Thursday, October 30, 2008
"The Lunatic is on the Grass..."
This was a most informative and enjoyable part of Hughes' book. We have all heard about artists and creatives being "mad" or "sick" I'm sure - this chapter definitely formed a foundation for future judgements. I was pretty familiar with most of the topics in the text minus the couple parts that dealt with actual physical diseases or sicknesses. Looking at the one painting by Frida Kahlo, my mind has been opened to a new form of creativity. Most of the time when I'm sick I feel incapacitated rather than inspired - perhaps next time I come down with something I'll pick up my guitar and see what happens. It was nice to see Huxley show up in the one section about sensory deprivation - most are unaware that he progressed to an ultimate blindness before his death. Perhaps this condition DID fuel his desire to look inwards instead of outwards - "Doors of Perception" certainly shows this and if you're on Youtube someday, search for some Huxley interviews and you will see his eyes are not looking at anything. The sections on mental illnesses and psychotic illnesses were almost a review for me. Being an avid Pink Floyd fan I have done a lot of research on its TRUE creator and founder: Roger "Syd" Barrett. The Floyd came about during a time when LSD was on the rise and Syd was certainly an acid casualty; he is not all to blame - it was known that members of the band and some of the band "groupies" would spike his foods and drinks with LSD when Syd would actually vocalize that he wanted to stop tripping. This constant abuse led him to become schizophrenic and he later became a recluse in his mum's house. I would argue that his best work was done during his demise with songs such as "Octopus" (apparently about and LSD trip), the highly schizophrenic "Jugband Blues" in which Syd asks the questions, "What exactly is a dream? And what exactly is a joke?" I certainly believe that these seemingly constant altered states of consciousness could influence an artist or a creative or even a regular shmuk. All of our brains operate uniquely but it seems that those who experience these "diseases" are given another kind of window into themselves and another kind of window into the world. Jimi Hendrix wrote in his song "Manic Depression", "Music sweet music, I wish I could caress and kiss." Certainly there are other lines in the song which come out clearly saying that he has manic depression, but this sort of imagery and romanticism is the stuff we should be focusing on. What is it to really be mad? If thinking differently is being mad then count me in. I would rather be insane than sane any day.
Fed up with your indigestion, swallow worries one by one...
Hughes talks about the idea that many creative’s can be seen as abnormal in a way, and that this “eccentricity, (is) tolerated but not necessarily condoned.” I find this very relevant in how mainstream society has been able to incorporate “condoned” artists and musicians into our lives, in a way that they are acceptable and therefore relevant to us. People begin to derive their identity from these so called creative’s, because they can avoid being ostracized and criticized by their peers. Extremist artists have been moved to the back of the cultural existence, only being appreciated by selective audiences; their ideas are therefore looked at as drastic instead of progressive.
In talking about sickness of the mind, there is the idea that “in a world where analytic, linear thinking has proved so successful, deviance from the step-by-step approach may sometimes yield results, but is more often seen to be disconcerting or disruptive.” I love that this is laid out this way because a rational person has to ask “Disruptive to who?” or “Proved successful by what terms?” We still live in a society of greed, war and prejudice. There is conflict abroad, but also on the streets of local towns and cities. When did violence become normal or tolerable on any scale? You also have to think, who would be disrupted by these creative’s ideas, these “irrational” thoughts. The answer: those in power. The average citizen faces disruptions daily, from all aspects of life, and they deal with these constructively. What they don’t realize is that a majority of these disruptions are placed on them by “the powers that be.” We have come to a place where we feel entitled and equivalent, forgetting that there are factors and people that shape our lives in truly “disruptive” ways. The creative has been objectified and often times termed as “sick minded” because they don’t perpetuate the norm.
Walsh places emphasis on the healing process and rightfully so. As interesting as Hughes is, there is something to be said for offering a solution as opposed to simply analyzing disease. In talking about psychological healing, we are getting to the root of the problem. We all know stress can lead to disease and lead people to factors that will likewise cause disease. What needs to be addressed is the mindset that leads people to these symptoms. The problem does start somewhere, and there is a good chance it’s in the mind. Shamans focus is more on changing these patterns at the root, instead of just reducing the symptoms.
In talking about sickness of the mind, there is the idea that “in a world where analytic, linear thinking has proved so successful, deviance from the step-by-step approach may sometimes yield results, but is more often seen to be disconcerting or disruptive.” I love that this is laid out this way because a rational person has to ask “Disruptive to who?” or “Proved successful by what terms?” We still live in a society of greed, war and prejudice. There is conflict abroad, but also on the streets of local towns and cities. When did violence become normal or tolerable on any scale? You also have to think, who would be disrupted by these creative’s ideas, these “irrational” thoughts. The answer: those in power. The average citizen faces disruptions daily, from all aspects of life, and they deal with these constructively. What they don’t realize is that a majority of these disruptions are placed on them by “the powers that be.” We have come to a place where we feel entitled and equivalent, forgetting that there are factors and people that shape our lives in truly “disruptive” ways. The creative has been objectified and often times termed as “sick minded” because they don’t perpetuate the norm.
Walsh places emphasis on the healing process and rightfully so. As interesting as Hughes is, there is something to be said for offering a solution as opposed to simply analyzing disease. In talking about psychological healing, we are getting to the root of the problem. We all know stress can lead to disease and lead people to factors that will likewise cause disease. What needs to be addressed is the mindset that leads people to these symptoms. The problem does start somewhere, and there is a good chance it’s in the mind. Shamans focus is more on changing these patterns at the root, instead of just reducing the symptoms.
Chapter 9 Hughes Creativity and Diseases
I liked this topic of creativity and sickness because it explores the realms of the possibility that some people can and have been great creative minds when physically or mentally ill. It explores what type of mind state we are in when we are in a sickly induced altered state of consciousness.
The first quote that I ran into as I read was the quote on page 119 "the art of life is the art of avoiding pain" by Thomas Jefferson. I questioned and pondered over the potential meaning behind this quote because isn't it through pain that some of the best creative geniuses were bred and developed? Everybody tries to avoid pain in life. but it is inevitable or maybe I am taking it to abstractly. Another quote that I found interesting on page 170 "the loss of sight allows the inner eye to explore the heights and depth of the imagination". This is a very deep quote because it is inspirational in nature and Hughes is saying that even without the ability to see with the naked eye that one's imagination is even more vivid than a hollywood motion picture and that your imagination is what one would use as their visionary guide.
The first quote that I ran into as I read was the quote on page 119 "the art of life is the art of avoiding pain" by Thomas Jefferson. I questioned and pondered over the potential meaning behind this quote because isn't it through pain that some of the best creative geniuses were bred and developed? Everybody tries to avoid pain in life. but it is inevitable or maybe I am taking it to abstractly. Another quote that I found interesting on page 170 "the loss of sight allows the inner eye to explore the heights and depth of the imagination". This is a very deep quote because it is inspirational in nature and Hughes is saying that even without the ability to see with the naked eye that one's imagination is even more vivid than a hollywood motion picture and that your imagination is what one would use as their visionary guide.
