Invisibility, Extreme Moods & Artistry of Bipolar Disorder

When you are invisible, does it really matter what folks see when they look at you? I feel that being in the midst of our own identities on manic highs or depressive lows, the world outside does not matter, not even the perceptions that are perceived. The art of invisibility is created in the most remote places of joy and pain and can only be expressed through unconventional mediums. The art world seeks to box-in each artist into a particular medium in which the art is channeled. For some artists, the medium is music for others it is painting, sculpting or photography. These mediums are exactly that, middle grounds, but who really needs mediums when there are extremes. The extremes of moods push the limits and boundaries of mediums, so much so new styles are liberated for expression.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Nina Simone, Phyllis Hyman, Tupac Shakur and Thelonious Monk, lived in the extremes of bipolar disorder. Their extremities were weaknesses that transpired into strength with new innovations of images, sound, soul and emotion infused in their works. Invisibility and extreme mood swings provided them a vortex and a portal to view and change the world from anonymous places not seen by the naked eye. The essential character in Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man (1953), migrated from one incident to next, mistakenly thinking people saw him in his entirely. This continued on until he realized that no matter what he did, or what face he showed, he was ultimately invisible and the only one who can see him was his self. He resorted to living a subterranean life beneath the streets of a city, singing the Louis Armstrong song, (What Did I Do to be so) Black and Blue.

In the study of paranormal activities and Extrasensory Perception (ESP), the medium is the space in between the living and the dead; a space which can be communicatively translated for each side to comprehend. It is a space that is unseen, yet known of by all, yet is only seen by the mediums and invisibles. We share the unseen identities in the mediums, channel and portals of moody expressions. Mental illnesses are invisible and carry a heavy burden because of the unseen sickness. Many people who do not see a cast, a broken limp, evidence of medical practices or an artificial apparatus attached the body; they assume nothing is wrong with the person. For us who live with extreme mood swings the depressive lows are easily recognizable, but the manic highs elude the world outside, because they are masked by the creative process.

It takes living with someone with bipolar manic/depressive disorder, to see the week-to-week, day to day and sometimes moment to moment mood changes. Even the closely watch are never seen and are only understood by other invisibles. Ironically, the extreme highs bring on such euphoria, who wants the mediums? Who wants to be contained in the mediums of art forms, we would rather push the limits of arts beyond its extremes and into new dimensions and directions.

Who really wants to be stuff between the living and not living daily? We would rather live life to its fullest of highs everyday than been trapped in its lonely woes. Who really wants to be visible to a world of stigmatization? We would rather be invisible than be concerned about perceived perceptions.