I’ve always considered Rubin a one of a kind talent who seems super zen. This helps a lot. For someone in shoes to admit to depression is very helpful to the rest of us. Glad he is doing better.
I’m a musician and having a chronic depression. Depression is not a source of creativity - it is exactly opposite. Having a stratergy to get out of depression is one key to the successful artists and composers.
Some people can work just fine through a depressive period but others are too broken to really function. It’s just a matter of feeling deeply and honestly that leads to much great work. You don’t necessarily have to be depressed to get to that state
But don’t give up anything actually - like friendship, achievement and money. If you feel like it is a cheating, surrender to that feeling too,, endless forgiving only in your mind.
I really think it depends on the artist & the mode of expression. Kurt Cobain had clinical depression and he was depressed during his success. His lyrics also displayed his mental illness at times.
@@loveinthematrix Yeah as long as you can keep functioning. Having a depressed mood can be helpful for writing songs. If your depression suppresses your function and creativity, it is time to get out.
Artists are ppl who know they dont belong yet somehow stick around and attempt to carve out a life worth living. Life is a trench for most of them but there are a fortunate few who are so inspired, talented and tenacious that they rise above it all.
I know Lex is really hard on himself but he is honestly the most important “podcaster” in the world. His ability to ask these deep questions is stunning. Thank you so much Lex
This is true. I’ve known artists who take this too far and choose to live in misery, who choose to just keep suffering and feeling “woe is me” . I’ve been there too. I suffer because I feel everything so deeply, and that is most definitely a blessing and a curse. But I see it 100x more as a blessing. I can work with my proclivity towards sadness and negative emotions. I just work on being more grateful and present. Every year i get better and better.
I’m a very stubborn person. I’ve dealt with some form of depression all my life. I don’t take pills or see shrinks. I’ve read tons of books and had lots of great conversations with people. I’ve accepted this other side of myself and try to practice perfect balance. Some days your going to be sad and that’s OK. ❤️👍✌️
I used to take Zoloft. It worked. At _first._ Then I became just...dulled. No highs, no lows, no emotion whatsoever. I weaned myself off the stuff, but it took MONTHS, and I could literally feel little "explosions" popping off in my brain. Emotions came back but the sadness was the most profound. As a "woman of a certain age" _that_ didn't help either. Now, I try to eat right, take helpful supplements, try to get enough sleep, and like you, realize that this is something I just have to live with, as it runs in my family. It's hard to describe to others if they don't have it.
That’s NOT depression. The real depression is something you can’t deal with “shrinks” books and conversations. I hope your comment doesn’t trigger people with real depression who are still struggling with this terrible DISEASE.
@@MWM-mz9tr my family has dealt with REAL depression ALL our lives, my sister killed her self when she was 15. Don’t think you know someone. What I have done to deal with my depression doesn’t work for everyone, each case is different.
I think the daily rat race to pay the monthly bills is a huge progenitor of depression for the plebe class. Not being able to get out of the cage and breathe is suffocating….😞
That rat race provide people a goal in life too. A goal that forces them to get off the rumination and act on a daily basis. It would be interesting to see the ratio of wealthy people and depression and see if there is any difference with people struggling to make ends meet. There's a study showing that money only has a great impact in your life when you go from nothing to cover your basic needs. After that, all the shit you have inside is exactly the same with an empty account or with a garage full of lamborghinis
My depression went away after going off antidepressants. I had tried them all. The medication kept me sick, made me unable to become well. Wow what a joy to be released finally from depression!
I can't judge due to depression being so complex, and I honestly believe no one would choose to be depressed having delt with it myself. It is unfortunate that there are people that have unsuccessful dealings with medication therapies like yourself. Personally I have had good and bad dealings with medications such as mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. Don't feel put down by people who say that you were never depressed because you didn't react positively to antidepressents, psychiatry is so complex and the working models for these medications are largely based on observations of patients rather than actual understandings of the mechanisms involved. People don't realise that depression can be caused by man things, so what works for one depressed person certainly won't work for everybody. For example, I was diagnosed with depression and given SSRI antidepressants which worked fairly quickly until I was so euphoric I started staying up for multiple days. As it turned out I am more likely bipolar rather than depressed but it goes to show that psychiatry is largely guesswork and trial and error.
There seems to be a very particular type of depression that dawns on creative people when their time-served deliberations are trivialised. There's this dreamlike mindset we enter when things are being made, and it can be immediately invalidated when real life invades and makes things bleak again.
This just confirmed that it takes time to find your fix for depression as an artist. I’m stumbling on mine as we speak I’m ready for that next level . Rick Rubin is definitely someone I look up too! Nice interview
A lot of artists I know, including myself, are dealing with depression. Some more than others, I am ok now. The main problem is that our country, Croatia, is a small market and with that also very unlikely to consume cultural/musical content due to lack of interest. Most artists I know either have shitty jobs, or basically live from gig to gig, which puts them at a high risk if an accident/ilness happens. We have no way out and it's only suffering if you wish to be an artist. We still do it for the love, but it hurts when you get nothing back.
Try to see how you can use the internet and focus on what you can control. Also seperate the work from the outcome and focus mostly on the work, that eases my mind and I know it's worked for others. Goodluck on the journey.
It's not just artists. I live in Canada, which brags about being the greatest country in the world, and people here are MISERABLE. I don't think I've ever met anyone in my life that hasn't had ECT, and life is tedious and insanely expensive.
artists are sensitive and go into their emotions. most other people block out their emotions. going into your emotions is a mixed bag ... they can be painful. but blocking them out can cause neurosis?
I love this. I wouldn’t take prescription medication for 10 years and suffered. I tried everything else and thought it worked at different times. It didn’t. Finally, I got on a medication that worked for me and I am a different person. I haven’t gotten off yet, maybe eventually I will of maybe I won’t. This doesn’t look the same for everyone.
So happy to hear Jenn, I was shocked when my antidepressents worked so well that I started loving the whole world... long story short I am probably bipolar lol.