Creative Maniacs
On page 119, Hughes says, "Mental suffering is even more pervasive in creative production. In fact, inner conflict is often seen as the cause of creativity itself. However, it is the ability to transcend conflict rather than merely to describe it that endows great art with its unique quality."
I think this statement from Hughes declares why writing, painting, dancing, drawing, etc. can all be therapeutic. Anything we associate with creativity can be therapeutic. But it's not just the act of writing about your pain that is healing. By writing about your pain, eventually you begin to understand your pain and overcome your pain. Then when you write about your pain, you're actually writing beyond your pain, which is when your writing becomes art.
On page 126, Hughes says, "Madness is a painful, tragic, dangerous, and often life-threatening affliction."
But Edgar Allen Poe begs to differ in his quote on page 124. He basically admits people see him as mad, but maybe being mad is simply being more intelligent, and maybe all his profound thoughts actually come from his madness. I feel like Poe is refuting Hughes by saying, "I'm actually better than you because I'm mad."
On a personal note, when I was depressed in 7th grade, before being diagnosed, I was miserable. If you were to read the poetry I wrote from that period, you would think I was living the worst life imaginable. But really I was a 12-year-old kid who never wanted for anything, got good grades, and had a fair amount of friends. But when I was depressed, I felt a lot. And I felt strongly. So I wrote about it, because if I didn't, I thought I was going to explode. It was like only so much of my anguish could come out of my body in the form of tears, so the rest came out in the form of creativity.
My personal theory is that there are so many depressed artists because depressed people feel so much that they need to express themselves. It's not necessarily that these artists choose to share their talents with the world, but maybe more that they need to get all this emotion out of themselves before they explode.
On that same thought, I love the quote from Graham Greene on page 131. Greene says, "Sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in the human situation."
I think this statement from Hughes declares why writing, painting, dancing, drawing, etc. can all be therapeutic. Anything we associate with creativity can be therapeutic. But it's not just the act of writing about your pain that is healing. By writing about your pain, eventually you begin to understand your pain and overcome your pain. Then when you write about your pain, you're actually writing beyond your pain, which is when your writing becomes art.
On page 126, Hughes says, "Madness is a painful, tragic, dangerous, and often life-threatening affliction."
But Edgar Allen Poe begs to differ in his quote on page 124. He basically admits people see him as mad, but maybe being mad is simply being more intelligent, and maybe all his profound thoughts actually come from his madness. I feel like Poe is refuting Hughes by saying, "I'm actually better than you because I'm mad."
On a personal note, when I was depressed in 7th grade, before being diagnosed, I was miserable. If you were to read the poetry I wrote from that period, you would think I was living the worst life imaginable. But really I was a 12-year-old kid who never wanted for anything, got good grades, and had a fair amount of friends. But when I was depressed, I felt a lot. And I felt strongly. So I wrote about it, because if I didn't, I thought I was going to explode. It was like only so much of my anguish could come out of my body in the form of tears, so the rest came out in the form of creativity.
My personal theory is that there are so many depressed artists because depressed people feel so much that they need to express themselves. It's not necessarily that these artists choose to share their talents with the world, but maybe more that they need to get all this emotion out of themselves before they explode.
On that same thought, I love the quote from Graham Greene on page 131. Greene says, "Sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in the human situation."
Hughes chap 9
If I hear one more thing about Frida Kahlo, I'm moving to Mexico. Just joking. This chapter mainly dealt with examples of different illnesses and creatives/artists who had them. I'm not especially interested with any of it. Hughes makes connections between art work and the artist by attributing their creative abilities to various 'states' of illness/sickness. Maybe they're all just really creative people. Why must we label them? Odd that we [the West] would cite someone's illness as their means to creativity. This chapter does point out several altered states of consciousness (sensory deprivation, insanity, depression) and how despite that, people have managed to create amazing works of art. But, what about people who are insane or depressed who don't create anything artistic? How does this account for randomness? Couldn't these people have been great artists even without their particular illness/sickness? Otherwise, wouldn't every 'madman' or depressed person being incredibly artistic? The end of the chapter deals with alcoholism and creative people and makes reference to the West's acceptance of alcohol for ASOC's which relates to previous material/blogs about our [the West] approval of certain 'drug's and not others. Labels, labels, everywhere..........I'm ending this blog with a quote from Oscar Wilde (who I don't think was mentioned in the chapter)---"work is the curse of the drinking class."
Hughes Ch.9
While reading Hughes, Chapter 9, I thought it was interesting that the topic of sight, deafness, and pain came up, especially with our class’s previous reading topics. I do agree with what he says about the power of sight. Vision is very important to all of us, and having the blessing of sight, is something that is taken for granted everyday. Just imagine what it would be like if tomorrow you lost your sight. I wouldn’t know what to do. A lot of my current dreams and goals would be out of the question now. For a person to do art, like me, they need vision when painting, or even drawing. Reading these couple paragraphs on the section about sensory deprivation really made me stop and think. I depend so much on my sight. And think about what it must be like to have such a gift taken away. You really would be forced to look at life very differently.
I loved reading about people out there who have taken a disadvantage, like loosing your vision, and created it into an advantage. It shows the strength people themselves are capable of achieving. If life gives you trouble, you just got to get yourself back up, and fight another day.
Hughes uses the example of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, two famous musicians who probably wouldn’t have become so successful if they didn’t go blind. They used the power of their other senses and developed a talent very unique, which did not require the sense of vision.
John Milton said “to be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.” This quote about blindness, I feel, coincides with the truth again and can be related to just about all aspects of life. If you don’t appreciate, and work with what you do have, you’ll never be happy. There are many people who give up after experiencing hard times.
The other topics were about deafness, which was said to be interpreted as another way of hearing sounds without hearing, but through vibrations, illness, Aids, eccentricity, psychotic art, manic depression, schizoid, depression, which can be altered by success and or failure, which I thought was very interesting, due to the fact I always assumed it was associated by majority of failure, conditions such as epilepsy “the sacred disease”, according to studies of Hippocrates, migraines, and alcoholism. These topics were interesting as well, but nothing hit me more than the blindness. That is probably the most important sense to me, which was why it related to me more.
I loved reading about people out there who have taken a disadvantage, like loosing your vision, and created it into an advantage. It shows the strength people themselves are capable of achieving. If life gives you trouble, you just got to get yourself back up, and fight another day.
Hughes uses the example of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, two famous musicians who probably wouldn’t have become so successful if they didn’t go blind. They used the power of their other senses and developed a talent very unique, which did not require the sense of vision.
