Singer-songwriter Chelsea Cutler spends much of her time on tour playing sold-out shows and making appearances around the world. Touring is something every artist dreams of, but the stress of everyday life took a serious toll on Cutler’s mental health early in her career. The Connecticut native hit a breaking point in the fall of 2019 when she began to resent touring. Cutler was 22 years old at the time and overwhelmed by the feelings of anguish and uncertainty that come with being in your twenties.
After the tour, Cutler took time to really focus on his mental health, meeting with therapists several times a week. Throughout this process, he learned that life’s lowest moments equip people with the necessary tools to move forward.
“Right now, there is still a general lack of autonomy among people who are struggling with their mental health. Therapy and psychiatry are not easily accessible, and many work environments are still more concerned with performance than employee well-being,” he explains. Cutler wants to use his platform to create positive change and drive a society that prioritizes mental health above all else. She told Billboard: “It’s always been important to me to be open about my mental health needs as well as my struggles because I want to be part of the big paradigm shift to a culture that prioritizes mental health over productivity.” .
For the past four years, Cutler has made a commitment to always put his mental health first and wants his experiences to help other struggling artists. Cutler 2021 Album, when i close my eyesfeatured vulnerable tracks like “Devil On My Shoulder” where he faced his struggles.
In the latest episode of Sound Mind’s Unmasked, Cutler talks about his journey with depression and shares some of the tools he’s learned in therapy. Unmasked was created by Sound Mind for artists to talk freely about their journey with mental health and be honest about the cost of touring.
Cutler credits his therapist for the change in his thinking and wants other struggling people to know that they can win their personal battles, too. He keeps detailed lists to help with productivity and stresses the importance of regular social activity. Cutler said, “Social activity is really important because your depression wants to isolate you and if you’re able to rationalize with yourself, that’s a distortion.”
Artists like Chelsea Cutler are extremely important in creating meaningful change around mental health in the music industry. Check out his episode of Unmasked and stay tuned for what’s to come from Sound Mind.
This content was created in collaboration with Sound Mind.
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