Creativity and Being Well
with Jerome Doraisamy
image by Field
words by KaldorWhen Laws of Creativity meets Jerome Doraisamy, he’s not entirely at ease.
The obvious explanation is that he’s used to being on the other side of the questions. As a senior writer for Lawyers Weekly, Doraisamy is much more familiar with leading an interview – quizzing members of the profession for his articles and podcasts.
But there’s a far more long-standing explanation for the discomfort.
For Doraisamy, a tête-à-tête means being “put on the spot” and “feeling naked and vulnerable”. On the other hand, he is far more settled with written communication, because it enables him to “properly map out exactly what [he wants] to say”. As he puts it (eloquently, off the cuff, it must be said): “putting pen to paper – that's my domain. That's where I feel most in control.”
Doraisamy’s preference for being “considered and thoughtful” was reinforced by his training as a lawyer – and ultimately drew him to writing and journalism. (If only more journalists placed as much emphasis on these ideals...).
His clarity with the written word may even have saved his life.
When Doraisamy went through a major mental health crisis in his early twenties, his writing allowed him to express thoughts and feelings that felt too cloudy or raw to communicate in person. He has since drawn on this lived experience as the author of two successful books about wellness for students and young professionals.
As our conversation moves to mental health, Doraisamy’s wariness of verbal expression becomes less convincing. He is fluent, comfortable and passionate on the topic. This fluency is what it sounds like to have found the issue you care about – to find your voice, your creative outlet.
In Doraisamy’s experience, mental health and creativity have a powerful and volatile relationship: “I’ve always found that my best writing, my most emotive stuff, comes from when I'm in an incredibly sad mood.” He even admits that there have been times – not many – when he’s waited for gloom to strike before sitting down to write. In this dark image there are reflections of that long line of brilliant, but troubled, artists that have come and gone throughout history.
But that’s not a legacy he wants to continue. He now “appreciates and acknowledges” that “holistic health” comes first. He’s no longer willing to trade equanimity for the perfect passage: “if you are succeeding, but you're deeply unhappy, that’s not really a great trade off.” These days Doraisamy is more likely to seek out the harmony between wellbeing and success.
As our conversation moves to mental health, he becomes fluent, comfortable and passionate. This fluency is what it sounds like to have found the issue you care about – to find your voice, your creative outlet.
Until recently, there was one ingredient missing. Early in his career, Doraisamy recognised that traditional legal practice wasn’t the path for him. But leaving the law meant losing a valued community. He recalls how he spent about a year “working alone, living alone, single – that was really tough.” With Lawyers Weekly, he’s glad to have community around him again, especially one that is so closely connected to the legal profession. From this vantage point, he still feels that he’s “part of a profession that is so inextricably linked to the successful functioning of our society”.
“I have a third book in my head”, Doraisamy says at one point – and Laws of Creativity wonders whether he will later feel he was “put on the spot” with this comment. Whenever that book comes, we can be confident it will be thoughtful and considered – and, most importantly, written by a happy, healthy author.
Jerome Doraisamy is a senior writer for Lawyers Weekly and Wellness Daily. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, an adjunct lecturer at the University of Western Australia and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.