Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Living abroad as an artist can be exciting: new cultures, new opportunities, and often, a fast track to personal growth and artistic evolution. But it can also bring unexpected emotional challenges: isolation, pressure, creative blocks, or a sense of disconnection.
In this honest conversation, psychologist Leigh Matthews shares insights on what it really means to navigate mental health while building a creative life far from home. We discuss how artists abroad can stay creative while facing difficulties, and how those very struggles can shape a deeper, more authentic version of their work and self.
π©ββοΈ Leigh Matthews is an Australian psychologist who moved to Barcelona in 2011 and started Therapy in Barcelona to support English-speaking expats. Leigh also shares free resources and workshops to support mental health abroad. π therapyinbarcelona.com
π Read Leigh's blog: therapyinbarcelona.com/mental-health-and-creativity-in-transition-therapy-for-artists-living-abroad
π TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
00:42 Mental health overseas
05:34 Successful artists
10:39 Where you can thrive
13:55 Find inner peace
16:19 Introverted artists
19:08 Rejection
22:08 Being an outsider
26:25 Cultural clashes in Spain
35:52 Stigmas and stereotypes
40:34 Advice for artists
----------------------------
π§ SOCIAL MEDIA
- patreon.com/c/veryprivateart
- instagram.com/veryprivateart
----------------------------
βΉοΈ CHANNEL INFO
veryprivategallery.com
Searching for tips on how to promote your art? You are in the right place! We make videos on selling art online & offline, showing your art, and building a personal brand as an artist - basically all about making a living as an artist. P.S. We have a second channel in Chinese: @feichangyishu
#mentalhealth #selfdevelopment #livinginspain
Living abroad as an artist can be exciting: new cultures, new opportunities, and often, a fast track to personal growth and artistic evolution. But it can also bring unexpected emotional challenges: isolation, pressure, creative blocks, or a sense of disconnection.
In this honest conversation, psychologist Leigh Matthews shares insights on what it really means to navigate mental health while building a creative life far from home. We discuss how artists abroad can stay creative while facing difficulties, and how those very struggles can shape a deeper, more authentic version of their work and self.
π©ββοΈ Leigh Matthews is an Australian psychologist who moved to Barcelona in 2011 and started Therapy in Barcelona to support English-speaking expats. Leigh also shares free resources and workshops to support mental health abroad. π therapyinbarcelona.com
π Read Leigh's blog: therapyinbarcelona.com/mental-health-and-creativity-in-transition-therapy-for-artists-living-abroad
π TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
00:42 Mental health overseas
05:34 Successful artists
10:39 Where you can thrive
13:55 Find inner peace
16:19 Introverted artists
19:08 Rejection
22:08 Being an outsider
26:25 Cultural clashes in Spain
35:52 Stigmas and stereotypes
40:34 Advice for artists
----------------------------
π§ SOCIAL MEDIA
- patreon.com/c/veryprivateart
- instagram.com/veryprivateart
----------------------------
βΉοΈ CHANNEL INFO
veryprivategallery.com
Searching for tips on how to promote your art? You are in the right place! We make videos on selling art online & offline, showing your art, and building a personal brand as an artist - basically all about making a living as an artist. P.S. We have a second channel in Chinese: @feichangyishu
#mentalhealth #selfdevelopment #livinginspain