Happy for you, ADs worked super well for me too. I eventually got off and I'm doing great but really if you feel good with them and you have little side effects there's not too much reasons to stop. Take care !
I am an artist. Ive always suffered from depression and other semi debilitating mental problems. But ill be honest, the mythos, aura, folklore of depressed artists also play into continuing to be depressed. Depression can become your identity. Mostly im not depressed now, and part of it was engaging in my creative outlets as a way to release some problems, trying to distance myself from my ego, and also, joining an MMA gym haha. So many artists think they MUST be sensitive people at all times, and doing the opposite...learning how to fight and strengthen myself physically and mentally did wonders. It helped a lot more than most other things I tried actually
I’m moved by Rick’s generosity in sharing these deeply personal experiences. It is extremely rare to hear about the struggle - mostly failures - that accompanies the search for a workable solution to severe clinical depression. The fight to find one’s way back to a social existence enabling them to work successfully can be literally harrowing, more severe than is normally told. Clinical depression remains a private illness for reasons that are mostly bad. It can be so debilitating and feel so hopeless that sufferers can’t find the strength to discuss their experience in the hope it will help someone else. It is typically an incurable disease that might be treatable - though at enormous cost to the patient’s health - if the patient is lucky; effectively cancer of the mind.
Having massive epiphanies felt like the little terminals in my brain fire up, its like i could feel it. that was after an extremely long terrible journey. Looking back on the fun easy going young guy was a great way to see who I'd become. Getting back to that great you is a great guide. You are the best guide for yourself. Just get the right tools for you to progress. Learn what doctors know if need be. It's fascinating
This is a very fascinating clip as in this age it is very true that there’s the general concept that artists may be more sensitive or prone to depression and here is someone super iconic touching on it
I’m so depressed right now and all I can think of is how to escape. It goes away for awhile for no reason, but in general I’m just existentially exhausted. I know nothing will solve it, which is why it exists. It’s a realization of life for what it really is + inability to distract from it. It’s just this constant reminder over and over and while most inside it you’re pretty paralyzed, it’s like weight lifting for creativity. When it clears or I can focus enough to create, I’m just in a different world than everyone else. You just can’t be there and also be normal. It’s awesome in here but being so estranged has consequences and sometimes I’m just so tired of it.
I was soooo against antidepressants for so long, but then I got MDD, on top of having dhysthymia, GA and ADHD… antidepressants ended up being my savior… treat yourself kindly and allow yourself to get the best treatment, it will change your life!
Cymbalta, although when I do decide to go off it it’s not going to be fun. But imo well worth it for the intense anxiety suppression. I tried Wellbutrin and stimulants on top of cymbalta but it just made me more anxious. I also did a ton of self work, therapy, you name it..
For anyone watching this and struggling - please, keep going. I’m not sure that I can give any solid advice on the topic of mental health - I’m learning as I go myself - but please, persevere.
I may not be famous. But I’m an artist that struggles deeply with depression. I always told people I wanted to be like Rick Rubin when I grow up to. Oddly enough.
Hearing anyone famous talk about therapy is so bittersweet. It puts a face to the problem which is nice but how they help solve it is so frustrating because we normal people don’t have near the tools they have to help fix it.
Good to know I'm not alone in my fight against depression, that some of the biggest names in entertainment struggle as well. Unfortunately, it's hard to get the help Rubin found due to money or circumstance or both.
@@lastofthemohicans4665 Master your self control and discipline , dont use alcohol , dont smoke , eat well , sleep well , dont hang around with negative people who cant see the big picture , run , do your thing , do little training every morning before you do anything else , be best version of you , literally , get rid off po*n , see the bigger picture all the time and you gonna notice that nothing can beat you . greetings from Finnish viking bro be humble and respectfull , be smarter than others , be true leader
@@lastofthemohicans4665 people should stop running away from their feelings , depression and anxiety are good teachers , if you are ready to dive in to that pain , you are winner , everyone running away with medicine and alcohol and everything else , but they missing the key point , they are not ready to dive in to that pain , thats why they never win , they sitting and eating junkfood all day long eating medicine . you have to be strong and face your problems , its the only way .
I’m a musician diagnosed with multiple mental illnesses and I have a lot of recording to do for my records and I’m dealing with yet another incident similar to Rubins and it’s affecting me to the point where it’s sucking out my passion.
I am an artist with Major Depressive Disorder; weening off my latest med because of side effects; all the meds I’ve tried have had terrible side effects. Ready to give up and succumb to it.
When I realised this it was liberating in a way, but also fucked me up in a major way. If you know everything is just a story you choose to believe in, how do I function in a world where I have to be assertive and stand for my opinions?
@@TheCryptoRealm.Decentralized hmm ok .. but still, how do you negotiate or convince people in debates, or in real life situations where you want things to do a particular way ... Often when I am in such situations I find myself questioning the very basis of the thing I am asserting/defending
@@vivekteega I ain't no Saint but maybe that's the point. If everything is actually just a concept what is there to fight for or truely believe in. I hear you, we want what's right for all. I just don't know if that's achievable in this world. This world I think is the opportunity for ultimate truth but it depends on the individual and if there ready. The world to me is a place for us to find the truth but we can't take everybody along for the ride. The world exists so at each individual's pace can have the opportunity for the discovery of truth. Such deep convo lol
I wonder if he’s referring to the moment in his career after he worked on that Metallica record, and everybody around the world was complaining about how shitty it sounded. Like, literally millions of people were talking so much shit about how terrible and distorted it sounded.
I think the narrative of “depression is the artists fuel” is slightly incorrect. To me, in my experience, it’s less to do with depression and more to do with the attempt to get out of it. Wanting to feel human and feel the world, creating in those responses, is what makes the great art- depression is just a byproduct of anyone spending too much time analyzing reality rather than experiencing it. Art and the act of creating it is meant to relive the experience, not the fantasy.
