The dark side of creativity - CNN.com

How do you feel about the news in this article. It says that suffering from depression and anxiety can actually help artistic geniuses. Anxiety and depression never did anything good for me!

I guess it is possible for some artists to work through their problems and succeed. They say Michelangelo had OCD and I think current #1 tennis player Rafael Nadal does too.

My emotional problems always seem to work against me. Does anyone have a success story to tell? Or, relevant thoughts to share?

[Perna]

I do not believe suffering helps anything; it is articles like these that get some young people deciding they have to live in an unheated garret and die young to be "poets" or something. Everyone has problems and difficulties and that is what we put in our stories and art work but being ill on top of life's normal problems, that cannot help make the difficulties "better". We have too many rock stars who have died from drug difficulties; you would think young people would be bright enough to see that any "art" (and I am not sure Janis Joplin is known for her music more than for her drug activities and the sensationalism) and lifestyle that came from drug use or mental illness was not really worth it, not something one wants to aspire to?

[Webgoji]

It depends on what you define as success. But I wrote my magnum opus (The Seraphim Protocol) while fighting some very severe and crushing depression. Honestly, the only way that book could have been written was for me to be in thralls of my major depressive syndrome. For me to get where that book went, I had to be able to move my mind into a very, very dark place. It scared my wife.

Yes, life is more pleasant now that I'm getting a handle on my depression and I think I might have a new story line that might work out even though it's not as emotionally brutal as The Seraphim Protocol. But without my depression, I can't hyper-focus on things and dig and dig and dig on them. So the fact that Il Coppelia actually has a complete plot is quite a feat for me.

It's hard to write when that inner voice isn't shouting at me.

[Webgoji]

Originally Posted by Perna

I do not believe suffering helps anything; it is articles like these that get some young people deciding they have to live in an unheated garret and die young to be "poets" or something. Everyone has problems and difficulties and that is what we put in our stories and art work but being ill on top of life's normal problems, that cannot help make the difficulties "better". We have too many rock stars who have died from drug difficulties; you would think young people would be bright enough to see that any "art" (and I am not sure Janis Joplin is known for her music more than for her drug activities and the sensationalism) and lifestyle that came from drug use or mental illness was not really worth it, not something one wants to aspire to?

I agree. Anyone with an ounce of sense wouldn't want to emotionally be where I was when I wrote my last book.

My mother believed that suffering built character and values. In retrospect, this did not work for me at all!

[Ubermensch]

I think that they are confusing cause and effect. I think that people are more attracted to and appreciative and can relate to artistic material, whether it be music, painting, or writing that is emotionally intense. Someone who is suffering and then conveys that suffering through an artistic medium is more likely to be successful, but not because they suffer, but because suffering is what the public relates to and desires. Oftentimes when we look at art we see a reflection of ourself and are in ways able to releive some of our own suffering/issues vicariously through the artists own release of emotion that is represented in his/her art. But that being said, suffering is certainly not a requirement for being a successful artist. I'd say talent and creativity are more important than anything else.

[Perna]

I think suffering can help build character and values, if you let it, but not in and of itself. We have to have problems or we cannot learn? As my favorite Arab proverb puts it, "All sun makes a desert." We have to make mistakes to see what we need to practice, where the flaws are, what we don't yet understand, etc. Ignorant people who make ignorant comments are rarely those who have had depression, or another difficulty we may be struggling with? But they are also those who have not had an interest in studying depression and learning about it. It is not necessary to be depressed to learn about depression or our OB/GYNs would not be so predominantly male?

It may be necessary to impart emotional "truth" to have had a particular problem though. I doubt I want to read many love stories written by people who have not been in love, or read about sad breakups by someone who has only watched other people go through breakups and knows the people were "sad". I'm not just going to talk to my male OB/GYN while pregnant, or young/unmarried/single child psychologists when I become a parent. But I am also not going to ignore either the "expert" on depression or rely 100% on my friend who is depressed when/if depression comes my way.

I think creativity is like any other trait; we all have it to some degree and a lot of how strong it is depends on how much we practice/use it. To become good at sports one has to put in 10+ years very hard work, to become an established writer, the period is similar. People do not wish their way to success, no matter how it looks to the outside. Kay Redfield Jamison is 67! She has both suffered from and studied bipolar disorder since she was a young adult. She probably would not have had an interest if she did not have the disorder but she would not be "famous" if she had not done the hard work. Just being bipolar did not make her creative/famous/an expert on bipolar, her hard work did. One cannot become a better poet simply by suffering depression.

Kay Redfield Jamison has written on this subject- a connection between mental illness and the vague trait of "creativity". Her book Touched With Fire addresses it but she also often lectures on it and has written some other shorter works on the subject. There has been a lot of research lately regarding this idea as well. I think there is some validity to the notion that creativity or an artistic inclination has a connection to mental illness. I just don't think what a lot of people assume- that madness= artistic genius is really how it manifests. It's just not that simple.

No, I didn't read this specific article. I have read a few on the idea and so probably addressed something that was already brought up. [oh well]

[Webgoji]

Originally Posted by Perna

I think creativity is like any other trait; we all have it to some degree and a lot of how strong it is depends on how much we practice/use it.

THIS!! ^^^

Creativity can be fostered and nurtured. But with most of us, it's been decimated by how we are raised.

[eskielover]

When I'm feeling depressed or anxiety, I usually use my crafts as distraction.....painted some Christmas ornaments & I do beading & knitting. Knitting has been my most relaxing thing lately....not sure why....but it's something I haven't done in a long time. The repetition is great until I make a mistake....then it's NOT so relaxing.

Really love the acrylic painting though even though I usually paint on things rather than painting a picture.....but the ideas keep coming inspite of how I'm really feeling