Posted by catmint on November 15, 2002, at 14:29:24
In reply to magic carpet-ride: creativity and antipsychotic's, posted by Elysium9 on November 15, 2002, at 12:58:16
>I know that many painter's have been mentally-ill, Van Gogh, Pollack, many more. I have also read, heard theory's, that there is a connection between sanity, and creativity.
>Will these other medication's, lithium, Zyprexa, Depekote, ect., make me fall off of my magic carpet-ride?Van Gogh produced up to 30 canvases in a month. This was during his lucid, more manic moods. He was also highly irritable and argumentative and had a problem with coffee and alcohol. HE suffered deeply as we all know, being institutinalized due to seizures of an unknown origin and severe depression. He still produced art during his stay at the institutions in Saint-Remy and Arles. He stated he was filled with "a certain undercurrent of vague sadness difficult to define."
He was able to produce art continuisly due to a passion for expressing the beauty around him. This passion resulted from the work that he put into his art in the beginning. I believe this passion never really leaves us; if the work was done, the artist will continue to paint or draw despite moods.
I am reminded of another artist, Art Pepper, one of the top five saxaphone players there ever was. HE once said that all great talent comes from hard work. Some may think that drugs are a rationalization for great music, but all the great musicians with drug addictions were great musicians BEFORE they became junkies.
I guess what I'm getting at is, even if we need to be on mood stabilzers or even anti-psychotics, we are just trying to relieve our suffering. Passion for anything we do in life can come and go, due to moods but when the artist reaches a satisfactory level according to their standards, then one can produce great work depite moods, despite drugs and despite medications.I know for myself that I have not put in the amount of hard work it takes to be a great artist yet. And when this depression lifts, and I start to work again, I am sure that once the work is done, then the passion slowly but surely comes back. Producing a good painting for me, will happen due to many many bad paintngs of trial and error. Being on Depakote, why would that change anything? If I have done the work, then the end result will be good.
If I believe that the only way to produce great works of art is during lucid,manic periods and madness, then I am in a real bind because I will have traded in a quality of life that mood stabilizers provide: improved relationships, positive outlook, eating and sleeping normally, and even-temperament. What I do believe is is that great art and stable moods can go together if, and I repeat, the work was done.
I just wish I knew what medication cures laziness:)
Take good care,
Amy
poster:catmint
thread:127783
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021108/msgs/127802.html