I used to be depressed when I was a kid and back then it was unheard of to go to a 'shrink'
It was like labeling the whole family as crazy so you had to deal with depression on your own.
I use to think a lot about depression itself (like analyze it). I came to realize there is what I called external superficial depression and internal depression. The one was more like being bored or unhappy with a situation. The other was more a dissatisfaction with your inner self. I realized depression can be turned into something constructive by using it to express yourself. I guess that is one of the reasons I started a deeper interest in art.

A few years ago I heard Elton John has a positive philosophy on depression and using it to your advantage. I just looked for a site to better understand this as I have heard that many famous artists, writers and musicians started with depression

Here a site that lists some famous people that suffered from depression

Famous People Suffering Depression: Writers, Composers, Artists, Personality

What are some positive ways you think depression can be used to turn it around to your advantage?

Well before I became depressed I was a failure in school and now I get like all A's, so it helped me that way I guess