I can tell you this: which one is the first? Chicken or the egg? Well I became a musician because I felt "different". Decades later it turned out I am suffering from depression and anxiety disorder. Insomnia too.
One time I was depressed, and I started writing songs and lyrics, and so I thought to myself that I needed that pain......so I started recording and named the band Sublime Suffering
@@tiagoribeiro885He means they sell their feelings. So poets, writers, musicians and so on tap into their feelings to produce art that is profitable. Well, some of them. The ones you see become internationally famous, filthy rich, etc. Obviously some people write poems in their journals and never share. Still art. Just not the pimping/selling of said art/feelings.
🤔 I would’ve thought a Psychic Pharmacologist would recommend an Assisted Psilocybin Session for Depression, rather than the traditional Psychmed Antidepressants.
@@paddygreen3266 mdma was able to let me regain the state of mind I had as a child/young teen before I started to feel depressed. Sadly it was shortlived since it only lasted for 3 or 4 days but during that time I was able to feel good and look at things with an interested look that I had lost for a long time. I'm sure it could be beneficial for some given that the right doseage is applied. Psilocybin also had the same effect but it only lasted for the duration of the "high". It's nice to know this substances are being experimented with, there seems to be alot of potential to improve the wellbeing of individuals suffering from mental disease
Or sensitivity is our super power, how we create. Author, speaker Eric Maisel has a lot that helps: "Make meaning every day". Abraham Hicks: "Reach for the better feeling thought."
I'm really confused about how to define depression. Feels like a blanket term. Maybe this is too harsh, and maybe I'm wrong and being too hard... but I feel that for some people, their depression is a result of having really bad values: if you're an artist and you're desperately seeking fame and attention, that's disastrous for your mental health... Nobody talks about this. There's many artist that create for other reasons, of course, but nobody talks about this. And yet... I've met people whose depression feels like a biological disorder that they have to deal with regardless of their psychology/ values. So yeah, I'm really confused about what this term means... *I'd love to discuss/ debate this with people
You can get yourself into a big self pity spiral that I think some people would considered depression. Being extremely disappointed with your life and feeling hopeless can seem like depression and yeah there's a lot of personal choices and attitude issues that can affect that. I experience that stuff to a heightened level sometimes and have over the years developed ways of adjusting my perspective and just getting out of my own head which helps but there is something else much darker that can happen a sort of black veil that covers everything a feeling of emptiness, pointlessness, nothing brings pleasure, activities that you usually enjoy or even love become unbearably tedious and it takes every effort you can muster just to get out of bed and eat something. There's a pain that cannot find relief and it can be physical pain, a constricing weight on your chest. Sometimes it seems to just land on you out of nowhere and sometimes there's an event, like heartbreak that will trigger a sort of emotional avalanche, where you don't only suffer the heartbreak but every painful memory or trauma you've ever had comes crashing into your psyche all at once. Everyone I know who suffers from depression including myself experience it in different ways and at a different levels. Sometimes you need medication, sometimes talk therapy and sometimes you can just wait it out.
Of course they're seeking fame and recognition, that's how you become wealthy. Why would a person with an artistic nature, a person who's mind craves creativity and inspiration, ever want to work for a living? Working is for the fucking birds. It's heartbreakingly tedious and soul-crushing. But, you can buy THINGS that prove you're better than everybody else! Look at "Joe", he's HARD-WORKING, look how big his house is, he has a later-model BMW, and he always has the latest smartphone. Why would an artist ever care about that shit? You have to become famous to become wealthy so you aren't stuck in the futile, tedious grind of working for a living just to brag about stupid material possessions. Artists are primarily motivated by love for what they produce, not what they consume, so working like a dog just to buy things probably isn't the primary drive in their lives like it is for normal people.
It's so weird to hear people talk about going _through_ a depression. I've been chronically depressed since I was around 12, so 30 years or so. I can't even fathom feeling "ok" for longer than a few hours. It's just an integral part of my personality at this point. Medications and therapy haven't helped either. It's gotta be cool to be able to come out of the other side of something like that and that's awesome. But for me it's like, I don't even know that another side even exists or what that would entail. All I know is this.
@@lizrogers4127 Yeah, I saw the Fantastic Fungi documentary and I was pretty intrigued by the 2 people who were using mushrooms as part of therapy. I never tried legit psychedelics in HS. Never seemed to be in the right place at the right time when my friends were all experimenting. So, it's like I missed the boat. Ha.
Same here. When i have better days or weeks i'm just slighlty less depressed. I can live with that but these severe depression outbreaks are just killing me. (Pun intended).
@@jussi55 Yeah, the baseline is a persistent overall malaise/melancholy with _occasional_ moments of joy, even a kind of short-lived (few hours tops) mania but much more often bouts of extended, nearly unbearable solid depression. Anyway, I know them feels man, completely 🙏
@@spacevspitch4028 Yeah that's how it is. It's kind of nice to know there is someone who's depression is just like mine. I'm so sorry. I don't know how you have managed to live that long with this awful disease. Me and the people around you are obviously happy that you are still here. Personally I have always known I'm not gonna see my thirties. I'm only 24 and now i'm certain it won't ever change for the better. But it's okay, it's better to burn out than to fade away, as they say.
Rick Rubin is probably about as close to a Shamin as western society can produce. He's a guide, a musical monk. Content to help others find the light through the medicine called music and art.
as much as depression sucks, it has given us some amazing music. an example, deftones self-titled. so dark, so deprssive. but so authentic and beautiful at the same time.
Well put! I could say the same thing about How Far Shallow Takes You, from the Canadian punk band Gob. Very dark and brooding, but *incredibly* well-done.
I feel pain too and no one what to understand. I used to work in a factory. Sorting out mine claims to proses them. I said so of the claim will be not made because we've not do our jobs well. The proper order with name. Mixing up thier data. I asked how many companies had done this before. I was told we are the third company to deal with this issue. It's pain me greatly because I have a mens life in my hands. He worked under the ground and he now dieding of cool dust in his lungs. The contract finishes. I still remember the pain I felt for a man I don't know. Thier a balanced in work life. Away feel like that to me
O Allah (The One God), I seek refuge with You from anxiety, and sorrow, and weakness, and laziness, and miserliness, and cowardice, and the burden of debts and from being overpowered by men.