John Milton said “to be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.” This quote about blindness, I feel, coincides with the truth again and can be related to just about all aspects of life. If you don’t appreciate, and work with what you do have, you’ll never be happy. There are many people who give up after experiencing hard times.
The other topics were about deafness, which was said to be interpreted as another way of hearing sounds without hearing, but through vibrations, illness, Aids, eccentricity, psychotic art, manic depression, schizoid, depression, which can be altered by success and or failure, which I thought was very interesting, due to the fact I always assumed it was associated by majority of failure, conditions such as epilepsy “the sacred disease”, according to studies of Hippocrates, migraines, and alcoholism. These topics were interesting as well, but nothing hit me more than the blindness. That is probably the most important sense to me, which was why it related to me more.
I'm Not Happy. I've Just Adapted.
Here is a connection quote from page 117 (the first page of the chapter).
"Creatives rarely conform to a regular standard. They are 'abnormal,' not only in terms of their personalities, but also in the way they are seen by society."
Hey, that's just like shamans. However, unlike many shamans, who had a near death experience at an early age, some creatives carry physical, mental and emotional burdens with them all their lives.
I think because of this burden, a creative person has a heightened sense of emotions. These emotions easily cut through superficiality, making the creative passionate in seeking some sort of truth about society.
Creatives are often reclusive and not necessarily by choice. They might feel that the world in which they live has let them down. The art they make brings out subtleties in their lives that scream, "Hey world, come on! Catch up with me here for crying out loud." The world never catches up, so the creative turns to his or her work, allowing the work to absorb all aspects of life.
I dislike labeling creative people with words like disease, sickness and illness. This is such a majority rules type name calling because some - routine oriented, never questions life, follows myths and formulas-type person can't keep up with what a creative presents before their eyes. How disease-ridden are these creatives that they can produce a work of art so socially profound that the product can leave its imprint on someone's heart like a car registration sticker? (Have you ever attempted to peel one of those stickers off? They'll make the skin under your fingernails bleed).
The successful creative is our commercial shaman of the Western world. Regardless of how exotic and far-fetched a creative's story about their process is, and regardless of how many "tricks" a shaman plays, these two types of people may be the only honest people on earth. Outsiders from these two personalities don't get it because they don't want to get it. In fact, these people, who disregard shamans and creatives, spend their lives defending themselves against two personalities that are not aggressive. These people can purport to be happy all they want while they spend their time in dead marriages, yell at their kids playing intramural sports and obsess over consensus realities. So, who, exactly, has a disease?
Oh and speaking of dead marriages... We have yet to read or uncover a creative's love-life which is filled with a mess of messy relationships, ending and starting with different people. I think this may be linked to the creative personality as well. Do shamans have successful romantic relationships?
And if creatives are famous for having many failed relationships, I just might be the most creative person any of you blog-writers ever encounter.
"Creatives rarely conform to a regular standard. They are 'abnormal,' not only in terms of their personalities, but also in the way they are seen by society."
Hey, that's just like shamans. However, unlike many shamans, who had a near death experience at an early age, some creatives carry physical, mental and emotional burdens with them all their lives.
I think because of this burden, a creative person has a heightened sense of emotions. These emotions easily cut through superficiality, making the creative passionate in seeking some sort of truth about society.
Creatives are often reclusive and not necessarily by choice. They might feel that the world in which they live has let them down. The art they make brings out subtleties in their lives that scream, "Hey world, come on! Catch up with me here for crying out loud." The world never catches up, so the creative turns to his or her work, allowing the work to absorb all aspects of life.
I dislike labeling creative people with words like disease, sickness and illness. This is such a majority rules type name calling because some - routine oriented, never questions life, follows myths and formulas-type person can't keep up with what a creative presents before their eyes. How disease-ridden are these creatives that they can produce a work of art so socially profound that the product can leave its imprint on someone's heart like a car registration sticker? (Have you ever attempted to peel one of those stickers off? They'll make the skin under your fingernails bleed).
The successful creative is our commercial shaman of the Western world. Regardless of how exotic and far-fetched a creative's story about their process is, and regardless of how many "tricks" a shaman plays, these two types of people may be the only honest people on earth. Outsiders from these two personalities don't get it because they don't want to get it. In fact, these people, who disregard shamans and creatives, spend their lives defending themselves against two personalities that are not aggressive. These people can purport to be happy all they want while they spend their time in dead marriages, yell at their kids playing intramural sports and obsess over consensus realities. So, who, exactly, has a disease?
Oh and speaking of dead marriages... We have yet to read or uncover a creative's love-life which is filled with a mess of messy relationships, ending and starting with different people. I think this may be linked to the creative personality as well. Do shamans have successful romantic relationships?
And if creatives are famous for having many failed relationships, I just might be the most creative person any of you blog-writers ever encounter.
Something personal
"It's what they would say of her years later, that writing for her was a miserable sort of ecstasy; that, in order to write, she had to open herself to the demons of her past. Memories she had struggled for so long to repress were now coming back to haunt her when she would allow them. They would torture her as she translated their experiences into words and for several hours afterward, sometimes even days, before she could bury them again. She would emerge from her writing episodes exhausted from the battle, famished for comfort but unable to give or to receive any, desperate for the times when those memories could once again become merely shadows. Still, even as she attempted to keep them from the surface, they would dance ever closer, teasing her with their nearness, always fooling her into believing that the next time would not be so harsh, the next time it would be easier to subdue them afterwards. And so again she would give into their urgings, and again she would become a victim of herself."
I wrote that during the spring semester of 2007, though an exact date escapes me. As an author, I never fooled myself into believing I was unique or even talented (despite assurances to the contrary from friends, family, and peers), and I certainly didn't think there was anything special about my process. And no, I've never been depressed, despite Hughes statements on 131 that self-deprecation is a symptom of depression. After reading Hughes, I am relieve to know that I was right (after all, who doesn't like to be correct?). There is something unique about each human being, but to discover I was the only one experiencing those moments of fear of my own thoughts and complete surrender to them would have been unbearably lonely, like standing at the edge of a branch on a tree thinking there is someone closer to the trunk who can grab you if you lose your balance, only to look over and find you are standing out there alone.
At the early part of the chapter, Hughes bridges the gap between physical illness and the mind. As a massage therapist, I've often found that my guests hold their troubles and tension in their muscles and other body systems -- stress at work leads to tight shoulders or otherwise inexplicable neck pain, severe emotional trauma leads to constipation or other stomach ailments, to name just a couple. For that reason, in massage school, the instructors spend a great deal of time guiding students through dealing with "emotional releases," when the alleviation of physical discomfort in a muscle leads to uncontrollable crying, because the flight of the physical leads to the flight of the emotional.
