Paint With Words

I was going to try and write a somewhat intellectual post about character development, but I can save that for another day. In fact I think I will. Today, I think I just want to talk about the art itself.

 Throughout history, mot of the great artistic minds have also suffered from ‘mental disorders’. Depression, mania, bipolar, even schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. You name it, I’m sure someone’s had it. Not to mention, most great artists have had dysfunctional pasts.

It’s so weird because, there are PROFESSIONS out there to correct those situations. It’s not just a small thing, it’s a billion dollar ‘industry’ (I use that word lightly…there’s the medicines and sure those come from pharmaceutical companies, but I wouldn’t call a doctor’s office a facet of industry). And if someone feels like they need Zoloft, or a trained professional to confide in, good for you. There’s nothing wrong with that. But what gets me is, how creativity is linked to ‘dysfunction’.

Even in personal experience, some of the best things I’ve ever done were things that I did while suffering through severe depression, or battling with grief over the loss of my mother. But as soon as I recovered from the depression (which has only been in the last few years), my knack for poetry went away. Now, I can still write a story, and I can still play the drums no problem, but it’s different. I don’t feed off the same energies anymore, and sometiems I feel like i have to make myself depressed to tap into that special energy to be able to create.

I’m not really sure why it’s like that, nor am I going to try and figure it out. All I’m saying is that it happens, and it intrigues me. The very things that make life harder for us, are also the very things that give creators the power to do, and to feel, and to think in a way that they are able to produce beautiful works of art/writing/music. ‘Tis the irony of life, so to speak.

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