Miriam Feldman
Miriam Feldman is the author of HE CAME IN WITH IT: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness, as well as an artist, writer, and mental health activist who splits her time between her Los Angeles studio and her farm in rural Washington state. She has been married to her husband Craig O’Rourke, also an artist, for 34 years and they have four adult children. Their 33-year-old son, Nick, has schizophrenia.
With an MFA in painting from Otis Art Institute, Miriam founded Demar Feldman Studios, Inc., a distinguished mural and decorative art company, in 1988. At the same time, she built a strong career as a fine artist, represented by Hamilton Galleries in Santa Monica, CA.
When Nick was diagnosed in 2004, Miriam became an activist and a writer. With first-hand knowledge of our mental health system, she decided to be an advocate for those who have no voice. She serves on the advisory board of Bring Change 2 Mind, the non-profit founded by Glenn Close, and writes a monthly blog for their website. Miriam is active in leadership at NAMI Washington and writes for their newsletters. She is a frequent guest on mental health podcasts and is active on Instagram, where she has created a community of family and loved ones dealing with mental illness.
Instagram: @mimitheriveter
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
The film that profoundly affected my writing of my memoir is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It’s interesting, because that movie came out 45 years ago, yet it has held a pivotal place in my psyche. When it came out, I was 25 years old, and it was something of a cultural phenomenon. I loved the irreverent approach to the subject of mental illness and the way it championed the character’s quirkiness and independence. Decades later, when my own son was diagnosed with schizophrenia and I embarked on a journey I’d never even considered, it came back to me in a whole new way. This time it was held up as the example of what is wrong in the mental health system in America. That movie actually contributed to a wave of policy change that, by demonizing mental health institutions, became the banner of the “de-institutionalization movement” which has been disastrous for those with serious mental illness. It is am beautiful and powerful film that I still adore as art, but I was forced to reconsider it in relation to the real world. My world. This process informed the writing of my memoir He Came in With It, which is an account of Nick’s illness.
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
I would have to say that, yes, I have. Having supported myself as a visual artist, a painter, my entire life, the switch to being an author was interesting. On the one hand it was very similar, like painting with words, but as I pursued publication, I often found myself in rooms thinking “What am I doing here?” I used to introduce myself with “I’m not really a writer…”, but I guess now that I’m published, I am!
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
I love to collect things! I have a collection of painted eggs, a mask collection and a massive salt and pepper shaker collection. I travel a lot, so I also like to but one small thing from each place to remember it by. I like seeing the continuity and evolution of an idea as represented by a compilation.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
As I said, I’m a painter, and I do many other creative things as well. I am really uncomfortable with idle hands, so I’m always doing something. I cook, I sew, I make toys, I garden. I never just watch TV, I’m always doing something at the same time. I even do 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles!
What brings you great joy?
Well, this is a predictable answer, but the thing that brings me the most joy (and the opposite!) are my children. Before I had kids, I didn’t think anything could usurp making art’s position as the most important thing in my life, but I was wrong. On the other hand, there really is nothing more meaningful for me as painting. It is what I was born to do.
