Nothing is more important than maintaining a healthy state of mind. However, it is certainly easier said than done.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we are shining a spotlight on the importance of mental health, as well as destroying the stigma that comes with discussing mental struggles.
Blake Bedsaul from SAUL is no stranger to emotional struggle. Just in the last year alone his house was sold, he had to take care of his newborn son, and leave his family for six weeks to go on tour with Atreyu.
“I had a breakdown on tour. I was like this is too much, I have to leave or I’m going to freak out.”
Blake talked about how artists are perceived, and why it’s dangerous to make assumptions about the mental health of musicians.
“The unfortunate thing is, you know as an artist people get the idea that artists are like, superhuman. They don’t do this, they’re just emotional on paper, they’re just emotional in songs. It’s like, that’s just not the way it is you know. Everybody’s dealing with life, and sometimes it’s real heavy.”
Blake opens up about the loss of his mother, and how he turned his grief into an emotional work of music.
“We wrote a song called ‘Us A.D.’ (us after death), and I wrote it from the perspective of my dad. I remember we were in dad’s house, mom’s on hospice and she’s laying there, and dad’s like it’s okay to go, it’s okay we’ll take care of each other. And… it’s in there.”
It is so inspiring to see these artists take trauma and tragedy, and find the light within to continue to keep moving forward. The full interview is available below.