Like many people I used to express myself trought art but too many demons appeared and I had to stop. I got scared of going deeper in that hole. Like the screams in my head were now into sound. It may sound stupid but I still remember that moment. It was more the sound that the song itself. Maybe it was just bad mixing I dont know. Can someone tell me if they ever felt that? Like a painter that cant watch his own paintings.
Apparently it's pretty rare for artists to enjoy their own art. I mean, they like to create it and perform it, but for something like recorded music, they rarely listen to their own albums. No point when they actually perform it.
The ol’ tortured artist trope. Makes depression sound like only the coolest people have it. But in reality it’s not fun and there’s nothing cool or sexy about it.
@@Ek0 That's typically true though as artist are generally more sensitive. I see where you and the OP are getting at and yes it's not right to use blanket statements when talking about mental health issues but what he said has some truth to it and also could be viewed as cliche or a trope. Historically though all the best artists in history derived their art from a painful place. Even Bob Ross , one of the nicest, seemingly happy people ever was inspired by the mountains he saw in Alaska during his time in the Air Force fighting in Vietnam. Idk, to each their own, i can see it both ways.
I'm a ceative person from Belgium..exuse me my 'French' LOL!.. I'm recovering from a depression..due to work and personel-problems in the family... but I get great releaf out of being 'creative' ..playing music on guitar...making disigns..etc.. The thing is..creative-persons are more sensitive to the worlds great problems...but they don't count when it comes to the ' moneytising-thing'...
Rick, try swimming, then try swimming like an otter, twirling and swirling, playfully, gently making love with the water. It really is the best therapy there is. Best done alone where you can be free to just twirl and swirl as you like.
There are some who have turned their backs on the path of freedom for want of self-discipline, and yet they have determined to enjoy the fruits of freedom. If you would have the reward of the path of freedom, you must understand that there is a process that is called for, a very natural process like the transformation of the wheat or the kneading of the dough-the cycles of life itself. The essential ingredient is always the individual and his sacred labor. The process is the alchemy of God forming and reforming himself within you.
Strumming a guitar or following a beat doesnt make you more sensible. They are just like anyone out there. Hang out with musicians and find out how "special" they are.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
I’ve always considered Rubin a one of a kind talent who seems super zen. This helps a lot. For someone in shoes to admit to depression is very helpful to the rest of us. Glad he is doing better.
I’m a musician and having a chronic depression. Depression is not a source of creativity - it is exactly opposite. Having a stratergy to get out of depression is one key to the successful artists and composers.
Some people can work just fine through a depressive period but others are too broken to really function. It’s just a matter of feeling deeply and honestly that leads to much great work. You don’t necessarily have to be depressed to get to that state
For me, meditation was really helping. Ironically, when you give up everything in your mind, new hope comes.
But don’t give up anything actually - like friendship, achievement and money. If you feel like it is a cheating, surrender to that feeling too,, endless forgiving only in your mind.
I really think it depends on the artist & the mode of expression. Kurt Cobain had clinical depression and he was depressed during his success. His lyrics also displayed his mental illness at times.
@@loveinthematrix Yeah as long as you can keep functioning. Having a depressed mood can be helpful for writing songs. If your depression suppresses your function and creativity, it is time to get out.
Artists are ppl who know they dont belong yet somehow stick around and attempt to carve out a life worth living. Life is a trench for most of them but there are a fortunate few who are so inspired, talented and tenacious that they rise above it all.
Tenacious... that's the one I think I lack.
@kazielbonn most artists in fairness
I know Lex is really hard on himself but he is honestly the most important “podcaster” in the world. His ability to ask these deep questions is stunning. Thank you so much Lex
You clearly have never seen the Joey Diaz podcast 😂
Jre is the goat MJ, Lex is Kobe
that’s a stretch
@@fucuszullanti7877 please name others
@@WARSfate roe jogan cuz of his massive platform
Thank God I'm not depressed anymore. You don't know how bad it is until you experience it.
Some people want it
@@Pabloesc571 No they don't they're stuck in it because it's very severe.
@@devilsoffspring5519 yes they do before they are really depressed. Its a fact bro
@@devilsoffspring5519 and i said SOME btw
glad you're on the other side my friend
This is true. I’ve known artists who take this too far and choose to live in misery, who choose to just keep suffering and feeling “woe is me” .
I’ve been there too.
I suffer because I feel everything so deeply, and that is most definitely a blessing and a curse. But I see it 100x more as a blessing. I can work with my proclivity towards sadness and negative emotions. I just work on being more grateful and present. Every year i get better and better.
I’m a very stubborn person. I’ve dealt with some form of depression all my life. I don’t take pills or see shrinks. I’ve read tons of books and had lots of great conversations with people. I’ve accepted this other side of myself and try to practice perfect balance. Some days your going to be sad and that’s OK. ❤️👍✌️
I used to take Zoloft. It worked. At _first._ Then I became just...dulled. No highs, no lows, no emotion whatsoever. I weaned myself off the stuff, but it took MONTHS, and I could literally feel little "explosions" popping off in my brain. Emotions came back but the sadness was the most profound. As a "woman of a certain age" _that_ didn't help either. Now, I try to eat right, take helpful supplements, try to get enough sleep, and like you, realize that this is something I just have to live with, as it runs in my family. It's hard to describe to others if they don't have it.
That’s NOT depression. The real depression is something you can’t deal with “shrinks” books and conversations. I hope your comment doesn’t trigger people with real depression who are still struggling with this terrible DISEASE.
@@MWM-mz9tr my family has dealt with REAL depression ALL our lives, my sister killed her self when she was 15. Don’t think you know someone. What I have done to deal with my depression doesn’t work for everyone, each case is different.
