Mandy de Waal

A former broadcast journalist, Mandy de Waal spent twenty years in business before returning to her first love, writing. De Waal currently works as an editor,​ researcher,​ freelance writer and journalist. Published in Rolling Stone and The Guardian, de Waal has also written for Daily Maverick, Finweek, Mail & Guardian, City Press, Rapport, Moneyweb, Noseweek​ and MarkLives.com​. Twitter: @mandyldewaal Email: [email protected]

The Archetype Of The Suffering Artist Must Die

Posted on by Mandy de Waal

The underlying narrative of the stories of Van Gogh, Rimbaud, Kahlo, Beethoven countless other creatives underscores the archetype of the suffering artist which pervades and permeates the psyches of today’s creators and makers. The narrative goes like this: if you want to be a Van Gogh you’ve got to cut off your ear. You’ve got to suffer for your art.But there’s a new legion of creative thinkers who believe this is rubbish, and who are actively working to disrupt this paradigm.