It is this mind-body connection that perhaps lends some support to the practices of shamanism. There are people who believe that the work of a shaman involves mainly finding that altered state of consciousness, that alternative methods of healing are no replacement for Western doctors and their medicine. Western medicine has undoubtedly taken society leaps and bounds forward in terms of healing, but that does not mean that there are not other untapped resources. If physical ailments are at least somewhat the result of mental afflictions, would it not follow that the cure may also be found in the mind?
A broken heart is not merely an emotional blow; there is a feeling of oppressive pain on the chest where the sufferer knows his or her heart may once have been. When the "patient" is alone with nothing else to occupy his or her mind, the pain grows, or at the very least does not lessen. But when his or her friends show up, maybe with alcohol or a pint of ice cream, the "patient" takes his or her mind off the pain and the suffering, and soon the discomfort is no longer even there. Perhaps we create our illnesses, surely not all of them, but some of them.
I wrote that during the spring semester of 2007, though an exact date escapes me. As an author, I never fooled myself into believing I was unique or even talented (despite assurances to the contrary from friends, family, and peers), and I certainly didn't think there was anything special about my process. And no, I've never been depressed, despite Hughes statements on 131 that self-deprecation is a symptom of depression. After reading Hughes, I am relieve to know that I was right (after all, who doesn't like to be correct?). There is something unique about each human being, but to discover I was the only one experiencing those moments of fear of my own thoughts and complete surrender to them would have been unbearably lonely, like standing at the edge of a branch on a tree thinking there is someone closer to the trunk who can grab you if you lose your balance, only to look over and find you are standing out there alone.
At the early part of the chapter, Hughes bridges the gap between physical illness and the mind. As a massage therapist, I've often found that my guests hold their troubles and tension in their muscles and other body systems -- stress at work leads to tight shoulders or otherwise inexplicable neck pain, severe emotional trauma leads to constipation or other stomach ailments, to name just a couple. For that reason, in massage school, the instructors spend a great deal of time guiding students through dealing with "emotional releases," when the alleviation of physical discomfort in a muscle leads to uncontrollable crying, because the flight of the physical leads to the flight of the emotional.
It is this mind-body connection that perhaps lends some support to the practices of shamanism. There are people who believe that the work of a shaman involves mainly finding that altered state of consciousness, that alternative methods of healing are no replacement for Western doctors and their medicine. Western medicine has undoubtedly taken society leaps and bounds forward in terms of healing, but that does not mean that there are not other untapped resources. If physical ailments are at least somewhat the result of mental afflictions, would it not follow that the cure may also be found in the mind?
A broken heart is not merely an emotional blow; there is a feeling of oppressive pain on the chest where the sufferer knows his or her heart may once have been. When the "patient" is alone with nothing else to occupy his or her mind, the pain grows, or at the very least does not lessen. But when his or her friends show up, maybe with alcohol or a pint of ice cream, the "patient" takes his or her mind off the pain and the suffering, and soon the discomfort is no longer even there. Perhaps we create our illnesses, surely not all of them, but some of them.
Hughes
"One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea" (Bagehot). I think that this quote encapsulates some of the dialogue in the Pearce text and the subject-matter of the course thus far. We have been reevaluating commonly held western worldviews, and studying cultural practices that seem hard for some to accept or even briefly indulge. In any event, I enjoyed the Hughes reading this week. It was interesting to see how many influential people throughout history suffered from some type of disease that either influenced or directly contributed to their legacy. Although, I'm not exactly persuaded that Sir Isaac Newton was a schizophrenic. Anyhow, I was wondering where Pearce's disorder, autism, fits into this discussion. Particularly, I was wondering how many other creatives, besides Pearce, throughout history were autistic. Pearce argues that his former disorder can facilitate the contemplation of great, new ideas, yet I think that he needs a little more corroboration to support the validity of this claim.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Hughes 9
I think it is fascinating that an illness can lead to creativity, because they both involve altered states of consciousness. However, most individuals produce his or her best work when they are depressed or have some life altering illness. People can express the ideas that are closest to themselves, but through different medias. Frida Kahlo's painting is powerful, because a viewer can visually see the pain she is enduring. Most artists have really difficult lives, which is probably why they have such amazing works.
I was surprised that some artists didn't think being blind was all that important. Yes, all of the other senses get stronger, but I would still think it is terrible. I think the most interesting quote is "The very deaf, as I am, hear the most astounding things all around them, which have not in fact, been said. This enlivens my replies until, through mishearing, a new level of communication is reached" (121) I think it would be really neat to be deaf for a day, so I could experience what deaf people experience. It is like an altered state of consciousness, because the only way to understand it is to experience it.
The quote by Edgar Allan Poe is neat, yet true. "Men have called me mad, but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence. . . "(124) Edgar Allan Poe has a lot of disturbing pieces of writing, but they are brilliant. Is he sick, or is he just so creative that people refer to him as mad? He was also an alcoholic, which would stand for an outlet if he did have psychological problems. Also, many artists seem to have their creative works when they are on the road to recovery, but why? How do we know for sure? Perhaps the individual used art as a form of therapy, and that is how they got better. I know Virginia Woolf suffered a lot of psychological problems and attempted suicide many times, until finally succeeding. However, I think her writing definitely occurs in an altered state of consciousness, because it is so full of thoughts, as if it were a dream.
I went to the harrisburg mental hospital before and I was kind of frightened to see people talking to themselves, and doing such peculiar things. Now that I think about it were they really crazy or are they just in an altered state of consciousness permanently? I think that is why doctors have such a hard time explaining diseases such as schizophrenia, because an individual has to experience it for themselves.
I find epileptic experiences rather unbelievable, I cannot imagine a joy that is unthinkable. Perhaps many religious figures were simply epileptics. Overall, it appears that all creativity can be linked to drugs and diseases, and vice versa.
I was surprised that some artists didn't think being blind was all that important. Yes, all of the other senses get stronger, but I would still think it is terrible. I think the most interesting quote is "The very deaf, as I am, hear the most astounding things all around them, which have not in fact, been said. This enlivens my replies until, through mishearing, a new level of communication is reached" (121) I think it would be really neat to be deaf for a day, so I could experience what deaf people experience. It is like an altered state of consciousness, because the only way to understand it is to experience it.
The quote by Edgar Allan Poe is neat, yet true. "Men have called me mad, but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence. . . "(124) Edgar Allan Poe has a lot of disturbing pieces of writing, but they are brilliant. Is he sick, or is he just so creative that people refer to him as mad? He was also an alcoholic, which would stand for an outlet if he did have psychological problems. Also, many artists seem to have their creative works when they are on the road to recovery, but why? How do we know for sure? Perhaps the individual used art as a form of therapy, and that is how they got better. I know Virginia Woolf suffered a lot of psychological problems and attempted suicide many times, until finally succeeding. However, I think her writing definitely occurs in an altered state of consciousness, because it is so full of thoughts, as if it were a dream.