Respect. Living with it is hard but strengthening. 💙
@@MWM-mz9tr some people with real depression can “man up” don’t over generalize
Two pure, genuine souls. Love to see it
I think the daily rat race to pay the monthly bills is a huge progenitor of depression for the plebe class. Not being able to get out of the cage and breathe is suffocating….😞
@Trev, how can one relax and enjoy life when worries of keeping shelter and eating are constantly yelling in your minds ear?
Yeah try being homeless
That rat race provide people a goal in life too. A goal that forces them to get off the rumination and act on a daily basis. It would be interesting to see the ratio of wealthy people and depression and see if there is any difference with people struggling to make ends meet. There's a study showing that money only has a great impact in your life when you go from nothing to cover your basic needs. After that, all the shit you have inside is exactly the same with an empty account or with a garage full of lamborghinis
nailed it.
Do not agree, sure life can cause sadness but not clinical depression.
My depression went away after going off antidepressants. I had tried them all. The medication kept me sick, made me unable to become well. Wow what a joy to be released finally from depression!
Did you ever have depression?
@@loganknapp7694 Did you ever write this comment.
@@loganknapp7694 Did you ever watch this video.
I can't judge due to depression being so complex, and I honestly believe no one would choose to be depressed having delt with it myself. It is unfortunate that there are people that have unsuccessful dealings with medication therapies like yourself. Personally I have had good and bad dealings with medications such as mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. Don't feel put down by people who say that you were never depressed because you didn't react positively to antidepressents, psychiatry is so complex and the working models for these medications are largely based on observations of patients rather than actual understandings of the mechanisms involved. People don't realise that depression can be caused by man things, so what works for one depressed person certainly won't work for everybody. For example, I was diagnosed with depression and given SSRI antidepressants which worked fairly quickly until I was so euphoric I started staying up for multiple days. As it turned out I am more likely bipolar rather than depressed but it goes to show that psychiatry is largely guesswork and trial and error.
@@mathiaskovendy7292 Psychiatry knows far less than the general public thinks they do. You may not be bipolar. The drugs may have made you manic.
There seems to be a very particular type of depression that dawns on creative people when their time-served deliberations are trivialised.
There's this dreamlike mindset we enter when things are being made, and it can be immediately invalidated when real life invades and makes things bleak again.
This just confirmed that it takes time to find your fix for depression as an artist. I’m stumbling on mine as we speak I’m ready for that next level . Rick Rubin is definitely someone I look up too! Nice interview
Press on brother
A lot of artists I know, including myself, are dealing with depression. Some more than others, I am ok now. The main problem is that our country, Croatia, is a small market and with that also very unlikely to consume cultural/musical content due to lack of interest. Most artists I know either have shitty jobs, or basically live from gig to gig, which puts them at a high risk if an accident/ilness happens.
We have no way out and it's only suffering if you wish to be an artist. We still do it for the love, but it hurts when you get nothing back.
Try to see how you can use the internet and focus on what you can control.
Also seperate the work from the outcome and focus mostly on the work, that eases my mind and I know it's worked for others.
Goodluck on the journey.
It's not just artists. I live in Canada, which brags about being the greatest country in the world, and people here are MISERABLE. I don't think I've ever met anyone in my life that hasn't had ECT, and life is tedious and insanely expensive.
artists are sensitive and go into their emotions.
most other people block out their emotions.
going into your emotions is a mixed bag ... they can be painful.
but blocking them out can cause neurosis?
Rick Rubin is a great human being!
FACTS!
He worked with Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell. Thank you Rick and may both Chris and Chester rest in peace. No one sings like you anymore.
I love this. I wouldn’t take prescription medication for 10 years and suffered. I tried everything else and thought it worked at different times. It didn’t. Finally, I got on a medication that worked for me and I am a different person. I haven’t gotten off yet, maybe eventually I will of maybe I won’t. This doesn’t look the same for everyone.
So happy to hear Jenn, I was shocked when my antidepressents worked so well that I started loving the whole world... long story short I am probably bipolar lol.
Happy for you, ADs worked super well for me too. I eventually got off and I'm doing great but really if you feel good with them and you have little side effects there's not too much reasons to stop. Take care !
What Anti Depressant worked for you Jennifer?
A beautiful sensitive man. Pleasure listening to this dude
He’s right ..that first hard depression spell changes ya..i was real wild ..It grounded me and chilled me out..-to live is to suffer -
"How did you get out of it?"
"I was very rich."
I am an artist. Ive always suffered from depression and other semi debilitating mental problems. But ill be honest, the mythos, aura, folklore of depressed artists also play into continuing to be depressed. Depression can become your identity. Mostly im not depressed now, and part of it was engaging in my creative outlets as a way to release some problems, trying to distance myself from my ego, and also, joining an MMA gym haha. So many artists think they MUST be sensitive people at all times, and doing the opposite...learning how to fight and strengthen myself physically and mentally did wonders. It helped a lot more than most other things I tried actually
Anxiety/Depression medicine has some rough side effects sometimes but can make a huge difference in your life when you find the right one.
Until you become resistant to them.
They really should only be used as a temporary solution.
Right one: Ketamine
Lol jk, I meant Molly.
Carnivore diet
do drugs that existed before the nixxon drug war
@@colbey79 if this was a Rogan interview he would’ve butted in with that question
I’m moved by Rick’s generosity in sharing these deeply personal experiences. It is extremely rare to hear about the struggle - mostly failures - that accompanies the search for a workable solution to severe clinical depression. The fight to find one’s way back to a social existence enabling them to work successfully can be literally harrowing, more severe than is normally told.
Clinical depression remains a private illness for reasons that are mostly bad. It can be so debilitating and feel so hopeless that sufferers can’t find the strength to discuss their experience in the hope it will help someone else. It is typically an incurable disease that might be treatable - though at enormous cost to the patient’s health - if the patient is lucky; effectively cancer of the mind.
