Bipolar and Creativity

There is somehow a connection between bipolarity and creative genius. In her book Touched With Fire, Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison showcases many artist from the past that were bipolar and were driven by artistic temperament. Creativity is the single most trait that makes man the paragon of animals and sets him above even his own peers. This is a MS Painting I did in 2008 called Michael and the Dragon. Also Piano Music Audioblog is full of original piano compositions and bursting with creativity. Any other creative bipolar people on here?

Writer/painter here.

I write Poetry (Sonnets) too but not so much about love. My topics are about God/Lucifer etc. For example I have a series of 35 sonnets called Sonnets From Adam that gets into the battle between God and Lucifer though it does have it's love moments when Adam speaks about his love for Eve. :-)

R U published or on the internet with your writings?
Mine are published on the net but not in book form.

I'm not as much of a poetry person. I write mainly shorts, and have been working on novels. I've been published in books. I don't really like writing about love either. I concentrate on other topics, mostly.

Your sonnets sound interesting. I've always had a light fascination with religion presented through personal creativity.

I write poetry; however, meds have suppressed my creativity.

My 12-year old son also has a mood disorder and is gifted in music. He is trained on the piano; however, he has also taught himself to play guitar, mandolin, drums, and bass guitar. He is so good that he already plays in a praise band with adults, and has done so for the past two years.

Wow, bluemountains, you have one super talented kid! That's awesome

Yep, he's pretty amazing, but the flip side is that we have had to deal with some scary moods, and I am sad that he needs medication in order to tolerate the world. Music has always been his "pacifier".

Yeah, I can't imagine what it is like for a parent to have to watch their kid struggle with something like that. On the positive, sounds like he's got a mom who cares, and that makes a pretty huge difference

I sketch and am getting pretty good but not bi-polar...major depression is my angle. I took up art because of my physical disability which is arthritis. I used to loveto run around but cannot do that so I took up art. Good call I might add. I do have a bi-polar daughter but she is only into drawing crooked stick figures...LOL Oh well!!

and a short p.s. I have a very artistic bi-polar friend, but meds also have caused her to be less creative, Thats why sometimes if you are bi-polar, and artistic in music, or art you do not like meds. Thats also very understandable

Very nice bp1. Ever since I was little I was never the type of child that watched tv or played video games with friends. I'd orchestrate plays and play piano or would draw or paint. Other kids couldn't relate with me a lot of the time, I say relate with me because I didn't see anything different with me so it had to be them. Now I still play piano, draw, paint, write poems and sing.

"This is a MS Painting I did in 2008 called Michael and the Dragon."


Thanks for showing us. Its very good!!!

There's a wonderful book that I enjoyed so much each time I visited my psychiatrist.
It's called "From Darkness Into Sunshine", and it's about a large number of people who are bipolar who have made a success of their lives in painting.

Some of the works are spellbinding. Interestingly enough, most of the artistis are engineers, housewives, etc.; only a very few have been unable to live in society.

I'm telling you, I thought their work was wonderful and amazing.

You might enjoy that book when the mood to look at someone's artwork interests you.

Genetic

Although I will tell you that all I have been able to do recently is color mandalas from a book, I consider myself a writer, water color artist and singer. I pray that I begin to enjoy those talents again.

Hate to say it but I haven't got an Artist/Creativity bone in my body. I did use to sing when I was at school and sat exams in them.

I am pretty goos with remembering years/dates ie singers and bands and films. My Support Worker thinks this is my talent? I thought everyone could do this lol!

I am good at writing and playing piano Through music and words it gets alot easier to express myself .....
I recently found that most famous bipolars are either people who relate to music or writers ...

I'm a musician, but I don't particularly count that as creative as I don't write or ad lib, etc. It is a talent, but I'm not doing the creating; only the performing. I don't really consider myself creative at all. I'm not artistic or crafty. I don't write creatively although I am a really good technical writer. So, I definitely don't fit the "bipolar" creative profile.

That is me.....multi-talented on multiple instruments. Give your son lots of support. It will pay off.

Im just that idiot remember?

I write. This is about a counselor I used to see. I last saw her about a year and a half ago. You know what the last words she said to me were.

I make culinary art, the guys at work love me for it. I also paint and draw, I can do amazing things with shellac and glitter on nails.

It seems there's a pretty substantial link between mental illness and creativity in general. I think, in my case, it's my way of seeking an outlet. I draw sporadically. I can't seem to draw all the time. When I'm in a depressed episode, the ability just... vanishes.

However, I write pretty often. I'm a writer by nature. Novels, short stories, poetry... I'm not published anywhere. I'd like to be. Maybe. One day. Possibly. I do post my work online sometimes. Only the work I'm not too fussed about.