forney’s memoir provides a visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on an artist’s work, as she shares her own story through bold black-and-white images and evocative prose.Content warning: depictions of mental illness Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the crazy artist, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath. Flagrantly manic and terrified that medications would cause her to lose creativity, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability while retaining her passions and creativity. Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Cartoonist Ellen Forney explores the relationship between “crazy” and “creative” in this graphic memoir of her bipolar disorder, woven with stories of famous bipolar artists and writers.

Marbles mania depression michelangelo and me a graphic memoir