in conversation with: JAKE HOWDEN

The Feels Club presents: Brainwaves & The Big Sad...
A mental health conversation project that speaks with musicians, artists, writers, entrepreneurs & multipotentialites alike  - to talk openly about their creative process & mental health.

This what singer/songwriter Jake Howden had to say... 

"I've been very lucky to only experience both depression & anxiety in small doses... most of that coming from comparing myself to others. I think the expanding age of technology we are living in is a huge contributor to mental health issues that young people are going through.

Everyone is on Instagram or Facebook seeing celebrities and even their friends 'living' unrealistic versions of life. And then we're all so quick to compare our own lives to these glorified snapshots... that's my take on it, and I feel like some people might be able to relate.

Of course, there's always that little voice in the back of your head telling you that you're not good enough and that you should just give up. I've always been a creative person, as a kid I loved to draw,
I loved art and I still do. Being a singer/songwriter going through a spurt of depression actually allows me to write better songs...
as shitty as that is, it's a weird reality that I think most people can relate to. Some of the best songs and pieces of art have come from the deepest, darkest places. And for that reason, for me personally it definitely fuels the fire. I genuinely need to be working creatively to be fulfilled... I worked in retail for 3 years and it was killing me.
It's so important I work creatively and that my brain is challenged, otherwise I just get bogged down and go through the motions in the worst possible way.

I guess for the most part it's hard for people to speak openly about mental health because they think they'll be looked down upon...
But more often than not the complete opposite! It's so important to speak openly about what you might be going through, it's equally important to be there and listen to someone else. The more people to speak and the more people who listen... the less taboo it becomes!  Hopefully one day speaking about mental health becomes as mainstream as Taylor Swift."