Great as always Lex..Rick seems like a good honest dude…
this was one guest I was not expecting to see on lex but man am I excited for this interview
"...and nothing seemed to have an impact..." That´s the worst feeling
Having massive epiphanies felt like the little terminals in my brain fire up, its like i could feel it. that was after an extremely long terrible journey. Looking back on the fun easy going young guy was a great way to see who I'd become. Getting back to that great you is a great guide. You are the best guide for yourself. Just get the right tools for you to progress. Learn what doctors know if need be. It's fascinating
This is a very fascinating clip as in this age it is very true that there’s the general concept that artists may be more sensitive or prone to depression and here is someone super iconic touching on it
I’m so depressed right now and all I can think of is how to escape. It goes away for awhile for no reason, but in general I’m just existentially exhausted. I know nothing will solve it, which is why it exists. It’s a realization of life for what it really is + inability to distract from it. It’s just this constant reminder over and over and while most inside it you’re pretty paralyzed, it’s like weight lifting for creativity. When it clears or I can focus enough to create, I’m just in a different world than everyone else. You just can’t be there and also be normal. It’s awesome in here but being so estranged has consequences and sometimes I’m just so tired of it.
I was soooo against antidepressants for so long, but then I got MDD, on top of having dhysthymia, GA and ADHD… antidepressants ended up being my savior… treat yourself kindly and allow yourself to get the best treatment, it will change your life!
What antidepressant saved you?
Cymbalta, although when I do decide to go off it it’s not going to be fun. But imo well worth it for the intense anxiety suppression. I tried Wellbutrin and stimulants on top of cymbalta but it just made me more anxious. I also did a ton of self work, therapy, you name it..
For anyone watching this and struggling - please, keep going. I’m not sure that I can give any solid advice on the topic of mental health - I’m learning as I go myself - but please, persevere.
Just believe in yourself an don't listen to others..they do not know you! . 🙂
Thanks for sharing Rick. Happy you’re back in balance.
I may not be famous. But I’m an artist that struggles deeply with depression. I always told people I wanted to be like Rick Rubin when I grow up to. Oddly enough.
@Dan Moodie as charming as Rick may be, it was his accomplishments as far as scouting talent goes that I admired.
Hearing anyone famous talk about therapy is so bittersweet. It puts a face to the problem which is nice but how they help solve it is so frustrating because we normal people don’t have near the tools they have to help fix it.
Yeah, it's nice to know that a famous person who's rich and famous is miserable, that means I'm REALLY screwed.
That vulnerability and loss of confidence is sometimes terrifying.
Thanks for your honesty, Rick!
Good to know I'm not alone in my fight against depression, that some of the biggest names in entertainment struggle as well. Unfortunately, it's hard to get the help Rubin found due to money or circumstance or both.
Training / running is the best cure for the depression .
Gratitude plus running are unbeatable
@@lastofthemohicans4665 Master your self control and discipline , dont use alcohol , dont smoke , eat well , sleep well , dont hang around with negative people who cant see the big picture , run , do your thing , do little training every morning before you do anything else , be best version of you , literally , get rid off po*n , see the bigger picture all the time and you gonna notice that nothing can beat you . greetings from Finnish viking bro be humble and respectfull , be smarter than others , be true leader
@@lastofthemohicans4665 allways see the bigger picture bro , allways
@@lastofthemohicans4665 people should stop running away from their feelings , depression and anxiety are good teachers , if you are ready to dive in to that pain , you are winner , everyone running away with medicine and alcohol and everything else , but they missing the key point , they are not ready to dive in to that pain , thats why they never win , they sitting and eating junkfood all day long eating medicine . you have to be strong and face your problems , its the only way .
@@Gentlemanclub5 how to tell someone you never had real depression (I don’t talk about being depressed, I talk about depression) without telling
I’m a musician diagnosed with multiple mental illnesses and I have a lot of recording to do for my records and I’m dealing with yet another incident similar to Rubins and it’s affecting me to the point where it’s sucking out my passion.
I am an artist with Major Depressive Disorder; weening off my latest med because of side effects; all the meds I’ve tried have had terrible side effects. Ready to give up and succumb to it.
It's amazing what you can find on the internet.
I need to start thinking about this stuff
Very thoughtful and insightful content, always. Thank you.
I have really, really, enjoyed this interview. Thanks Lex
That's the exact reason why I feel like that now.
Everything is a concept it depends wich illusion u want to believe in. Set urself free. Think about it.
When I realised this it was liberating in a way, but also fucked me up in a major way. If you know everything is just a story you choose to believe in, how do I function in a world where I have to be assertive and stand for my opinions?
@@vivekteega the way I see it is the world will always have it's problems, this is just a place to solve ur own problems.
@@TheCryptoRealm.Decentralized hmm ok .. but still, how do you negotiate or convince people in debates, or in real life situations where you want things to do a particular way ... Often when I am in such situations I find myself questioning the very basis of the thing I am asserting/defending
@@vivekteega I ain't no Saint but maybe that's the point. If everything is actually just a concept what is there to fight for or truely believe in. I hear you, we want what's right for all. I just don't know if that's achievable in this world. This world I think is the opportunity for ultimate truth but it depends on the individual and if there ready. The world to me is a place for us to find the truth but we can't take everybody along for the ride. The world exists so at each individual's pace can have the opportunity for the discovery of truth.
Such deep convo lol
People with creative brains feel stronger emotions
I wonder if he’s referring to the moment in his career after he worked on that Metallica record, and everybody around the world was complaining about how shitty it sounded. Like, literally millions of people were talking so much shit about how terrible and distorted it sounded.
Isn't that all Metallica, tho?
I think the narrative of “depression is the artists fuel” is slightly incorrect. To me, in my experience, it’s less to do with depression and more to do with the attempt to get out of it. Wanting to feel human and feel the world, creating in those responses, is what makes the great art- depression is just a byproduct of anyone spending too much time analyzing reality rather than experiencing it. Art and the act of creating it is meant to relive the experience, not the fantasy.
