Therapy for Creative People in Los Angeles

You don't have to make your living as an artist to be one.

Many deeply creative people build careers in completely different fields. They write after work. Play music on weekends. Paint when they can. Make films with friends. Take photographs, design, perform, compose or pursue creative projects that may never appear on a résumé.

At ArtistServices Therapy, we call these people creative souls—people for whom creativity is an important part of who they are, whether or not it's how they earn a living.

And sometimes, the distance between the life you're living and the creative life you imagined can be painful.

When Your Job Isn't Your Calling

There's nothing inherently wrong with having a conventional career and pursuing creativity outside of it.

For many people, it's actually an ideal arrangement.

But for others, there can be a persistent feeling that they're living the wrong life.

I should have pursued music.

I was supposed to be a writer.

What happened to the person who used to make things?

Is it too late?

These questions can carry grief, regret, anxiety and even shame—particularly when you see friends or peers pursuing creative careers you once imagined for yourself.

Therapy can provide a place to explore those feelings without assuming that the answer is necessarily to quit your job and become an artist.

You Don't Need Permission to Be Creative

One of the most damaging ideas creative people can absorb is that creativity only counts when somebody pays for it.

It doesn't.

A recording contract doesn't make someone a musician. A publishing deal doesn't make someone a writer. A gallery doesn't make someone an artist.

Professional success and creative identity are related for some people, but they aren't the same thing.

Part of our work may involve reclaiming creativity as something that belongs to you—not something the marketplace has to validate.

Making Room for Creativity in a Busy Life

The challenge isn't always psychological.

Sometimes you're simply exhausted.

A demanding career, relationships, children, finances and everyday responsibilities can consume the time and energy that creative work requires.

Then another pattern can emerge: you don't create because you're overwhelmed, and you feel worse because you're not creating.

Therapy can help you examine that cycle and develop realistic ways to make room for creativity without turning your creative life into another source of pressure.

When Creativity Becomes Another Measure of Self-Worth

Creative work can be deeply fulfilling.

It can also become another place to judge yourself.

I'm not talented enough.

I should be further along.

Other people are doing more than I am.

I never finish anything.

Maybe I missed my chance.

Perfectionism, comparison and self-criticism can turn something that once brought joy into another arena for anxiety and disappointment.

The goal isn't necessarily to become more productive.

It's to develop a healthier relationship with creativity—and with yourself.

What Might Bring You to Therapy?

Creative people come to therapy for all the same reasons anyone else does.

You may be dealing with:

• Anxiety or depression

• Creative blocks

• Perfectionism and procrastination

• Self-doubt or imposter syndrome

• Career dissatisfaction

• Regret about paths not taken

• Burnout

• Relationship difficulties

• ADHD or difficulty focusing

• Substance use or unhealthy coping

• Major life transitions

• Questions about identity and purpose

• Feeling disconnected from creativity

• Fear that it's “too late” to pursue something meaningful

Sometimes creativity is central to the problem.

Sometimes it isn't.

Either way, it can be helpful to work with a therapist who understands how important your creative identity may be to the rest of your life.

Creativity Doesn't Have an Expiration Date

Creative careers tend to produce artificial timelines.

You should have made it by 25. Published by 30. Had the exhibition. Sold the screenplay. Released the record.

Real lives rarely unfold that neatly.

People discover—or rediscover—creative parts of themselves at every stage of life. Sometimes a period that initially feels like lost time becomes the experience that ultimately gives the work depth.

There isn't one correct way to have a creative life.

Therapy That Takes Creativity Seriously

At ArtistServices Therapy, creativity isn't treated as a hobby you should simply squeeze in after you've handled the “important” parts of life.

If creativity matters deeply to you, then it matters in therapy.

Depending on what brings you in, our work may draw from CBT, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, mindfulness, positive psychology and other evidence-based approaches. We may work on anxiety, depression, relationships, self-worth, perfectionism, boundaries, burnout, life transitions or whatever is keeping you from living the life you want.

The objective isn't to convince you to abandon your day job.

And it isn't to convince you to become a professional artist.

It's to help you determine what a meaningful creative life looks like for you.

Therapy for Creative People in Los Angeles

ArtistServices Therapy is located in Culver City, Los Angeles, near Sony Pictures.

We work with artists, entertainment professionals and creative people from all walks of life—including those whose professional careers have nothing to do with the arts.

Sessions are available in person in Culver City and virtually throughout California.

If you're struggling with anxiety, depression, creative blocks, career dissatisfaction, self-doubt, relationships or simply trying to reconnect with a creative part of yourself, we'd be glad to hear from you.

Reach out to ArtistServices Therapy for a confidential consultation.