I recently (about 2 minutes ago) saw a FB post talking about more artists coming forward to seek help for depression and some of the other maladies that seem attracted to creative types. I wrote this as a reply to the post: "I used to think that my creativity came from my darkness. After being relieved from some of the darkness, I recognize the Source as being much deeper. My creativity flourishes even better in the Light." With all of the deaths in the past few years of musicians and actors and such from addiction and or mental health issues, I'd say it's about time to banish the myth that drug use or alcohol use or mental disorders are nearly a requirement for creativity.
It seems since forever that we've had artists and writers and musicians who, along with creating masterpieces still admired today, lived tragically troubled lives. To name a few, just off the top of my head: Vincent Van Gogh, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, John Belushi, Robin Williams, Janis Joplin, Freddie Prinze, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Joe Walsh, Dr. John, Sylvia Plath...the list can go on and on and on. So, I think we almost come to expect that creative people often have something 'wrong' with them.
The creative mind is an open mind. Open minds are dangerous. Open minds think outside the box. Open minds see things that closed minds don't necessarily see - and someone who has the capacity to see great beauty also has the capacity to see incredible ugliness. Very often, I think, creative people will use substances to control the mind - to sort of close it up a little bit. However, in those with addiction, the substances can take over, closing off all creativity, and often killing the host.
But what can happen is that the creative person who has an addiction or a mental health issue believes that the addiction or disorder is a necessary part of their creativity. The creative person, when presented with an opportunity to recover, may feel s/he has to make a choice between physical life and their own true love, creativity.
I think it is time to understand that creative brains do indeed fall outside the 'normal' range in so many ways, but the creative person's life doesn't have to end tragically for them to be creative. I think it's time to understand that a brain that falls outside the norms simply means that the person who possesses that brain has the challenge of finding healthy ways to harness their powerfully creative brain to use it in constructive, yet still creative ways.
I know many people in recovery from addiction and mental health conditions that were creative before they got so sick, and have chosen to be creative in their fields post-recovery. Personally, I have written more over the past four years than I have the previous 50. I understand today that I have a wide-open mind, and I no longer shame myself for it. I am learning how to live well with the mind I have, and to express what is inside of me in ways that are enriching for me and, hopefully, uplifting for others. I no longer live in the prison of my own mind; the walls are crumbling, and I get to see the beauty both within me and the beauty surrounding me. I am grateful today for that which makes me different, because I get to experience and enjoy life today in a way that is 'outside the box'.
I am grateful that I lived long enough to recognize that what I once thought were overwhelming burdens are actually wonderful gifts. Learning to master this thing between my ears is the challenge of a lifetime, but, again, well worth it.
Many blessings to you, and may your creative juices flow freely!
Namaste,
Ken
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