I can tell you this: which one is the first? Chicken or the egg? Well I became a musician because I felt "different". Decades later it turned out I am suffering from depression and anxiety disorder. Insomnia too.
Does anyone know what antidepressant he took?
One time I was depressed, and I started writing songs and lyrics, and so I thought to myself that I needed that pain......so I started recording and named the band Sublime Suffering
Artists pimp their feelings u gotta just create from a healthy and real place
Hum can you put it in other words? What do you mean by pimping feeling? I can understand something about it
@@tiagoribeiro885He means they sell their feelings. So poets, writers, musicians and so on tap into their feelings to produce art that is profitable. Well, some of them. The ones you see become internationally famous, filthy rich, etc. Obviously some people write poems in their journals and never share. Still art. Just not the pimping/selling of said art/feelings.
🤔 I would’ve thought a Psychic Pharmacologist would recommend an Assisted Psilocybin Session for Depression, rather than the traditional Psychmed Antidepressants.
They don't want you to be better.
Or ketamine therapy. That’s even more accessible.
Depends on the diagnosis. Some war veterans are being treated with mdma atm
@@paddygreen3266 mdma was able to let me regain the state of mind I had as a child/young teen before I started to feel depressed. Sadly it was shortlived since it only lasted for 3 or 4 days but during that time I was able to feel good and look at things with an interested look that I had lost for a long time. I'm sure it could be beneficial for some given that the right doseage is applied. Psilocybin also had the same effect but it only lasted for the duration of the "high". It's nice to know this substances are being experimented with, there seems to be alot of potential to improve the wellbeing of individuals suffering from mental disease
Try carnivore diet
Or sensitivity is our super power, how we create. Author, speaker Eric Maisel has a lot that helps: "Make meaning every day". Abraham Hicks: "Reach for the better feeling thought."
I'm really confused about how to define depression. Feels like a blanket term.
Maybe this is too harsh, and maybe I'm wrong and being too hard... but I feel that for some people, their depression is a result of having really bad values: if you're an artist and you're desperately seeking fame and attention, that's disastrous for your mental health... Nobody talks about this. There's many artist that create for other reasons, of course, but nobody talks about this.
And yet... I've met people whose depression feels like a biological disorder that they have to deal with regardless of their psychology/ values.
So yeah, I'm really confused about what this term means...
*I'd love to discuss/ debate this with people
You can get yourself into a big self pity spiral that I think some people would considered depression. Being extremely disappointed with your life and feeling hopeless can seem like depression and yeah there's a lot of personal choices and attitude issues that can affect that.
I experience that stuff to a heightened level sometimes and have over the years developed ways of adjusting my perspective and just getting out of my own head which helps but there is something else much darker that can happen a sort of black veil that covers everything a feeling of emptiness, pointlessness, nothing brings pleasure, activities that you usually enjoy or even love become unbearably tedious and it takes every effort you can muster just to get out of bed and eat something. There's a pain that cannot find relief and it can be physical pain, a constricing weight on your chest. Sometimes it seems to just land on you out of nowhere and sometimes there's an event, like heartbreak that will trigger a sort of emotional avalanche, where you don't only suffer the heartbreak but every painful memory or trauma you've ever had comes crashing into your psyche all at once. Everyone I know who suffers from depression including myself experience it in different ways and at a different levels. Sometimes you need medication, sometimes talk therapy and sometimes you can just wait it out.
Of course they're seeking fame and recognition, that's how you become wealthy.
Why would a person with an artistic nature, a person who's mind craves creativity and inspiration, ever want to work for a living? Working is for the fucking birds. It's heartbreakingly tedious and soul-crushing. But, you can buy THINGS that prove you're better than everybody else! Look at "Joe", he's HARD-WORKING, look how big his house is, he has a later-model BMW, and he always has the latest smartphone.
Why would an artist ever care about that shit? You have to become famous to become wealthy so you aren't stuck in the futile, tedious grind of working for a living just to brag about stupid material possessions. Artists are primarily motivated by love for what they produce, not what they consume, so working like a dog just to buy things probably isn't the primary drive in their lives like it is for normal people.
Lol the grind of making things helped me out of that hole. That and realizing I can talk to my bros about this stuff
Well it definitely helps when you are rich to get all kinds of different help.
Yes it does. If you have to work for a living you're probably fucked.
I wish I had the answers for us. But my only advice if ur in it deep is keep faith. It gets worse before it gets bett r
love to see this guy with a total makeover, fingers crossed
His hair looks intentional, nobody wakes up with hair pointing out like that on both sides.
Random question: does anyone know (perhaps from another interview) which antidepressant he took?
pure cocaine
They say depression will be the # 1 health crises by 2030
It's so weird to hear people talk about going _through_ a depression. I've been chronically depressed since I was around 12, so 30 years or so. I can't even fathom feeling "ok" for longer than a few hours. It's just an integral part of my personality at this point. Medications and therapy haven't helped either. It's gotta be cool to be able to come out of the other side of something like that and that's awesome. But for me it's like, I don't even know that another side even exists or what that would entail. All I know is this.
❤️ St johns wort And occasional magic mushroom integrations. 🙏🏽
@@lizrogers4127 Yeah, I saw the Fantastic Fungi documentary and I was pretty intrigued by the 2 people who were using mushrooms as part of therapy. I never tried legit psychedelics in HS. Never seemed to be in the right place at the right time when my friends were all experimenting. So, it's like I missed the boat. Ha.
Same here. When i have better days or weeks i'm just slighlty less depressed. I can live with that but these severe depression outbreaks are just killing me. (Pun intended).
@@jussi55 Yeah, the baseline is a persistent overall malaise/melancholy with _occasional_ moments of joy, even a kind of short-lived (few hours tops) mania but much more often bouts of extended, nearly unbearable solid depression.
Anyway, I know them feels man, completely 🙏
@@spacevspitch4028 Yeah that's how it is.