I went to the harrisburg mental hospital before and I was kind of frightened to see people talking to themselves, and doing such peculiar things. Now that I think about it were they really crazy or are they just in an altered state of consciousness permanently? I think that is why doctors have such a hard time explaining diseases such as schizophrenia, because an individual has to experience it for themselves.
I find epileptic experiences rather unbelievable, I cannot imagine a joy that is unthinkable. Perhaps many religious figures were simply epileptics. Overall, it appears that all creativity can be linked to drugs and diseases, and vice versa.
Hughes Ch 9
I find it interesting that most artists use their art as an away to escape the monotony of daily life. Henri Matisse was one of those people who put this feeling of relief into words, “When I started to paint, I felt transported into a kind of paradise… in everyday life I was usually bored or vexed by the things people were always telling me I must do. Starting to paint I felt gloriously free, quiet, and alone.” Whether it is an escape from the pain of a disease, a career, or family disasters like van Gough, this is their way to express themselves. It is just a bonus to them to get paid for it. Thomas Jefferson even said once, “the art of life is the art of avoiding pain.”
It really is amazing finding out just how many creative geniuses had a problem. Their problems are the reason why they wrote certain things and this helped them to achieve celebrity. Virginia Woolf, who stood for so many things, would not have experimented with half of the ways she wrote had it not been for her mental illness. She would not have been able to become of the founders of modern literature. It sheds a whole new light on what their achievements really meant and what they overcame to achieve them. These people who overcame all of their problems would not have become famous had they not had problems to overcome.
It really is amazing finding out just how many creative geniuses had a problem. Their problems are the reason why they wrote certain things and this helped them to achieve celebrity. Virginia Woolf, who stood for so many things, would not have experimented with half of the ways she wrote had it not been for her mental illness. She would not have been able to become of the founders of modern literature. It sheds a whole new light on what their achievements really meant and what they overcame to achieve them. These people who overcame all of their problems would not have become famous had they not had problems to overcome.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Creativity and Disease
***As always, with Hughes, I enjoyed the readings***
-It is extremely interesting that people with serious illnessess are prone to picking up the arts. I think it has something to do with the fact that the person feels thier life may end, so they let thier creativity shine while they still can.
-Also..the mention of Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilization, originally, Folie et déraison. Histoire de la folie à l'âge classique (I had to research him for a New Historicist project in my English class) was interesting, because Foucault actually died of AIDS related illness.
-I remember seeing Saturn Devouring One of His Children in my art history class...I looked at my notes, and it said this painting was depicting Saturn hearing that the only way he could die is if one of his sons killed him. He didn't want that, so he was paranoid and ends up eating his child to avoid the outcome...pretty weird stuff..very in depth...but a result of lead paint.
-Sensory deprivation is facinationg. Once you lose one of your senses, your other senses kick into high gear...this explains why blind muscians have an "ear" for music.
-When reading the section about TB and AIDS, i thought it was interesting that Hughes states, "TB was a wholesale killer for many generations(and is likely to become so again)" I THINK he means in overpopulated countries without enough medical care....or maybe he thinks we will have an outbreak of it again...am i wrong?
-Being that those with hypomania can function well on little sleep with little concentration, i wonder if people who are super stressed out become manic depressant...if(in a small or large way) they are mutually exclusive somehow.
-I have had migraines and I am not aware of having hallucinations and trancelike states before one...i will have to pay attention(though i hope to never have one again)
-Finally we come to alcohol..a staple of college students and businessmen alike...it is sad to know that it is so easy to get...we all know that in excess, it causes a lot of damage...I did not know that so many factors went into alcoholism...psychological, physiological, social, and genetic. Social..yes...psychological...yes I wasn't aware that people could be genetically predisposed to becoming an alcoholic....interesting stuff
-It is extremely interesting that people with serious illnessess are prone to picking up the arts. I think it has something to do with the fact that the person feels thier life may end, so they let thier creativity shine while they still can.
-Also..the mention of Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilization, originally, Folie et déraison. Histoire de la folie à l'âge classique (I had to research him for a New Historicist project in my English class) was interesting, because Foucault actually died of AIDS related illness.
-I remember seeing Saturn Devouring One of His Children in my art history class...I looked at my notes, and it said this painting was depicting Saturn hearing that the only way he could die is if one of his sons killed him. He didn't want that, so he was paranoid and ends up eating his child to avoid the outcome...pretty weird stuff..very in depth...but a result of lead paint.
-Sensory deprivation is facinationg. Once you lose one of your senses, your other senses kick into high gear...this explains why blind muscians have an "ear" for music.
-When reading the section about TB and AIDS, i thought it was interesting that Hughes states, "TB was a wholesale killer for many generations(and is likely to become so again)" I THINK he means in overpopulated countries without enough medical care....or maybe he thinks we will have an outbreak of it again...am i wrong?
-Being that those with hypomania can function well on little sleep with little concentration, i wonder if people who are super stressed out become manic depressant...if(in a small or large way) they are mutually exclusive somehow.
-I have had migraines and I am not aware of having hallucinations and trancelike states before one...i will have to pay attention(though i hope to never have one again)
-Finally we come to alcohol..a staple of college students and businessmen alike...it is sad to know that it is so easy to get...we all know that in excess, it causes a lot of damage...I did not know that so many factors went into alcoholism...psychological, physiological, social, and genetic. Social..yes...psychological...yes I wasn't aware that people could be genetically predisposed to becoming an alcoholic....interesting stuff
Hughes Ch. 9
Surprisingly enough i thought this chapter was very interesting, i had no idea "pysical illness may initiate, or at least accelerate, the creative pursuit of his or her vocation"(117). I do have to say when i have been drinking it is much easier to be creative in the sence my mind doesnt try to gold me back. The fact of the matter is when a person is not under the influence it is much harder to be creative because the person second guesses themselves. When under the influence or in this case are sick or have a disease the mind is not "normal" and it is much easier to be creative.ANother aspect i liked about Hughes article is the section titled Through the Pain Gate I cant see how people can get through the pain gate without the help of drugs, I know I could not go a day without my pain medication for my back. Apparently it makes people more creative, to channel the pain into something useful. The section on Cancer, AIDS, and TB perplexes me still today i dont understand how people can have these diseases and remain so positive. It seems like these people are very selfless in that all they want to do is help other people by spreading the word of how to protect themselves from these horrible diseases. As you may or may not know my wife just beat brain cancer and Lyme disease, the reason I bring this up is the whole way through the sickness she was so positive while i was an absolute wreck. To summarise this chapter the main idea Hughes is getting at is the people that seem to be "disabled" in one way or another are in the best posistion to be the most creative because they view life in a much different way than a person that is healthy and completly functional.
