NOAH KAHAN Reveals His Battle with OCD & Anxiety - And What He’s Sharing for the First Time Ever
Noah Kahan opens up about the intersection of creativity and mental health, revealing a profound truth: the belief that suffering fuels art can become a prison. His journey teaches us that healing doesn't dull creativity—it actually unlocks it. The real breakthrough comes when you stop trying to man
1h 21mKey Takeaway
Noah Kahan opens up about the intersection of creativity and mental health, revealing a profound truth: the belief that suffering fuels art can become a prison. His journey teaches us that healing doesn't dull creativity—it actually unlocks it. The real breakthrough comes when you stop trying to manufacture vulnerability and instead create from wherever you truly are, even if that place is healthier than before.
Episode Overview
In this deeply personal conversation, singer-songwriter Noah Kahan discusses his upcoming album 'The Great Divide' and Netflix documentary 'Out of Body.' He explores the complex relationship between creativity and mental health, sharing how he navigated writer's block, imposter syndrome, and the fear that healing would diminish his artistic voice. Key themes include the isolation of creative struggle, the pressure of following up massive success, learning to be present in moments of achievement, and dismantling the myth that suffering is necessary for great art.
Key Insights
Creativity and Self-Worth Are Dangerously Intertwined
For creative people, what you do becomes who you are. When you can't express yourself creatively, it doesn't just feel like you're bad at your job—it feels like you're failing at being yourself. This makes creative struggles incredibly isolating because admitting you're stuck means admitting you're struggling with your core identity.
The Myth of Suffering as a Creative Requirement
Many artists internalize the belief that they must be unhealthy or in pain to create meaningful work, looking to tortured artists like Van Gogh as proof. This belief can delay seeking mental health support out of fear that healing will dull creativity. The truth is that you can access emotions without having to live in constant pain.
Trusting Every Thought Is Like Believing Everything You Read Online
We demand evidence for external claims but accept our anxious thoughts without question. This "anxious arrogance" assumes every thought we have must be correct, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where worrying about something makes it happen, then worrying about worrying compounds the problem.
You Can't Manufacture the Creative Process of Previous Success
Trying to reverse-engineer past creative success by analyzing what made it work turns art into mathematics. The pressure to follow up a hit by replicating the formula actually blocks creativity. The best advice from established artists: let go of perfection, accept that the process will be different, and create for that 8-year-old version of yourself who first picked up an instrument.
Reaching Out to Others Who've Been There Is Transformative
Opening up to other artists who've experienced similar struggles—even when your voice shakes on the phone—can make the clouds overhead part for a moment. Hearing "I get it, I went through that too" from someone you respect reminds you there's a path out, even if the problem isn't fixed yet.
Notable Quotes
"I always am thinking about it from like a how is this going to move my career forward? How do we market this? I don't know when you like start to be sentient to like who you are and what your music can represent to people, it can affect like the intention."
"I miss when it was just me and the guitar and like the only person in the world that was going to hear that song was maybe my mom."
"A lot of times as creative people, as writers, um actors, whatever podcasts, you feel like what you do is who you are. And when you're talking, what your job is is expressing yourself. You feel like when you can't express yourself, you're not good at your job and you're not good at satisfying this need to to let yourself out."
"I'm just now like trying to unwind this idea that I have to be unhealthy physically, um, or in pain in some emotional way in my life to create good music. Like, there has to be a way to access it without living it all the time."
"It's like a weird arrogance that everything you think has to be correct."
Action Items
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1
Document Your Creative Breakthroughs
When you complete something you're proud of, immediately write down everything you did to get there—the process, mindset, environment, and conditions. Keep this in a notes app or journal. When you face creative blocks later, review these notes not as a formula to repeat, but as evidence that you've navigated difficulty before.
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2
Question Your Anxious Thoughts Like Social Media Posts
When an anxious thought appears ("I'll never create anything good again"), treat it like a questionable social media claim. Ask: What evidence supports this? What evidence contradicts it? Would I believe this if someone else said it? This simple evidence-check interrupts the automatic acceptance of negative thoughts.
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3
Reach Out to Others Who've Navigated Similar Struggles
Identify people in your field who've publicly discussed going through creative blocks, burnout, or similar challenges. Reach out with specific questions about their experience. Even if your voice shakes, sharing your struggle with someone who understands can provide both validation and a roadmap forward.
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4
Create for Your Younger Self, Not Your Audience
When the pressure of expectations becomes paralyzing, shift your creative intention. Instead of asking "What will move my career forward?" or "What will people want?", ask "What would excite the version of me who first fell in love with this craft?" This reconnects you to intrinsic motivation rather than external validation.