With the news of Kate Spade passing away, the discussion of mental illness has once again hit social media and the news. If you missed the headlines, Kate Spade, a designer who first made herself a household name with her beautiful and sophisticated bag designed, committed suicide in her New York apartment. If you look at the success of Kate Spade as a designer and an entrepreneur, her story was amazing, and she seemingly “had it all”. And the amount of people that just couldn’t understand why she would commit suicide, was astounding to me.
Just because someone “has it all” , doesn’t mean they’re 100% happy and healthy (I say healthy because mental wellbeing is just one of the many facets of being healthy). On the surface, Kate Spade had everything that people strive for—a successful business, the imagination that drove great creations, a husband, a child, money, and a great lifestyle. But that’s just it. Everything was on the surface. On the surface, everyone can look as though they “have it all”.
People can easily show the world that they have it all.
If you show enough snaps on social media that show you “living your best life”, or “with bae” or going out countless “vacayssss!”, you’re projecting an image that you have something that other people should want, or work towards. But behind the pictures, tweets, posts, success, relationships, and money, there is more to the story. This is especially true when it comes to creative minds that deal with mental illnesses.
As a highly creative person who also deals with depression and anxiety, I can only imagine how Kate Spade felt with her own depression and anxiety. If you’re in the public eye and people think you’re living on top of the world and have it all, it can be a façade that no one looks beyond to see the real person with real, raw human emotions.
No one takes the time to look past the projection of identity to the public. On a much smaller scale, I sometimes feel the same with blogging and being in the world of digital marketing. It’s funny how much time people spend crafting an online identity, and forgetting that people exist beyond the screen.
The other difficulty with being a creative with mental illness, is that people expect you to constantly be ON. There will always be people pushing for creatives to reinvent themselves, or come up with new ideas that put them a step ahead of the game. It’s a very stressful position to be in, no matter the scale, in addition to portraying a public image that embosoms your brand.
What Kate Spade’s Untimely Death Reminds Us
So now that Kate Spade, and even more recently, Chef Anthony Bourdain, have been found dead this week as a result of suicide, mental illness has been given the spotlight for a few social media minutes. And, those stories, have also drifted out of the limelight and people have moved on. These deaths remind us that mental illness is never given enough attention or care.
It’s awful to see that people really only notice the effects of mental illness the moment that people are gone. It’s a discussion that people have on their minds for a day or two when it’s fresh, and then continue on like it’s nothing.
In reality, I bet there are so many people in your own friend groups that are suffering silently with mental illnesses. I mean, if you think that TWO major celebrities have now passed this week alone because of their mental illnesses, imagine how many people you talk to every day are battling these same thoughts!
While you can’t spend every moment helping other people cope with their mental illnesses, it’s always good to check-in on people. Take time to ask people how they’re doing. Send people messages just letting them know that they’re important to you. It may just be the press that someone needs to start talking about what’s really going on. And yes, even talk to people that seem as though they “have it all”—because they too have a lot going on.
Moving Forward and Discussing Mental Illness
While I will always remember Kate Spade for being designer of one of my favourite brands, I will more so remember her for doing incredible things despite battling her own thoughts. I hope that people continue to talk about mental health beyond this time, and I hope that Kate Spade’s family is coping as best they can.
What are your thoughts? Leave them below and keep the discussion on mental illnesses going!