Walsh 5 Hughes 6
Hughes 6
Endless love.....? I do agree with the term. Some people develope fixations over things they care about. A person could get wrapped up in his or her's favorites. A persons profession could often be used in the term ENDLESS LOVE. When it comes to a person's job, they will go to no ends to satisfy the neccessary needs. This could lead to someone stressing themself out. This is where creativity could help. I know personally, i need to take breaks sometimes. When i can just sit down and listen to music, it feels like all my issues go away. I think while i am listening to this music, i can safely say im entering another state of consciousness.
Walsh 5
Shamans! Are they good or bad. In the chapter, it says that Shamans went from being seen as negative peope, then to people who can cure, to finally being idealists. I didnt know i pictured them. From the video to these readings, my feelings towards the Shamans changed. I still really dont understand the whole Shaman culture. They can heal each other without the use of medicine.......come on now. That sounds like some vodoo nonsense. I know their curing is spiritual but it will take me a while to fully believe this. I dont think anyone will ever be able to understand this whole Shaman culture. The way they did things is unparralel and everything is based on spirituality. Someone who can solve this perhaps can explain the whole theory to me! Overall.....good read!
Endless love.....? I do agree with the term. Some people develope fixations over things they care about. A person could get wrapped up in his or her's favorites. A persons profession could often be used in the term ENDLESS LOVE. When it comes to a person's job, they will go to no ends to satisfy the neccessary needs. This could lead to someone stressing themself out. This is where creativity could help. I know personally, i need to take breaks sometimes. When i can just sit down and listen to music, it feels like all my issues go away. I think while i am listening to this music, i can safely say im entering another state of consciousness.
Walsh 5
Shamans! Are they good or bad. In the chapter, it says that Shamans went from being seen as negative peope, then to people who can cure, to finally being idealists. I didnt know i pictured them. From the video to these readings, my feelings towards the Shamans changed. I still really dont understand the whole Shaman culture. They can heal each other without the use of medicine.......come on now. That sounds like some vodoo nonsense. I know their curing is spiritual but it will take me a while to fully believe this. I dont think anyone will ever be able to understand this whole Shaman culture. The way they did things is unparralel and everything is based on spirituality. Someone who can solve this perhaps can explain the whole theory to me! Overall.....good read!
Run Away Imagination and Shamanic Healing
I remember, quite long ago, in a class (though which I do not know, save that it was 7th grade or higher. I think it was Health), there was a chapter pertaining to various mental disorders, among them mentioned Schizophrenia. It was then that four pictures were shown, each painted by an artist slowly slipping into a state of schizophrenia. The first was of a cat; the picture itself was quite cute and very normal. In the second, the cat had taken on a somewhat human expression of deviousness. The third showed the cat as quite demonic. The fourth and final painting was near-unrecognizable, save that the faint outline of a demonic cat, which was more resembling that of a spectral, terrifying caracal than a cute house cat. While reading the Hughes chapter, I was reminded of these pictures (if anyone has seen the textbook with these pictures, or the pictures themselves, please let me know!). Indeed, creativity can and does come to us during our times of deep sickness. Perhaps it is due to the lack of connection that results from sickness, and the loss of ties with standard conventions and perceptions of reality. While it is indeed a shame that there are those that suffer from such ailments, they are, in their own way, a blessing in disguise. At least, for those that are able to express their creative work.
The Walsh reading, for me, was more of a review of standard Shamanic practices, as well as some of the criticisms. I am already quite willing to accept Shamanism as a practice that is not to be demonized, but this chapter was for those who still doubt the power of these ASOCs, defending that Shamans may not always be successful, but neither are today's established doctors.
The Walsh reading, for me, was more of a review of standard Shamanic practices, as well as some of the criticisms. I am already quite willing to accept Shamanism as a practice that is not to be demonized, but this chapter was for those who still doubt the power of these ASOCs, defending that Shamans may not always be successful, but neither are today's established doctors.
Blog number nine
Hughes, Chapter 9: Creativity and Disease
Illness, pain, TB, cancer, AIDS, mind sickness, psychotic art, manic depression, anatomy of melancholy, schizophrenia, depression, epilepsy, and alcoholism. This made for a pretty depression yet interesting chapter. Diseases are a bummer for the most part, but I understand how they produce ASCs and how that could increase, or affect creativity.
The history behind the painting “The Shattered Column” is moving. I can only imagine how uncomfortable and painful damage to the spine is. Frida Kahlo had congenital spinal bifida condition and on top of that got into a road accident and was seriously injured. After many operations and her previous spine problems, her pain was immense. The picture she painted depicts her pain. It’s a gorgeous yet sad picture to look at.
Mind sickness is always fun to read about. Creativity and being psychotic… apparently there’s a fine line between the two. Creative processes may turn to psychotic ones. Hmm.
Crazy art folk, it seems like many artists and creative folk are a little out there… Sometimes in a good way and sometimes bad.
The “psychotic art” and “degenerate art” is pretty neat. In that type of art, the pictures are like a window into the mind of someone who doesn’t see life in the typical sense. It’s a different perception, and generally, you could stare at the pictures always notice something new, or even feel what they were feeling at the time of painting the picture. Indeed.
I respect Virginia Woolf’s ability and willingness to feel what she was feeling while her husband was in the hospital. Experience the emotions and document them. Her passage on page 129 oozed with melancholy and despair. Though, her ability for description is beautiful, fluid, and well articulated.
It’s funny how many famous authors are alcoholics. Makes me raise questions… How different would their work be if they had not indulged in alcoholic beverages? I’m thinking being inebriated is way more common than we think.
Illness, pain, TB, cancer, AIDS, mind sickness, psychotic art, manic depression, anatomy of melancholy, schizophrenia, depression, epilepsy, and alcoholism. This made for a pretty depression yet interesting chapter. Diseases are a bummer for the most part, but I understand how they produce ASCs and how that could increase, or affect creativity.
The history behind the painting “The Shattered Column” is moving. I can only imagine how uncomfortable and painful damage to the spine is. Frida Kahlo had congenital spinal bifida condition and on top of that got into a road accident and was seriously injured. After many operations and her previous spine problems, her pain was immense. The picture she painted depicts her pain. It’s a gorgeous yet sad picture to look at.
Mind sickness is always fun to read about. Creativity and being psychotic… apparently there’s a fine line between the two. Creative processes may turn to psychotic ones. Hmm.
Crazy art folk, it seems like many artists and creative folk are a little out there… Sometimes in a good way and sometimes bad.
The “psychotic art” and “degenerate art” is pretty neat. In that type of art, the pictures are like a window into the mind of someone who doesn’t see life in the typical sense. It’s a different perception, and generally, you could stare at the pictures always notice something new, or even feel what they were feeling at the time of painting the picture. Indeed.