It's kind of nice to know there is someone who's depression is just like mine. I'm so sorry. I don't know how you have managed to live that long with this awful disease. Me and the people around you are obviously happy that you are still here. Personally I have always known I'm not gonna see my thirties. I'm only 24 and now i'm certain it won't ever change for the better.
But it's okay, it's better to burn out than to fade away, as they say.
Rick Rubin is probably about as close to a Shamin as western society can produce. He's a guide, a musical monk. Content to help others find the light through the medicine called music and art.
Stress is a choice reaction to circumstances. Try Yoga. Yoga is a union, connecting the Mind, Body and Spirit.
as much as depression sucks, it has given us some amazing music. an example, deftones self-titled. so dark, so deprssive. but so authentic and beautiful at the same time.
Well put! I could say the same thing about How Far Shallow Takes You, from the Canadian punk band Gob. Very dark and brooding, but *incredibly* well-done.
Shit time's don't last forever, tomorrow start the day with a different routine, walk, do something good for someone
i wonder what is that magic antidepressent. i'm afraid to go through adventure through different meds.
Thank you so very much..I can relate to this 💯🙏
Thanks
does anyone know what excerpt or book Rick is referencing of Jonathan Haidt’s?
The interviewer looks way more depressed than Rick.
Because Lex actually works
@@NessieAndrew Yeah, the countless albums Rick produced don't count as work.
@@chrisstegerean9429 Yes, art should not be work
Nessie Andrew work isn’t the right word
@@NessieAndrew lol savage
Rick would be a fun thought to the table coffee social member. Very captivating. I must know the end of his thoughts
I feel pain too and no one what to understand. I used to work in a factory. Sorting out mine claims to proses them. I said so of the claim will be not made because we've not do our jobs well. The proper order with name. Mixing up thier data. I asked how many companies had done this before. I was told we are the third company to deal with this issue. It's pain me greatly because I have a mens life in my hands. He worked under the ground and he now dieding of cool dust in his lungs. The contract finishes. I still remember the pain I felt for a man I don't know. Thier a balanced in work life. Away feel like that to me
Ok I’m listening
Great ❤ video.
This made me like Rick Rubin.
Sensitivity,double edged sword both for pain and pleasure.
O Allah (The One God), I seek refuge with You from anxiety, and sorrow, and weakness, and laziness, and miserliness, and cowardice, and the burden of debts and from being overpowered by men.
I loved that he used anti depressant and eventually wean off of it. 🙌
I'm a musician and depression is knowing all the best music has already been done....
Dig Deeper .
Like many people I used to express myself trought art but too many demons appeared and I had to stop. I got scared of going deeper in that hole. Like the screams in my head were now into sound. It may sound stupid but I still remember that moment. It was more the sound that the song itself. Maybe it was just bad mixing I dont know.
Can someone tell me if they ever felt that? Like a painter that cant watch his own paintings.
Apparently it's pretty rare for artists to enjoy their own art. I mean, they like to create it and perform it, but for something like recorded music, they rarely listen to their own albums. No point when they actually perform it.
Nothing made an impact - but that didn't stop them from taking your money
The ol’ tortured artist trope. Makes depression sound like only the coolest people have it. But in reality it’s not fun and there’s nothing cool or sexy about it.
I become depressed by romanticizing it, now Im in hell
He didn't say that nor did he make it sound cool or sexy.
@@f.d.6667 "Things that make an artist uncomfortable dont bother normal people" Please go back to school. FFS.
@@Ek0 That's typically true though as artist are generally more sensitive. I see where you and the OP are getting at and yes it's not right to use blanket statements when talking about mental health issues but what he said has some truth to it and also could be viewed as cliche or a trope. Historically though all the best artists in history derived their art from a painful place. Even Bob Ross , one of the nicest, seemingly happy people ever was inspired by the mountains he saw in Alaska during his time in the Air Force fighting in Vietnam. Idk, to each their own, i can see it both ways.
@@Ek0 Nothing he said conveys that he believes depression is cool or sexy though.
"Herbs"??
dude was lit.
love you
0:47 I want to know what was that comment !
"Hey, Rick, you left yer beard hair all over the console again!"
Beastie Boys Rock! Great vid..really happy to see a white, bright studio! Lex :)
when I have a depression I can't see 7 to 8 doctors a week. I'm struggling to catch even one appointment.
😂😂😂😂 i concur
I'm a ceative person from Belgium..exuse me my 'French' LOL!.. I'm recovering from a depression..due to work and personel-problems in the family... but I get great releaf out of being 'creative' ..playing music on guitar...making disigns..etc.. The thing is..creative-persons are more sensitive to the worlds great problems...but they don't count when it comes to the ' moneytising-thing'...
Rick, try swimming, then try swimming like an otter, twirling and swirling, playfully, gently making love with the water. It really is the best therapy there is. Best done alone where you can be free to just twirl and swirl as you like.
interesting advice 🥰
Haha, I’m the same way. Would listen to a good psychic over a doctor or ‘professional’ any day.
Wow I must be the next Michelangelo cause I’ve been horribly depressed for years. Hmu for soundcloud/mixtape.
#ROBINWILLIAMS.. NOT A ARTIST, but a GREAT ACTOR!! R.I.P😭😭
"I went to eight therapists" lol I wish
Yes!!! Thank you!!! 1Nation4Life
There are some who have turned their backs on the path of freedom for want of self-discipline, and yet they have determined to enjoy the fruits of freedom. If you would have the reward of the path of freedom, you must understand that there is a process that is called for, a very natural process like the transformation of the wheat or the kneading of the dough-the cycles of life itself. The essential ingredient is always the individual and his sacred labor. The process is the alchemy of God forming and reforming himself within you.
We’d all love to know the albums produced when he was on ssri lol
You become an artist because of depression.
Strumming a guitar or following a beat doesnt make you more sensible. They are just like anyone out there. Hang out with musicians and find out how "special" they are.