Rick Springfield put out a Number 1 hit with his song "Jessie's Girl." It topped the charts in Australia and the United States. That hit earned him the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance but that's not the only thing behind the man. The decades-tenured musician Rick Springfield had long been suffering a mental health illness, one that he acquired since his adolescent years. Beneath it all, the man behind the music had been fighting off a disease that has affected millions of Americans, too. It may not be evident during his performances and interviews but he has been fighting that hidden and unseen disease for a long time. And he doesn't plan on losing to it.
He revealed his mental health to the public in his memoir back in 2010. "I try and channel my depression into a creative art, either writing or performing." Springfield explained to CNBC. "Channel your struggles to win," says Springfield. He believes in that line so much that he used it as his fuel and drive to succeed in his career.
While other artists and celebrities in the same industry use their background story or current life or love experiences as their inspiration for their songs and art, he uses a different approach. Christine Wang writes that his persistence is the key to fighting the disease and at the same time helped him stay prolific. He fuels his career with his own depression.
Are you also trying to make it in this industry? Take an advice from Rick who has been overcoming this mental challenge for years, and it's the same thing he tells his kids: "The three most important things are never give up, never give up, never give up."
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