I respect Virginia Woolf’s ability and willingness to feel what she was feeling while her husband was in the hospital. Experience the emotions and document them. Her passage on page 129 oozed with melancholy and despair. Though, her ability for description is beautiful, fluid, and well articulated.
It’s funny how many famous authors are alcoholics. Makes me raise questions… How different would their work be if they had not indulged in alcoholic beverages? I’m thinking being inebriated is way more common than we think.
No pain, no gain?
Hughes relates the conditions of illness and disease and their effects on the body and mind with the abilities that creatives achieve. Many of the artists listed in the chapter had to struggle with their pains of illness, disease, or injury by means of a creative outlet. Hughes mentions many similarities between enduring pain and creative onset. The most obvious comparison which I related to was that of isolation. "Marcel Proust took refuge in illness in order to procure the seclusion necessary to achieve his vast enterprise" (118). Many times when I am sick, specifically when coping with migraines, I also need to be in a state of isolation where no outside sources; noises, light, etc; can disturb me. Likewise, when I am painting, drawing, scrapbooking, etc. I have to be in "my zone" - a quiet, undisruptive state in order to apply internal creative thoughts into the external.
Hughes mentions that "inner conflict is often seen as the cause of creativity itself" (119). In this respect, creativity is almost like a self-serving coping mechanism. It becomes a form of therapy in order to express, heal, and hopefully thrive. Many creatives mentioned in this chapter did not seek out such creative talents until they were stricken with some illness or injury.
I also related to the quote from Dr. Philip Sandblom, "the slight fever livened the associations and filled the thoughts with fantastic, dreamlike pictures..." (122). The few times my oldest son has struck fevers, he got very delusional and often mumbled or talked in illogical, irrational ways. I don't recall doing this verbally, but can remember feelings of dislocation when suffering with migraines. Hughes also mentions the presence of auras in regards to migraines. I cannot recall having this experience with a migraine, but I do experience this when I faint, which unfortunately happens frequently. I can usually feel a "spell" coming on because my hearing and sight becomes hindered...almost like tunnel vision for both senses. I get cold, clammy, and sweaty, and I can recall right before passing out that I experience what I now know to be entoptic images. I've always described this as like the snowy appearance on an old tv screen when a channel doesn't come in. Upon coming to, I remember having such vivid dreams seeming to have lasted for hours, only to find that I was "out" for a few moments. The symptoms sometimes resemble those sensory hallucinations that occur prior to epileptic seizures. It makes me wonder what creative potential awaits for me in this state...if I could only stay "out of it" long enough to tap into.
Hughes mentions that "inner conflict is often seen as the cause of creativity itself" (119). In this respect, creativity is almost like a self-serving coping mechanism. It becomes a form of therapy in order to express, heal, and hopefully thrive. Many creatives mentioned in this chapter did not seek out such creative talents until they were stricken with some illness or injury.
I also related to the quote from Dr. Philip Sandblom, "the slight fever livened the associations and filled the thoughts with fantastic, dreamlike pictures..." (122). The few times my oldest son has struck fevers, he got very delusional and often mumbled or talked in illogical, irrational ways. I don't recall doing this verbally, but can remember feelings of dislocation when suffering with migraines. Hughes also mentions the presence of auras in regards to migraines. I cannot recall having this experience with a migraine, but I do experience this when I faint, which unfortunately happens frequently. I can usually feel a "spell" coming on because my hearing and sight becomes hindered...almost like tunnel vision for both senses. I get cold, clammy, and sweaty, and I can recall right before passing out that I experience what I now know to be entoptic images. I've always described this as like the snowy appearance on an old tv screen when a channel doesn't come in. Upon coming to, I remember having such vivid dreams seeming to have lasted for hours, only to find that I was "out" for a few moments. The symptoms sometimes resemble those sensory hallucinations that occur prior to epileptic seizures. It makes me wonder what creative potential awaits for me in this state...if I could only stay "out of it" long enough to tap into.
Hughes (Chapter 9)
In Chapter 9, Hughes points to the connection between physical illness and creativity. Both involve "altered states of consciousness, arising on the one hand from bodily changes and on the other from imaginative affects."
The connection is clear to me. I can definitely attest to the power of sensory deprivation. It is a powerful tool. You'd be surprised how good a fighter can get if he (or she) fights with a blindfold on for a few months, while the opponent has access to all his senses. After the students other senses have been enhanced, sight can be returned. WALAH, you have a well-rounded fighter.
To take it a step further... can physical blindness facilitate the development of subliminal senses? I don't know. Hughes mentioned Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, but I also liked the story about Tiresias, the Tibetan seer, he was blinded and became a prophet.
Before reading this chapter, I can't recall anyone describing hearing as a specialized sense of touch, but I guess we do hear and feel sounds. In the end, we are just picking up vibrations in the air. It's definitely a different way of thinking about things.
The connection is clear to me. I can definitely attest to the power of sensory deprivation. It is a powerful tool. You'd be surprised how good a fighter can get if he (or she) fights with a blindfold on for a few months, while the opponent has access to all his senses. After the students other senses have been enhanced, sight can be returned. WALAH, you have a well-rounded fighter.
To take it a step further... can physical blindness facilitate the development of subliminal senses? I don't know. Hughes mentioned Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, but I also liked the story about Tiresias, the Tibetan seer, he was blinded and became a prophet.
Before reading this chapter, I can't recall anyone describing hearing as a specialized sense of touch, but I guess we do hear and feel sounds. In the end, we are just picking up vibrations in the air. It's definitely a different way of thinking about things.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Hughes Chapter 9
Hughes states that, "physical illness may initiate, or at least accelerate, the creative pursuit of his or her vocation." I believe that to be true because if you look at Vincent Vang Gogh's art work you see how in his mind his visions are tranformened from his thoughts onto his work. He suffered from bodily illness that resulted in his different style of work. I really enjoyed the painting of "Shattered Column" by Frida Kahlo, because the way she felt in her illness state is the way she painted it to reflect the pain and how the pain feels. Maybe more artist should try to do that. To have a loss of sensory deprivation is difficult for one to live or makes it much harder. For instance Helen Keller was not only blind but deaf, and she had to learn by feelings and people showing her how to make signs with her hands to communicate. For some artists such as Edgar Allen Poe, we today may not be able to come up with mysterious yet abnormal forms of art without the ring leader himself. People now adays are allowed to go into other worlds to create different movies of oddness and may not even need to use drugs to find their visualizations. Each artist whether they be a psychotic, manic depressant, schizo, or epileptic, may experience different forms of creativity due to there disease. On the last page is dedicated to Alcoholism, alcohol is I guess consumed as a drug, anyone above the age of 21 can consume it , and its legal. But I don't necessarily believe that being "drunk" can influence you to become artistic. When your drunk your just out there and don't really remember anything let alone anyone.
I think this was probably the most interesting reading we've had so far. I think part of that was because there was almost no mention of drugs. How refreshing! It was so very interesting to consider the part that illness can play in creativity. The majority of the artists that Hughes cited were household names and he listed so many with each example.
Hughes starts off by stating that, "Creativity appears to encompass the concepts both of disease and of cure." (p.117) Some artists are driven to their art because of their disease because they have no other way to constructively deal with it. They find ways to express the pain the experience, using poetry, painting, composing, etc., as an outlet. Others create during periods of altered states resulting from fevers, delerium, etc, all of which heighten creativity. (p.118)
I am nowhere close to being what most people would call creative. I don't paint, draw, write poetry, play an instrument..........nothing. For some time, I experienced depression myself. Medication wasn't really helping, nor was therapy. When I was at my worst, I felt that if I just had some sort of creative outlet, it would help. I felt that there was so much "stuff" built up inside of me that had to come out, and it wanted to come out in some sort of creative way. I tried to write, but it just didn't work. Obviously, I found ways to deal with it, and brought myself out of it, but I can sympathize with artists in the same boat. Hughes states that "inner conflict is often seen as the cause of creativity itself." (p.119) I have to disagree. I don't think that creativity is born out of illness, but if the creative "seed" is there, the artist can develop it and use it to deal with the illness. Just because someone can express themselves through painting or writing, though, doesn't mean that they will be able to conquer the illness. I think that it just helps them to deal with it, and to fend off the demons, at least a little bit longer.
I find another point that Hughes makes to be really interesting. He says, "The idea that certain illnesses confer creativity has been reversed in recent times to suggest that creativity confers the illness. The comparatively recent discovery of the link between emotional states and the immune system.....provides this problematic proposal with scientific backing." (p.122) People who are depressed or otherwise less emotionally well, are often more sickly than the psychologically healthy. It's something I think that we all notice, and to know that there is a scientific link is reassuring. Again, when I was suffering from depression, I didn't always feel physically well either. When people are emotionally un-well, I think they tend to neglect their diet and personal care, which makes them more vulnerable to illness.
I wonder about some of this. If a person is ill and the illness causes them to be creative, to the point of achieving success, would such a person necessarily WANT to get well? I certainly hope so, but I wonder if some get caught up in the creativity (their method of coping), to the point that they lose sight of what it really means to be well, and give up on the idea of going back to that state.
Hughes starts off by stating that, "Creativity appears to encompass the concepts both of disease and of cure." (p.117) Some artists are driven to their art because of their disease because they have no other way to constructively deal with it. They find ways to express the pain the experience, using poetry, painting, composing, etc., as an outlet. Others create during periods of altered states resulting from fevers, delerium, etc, all of which heighten creativity. (p.118)
I am nowhere close to being what most people would call creative. I don't paint, draw, write poetry, play an instrument..........nothing. For some time, I experienced depression myself. Medication wasn't really helping, nor was therapy. When I was at my worst, I felt that if I just had some sort of creative outlet, it would help. I felt that there was so much "stuff" built up inside of me that had to come out, and it wanted to come out in some sort of creative way. I tried to write, but it just didn't work. Obviously, I found ways to deal with it, and brought myself out of it, but I can sympathize with artists in the same boat. Hughes states that "inner conflict is often seen as the cause of creativity itself." (p.119) I have to disagree. I don't think that creativity is born out of illness, but if the creative "seed" is there, the artist can develop it and use it to deal with the illness. Just because someone can express themselves through painting or writing, though, doesn't mean that they will be able to conquer the illness. I think that it just helps them to deal with it, and to fend off the demons, at least a little bit longer.
I find another point that Hughes makes to be really interesting. He says, "The idea that certain illnesses confer creativity has been reversed in recent times to suggest that creativity confers the illness. The comparatively recent discovery of the link between emotional states and the immune system.....provides this problematic proposal with scientific backing." (p.122) People who are depressed or otherwise less emotionally well, are often more sickly than the psychologically healthy. It's something I think that we all notice, and to know that there is a scientific link is reassuring. Again, when I was suffering from depression, I didn't always feel physically well either. When people are emotionally un-well, I think they tend to neglect their diet and personal care, which makes them more vulnerable to illness.
I wonder about some of this. If a person is ill and the illness causes them to be creative, to the point of achieving success, would such a person necessarily WANT to get well? I certainly hope so, but I wonder if some get caught up in the creativity (their method of coping), to the point that they lose sight of what it really means to be well, and give up on the idea of going back to that state.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Is anyone really normal?
Reading the text regarding creativity and disease, I paused in wonderment at the power that is within us. The senses that we are equipped with are truly amazing! In those moments of quite pause, I have asked myself what sense would I be able to live without… I know maybe I am abnormal! So, I was very intrigued to read the accounts from individuals who lost or were born without a particular sense. James Joyce said that becoming blind was “the least important event in his life.” For me this was a humbling statement as so often we bitch and complain about every little thing taking for granted the gifts we have in our senses. OK I am stepping off my soap box…
I mentioned my friends Mom in an earlier blog and I thought of her again as I read the sections on depression and mental illness. It is concerning that we as a society are accepting of other diseases yet those we cannot understand we categorize them as being mad. Your head can get sick the same way your heart does… The text mentions the notion that individuals who don’t fit in are categorized as strange. In the reading it describes the introduction of lithium… Mrs. K is prescribed lithium and she sits in a chair and stares like a zombie… She is a brilliant woman who has an advanced degree. Yet she is unable to cope with the day to day. So this chapter hit home for me and further opens my thinking about the power of the mind.
I have migraines from time to time – they are the worst! So as I read the notion of an aura surrounding these headaches it became much clearer for me what I have experienced. Now I will say that I don’t have euphoric feelings as the book describes, but I do become hyper sensitive to smells – it is the wildest thing!
I think that we are all eccentric in varying degrees... The degrees are determined by society - and who's to say that the accepted standard of normalcy is correct?
I mentioned my friends Mom in an earlier blog and I thought of her again as I read the sections on depression and mental illness. It is concerning that we as a society are accepting of other diseases yet those we cannot understand we categorize them as being mad. Your head can get sick the same way your heart does… The text mentions the notion that individuals who don’t fit in are categorized as strange. In the reading it describes the introduction of lithium… Mrs. K is prescribed lithium and she sits in a chair and stares like a zombie… She is a brilliant woman who has an advanced degree. Yet she is unable to cope with the day to day. So this chapter hit home for me and further opens my thinking about the power of the mind.
I have migraines from time to time – they are the worst! So as I read the notion of an aura surrounding these headaches it became much clearer for me what I have experienced. Now I will say that I don’t have euphoric feelings as the book describes, but I do become hyper sensitive to smells – it is the wildest thing!
I think that we are all eccentric in varying degrees... The degrees are determined by society - and who's to say that the accepted standard of normalcy is correct?
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