Drugs and Creativity

[Antithesis]

I found that when I had pot in my system, including after I was baked, I had less motivation and more creativity. It may have just been a placebo, but I felt I had a lot more of an imagination and thus more creativity. Also, some of the drawings I did will on hallucinacitory drugs were other-worldly and awesome, I kinda wish I'd kept them.

I don't do any drugs other than alcohol, caffeine and nicotine anymore and no longer advocate the use of any illicit drugs, but I do feel that they can spur creative potential and broaden your horizons. I also feel that using LSD and mushrooms a couple times can open pathways in the brain and help with abstract thought (I mean after using them, not while your high).

Don't do drugs. Unless your an artist and don't mind going to prison if your caught.

 

[JerryPH]

Do drugs help us enhance or inhibit creativity and our expression of such?
-

You are kidding right? This has to fall under the "stupid question" catagory.

Personally I would not even consider abusing my body and dulling mind with drugs under ANY non-medically warranted situation... much less the pretense of wanting to increase my "creativity". I've seen the stupid things people do while under the influence of even small amounts of alcohol, and I've held a cocaine OD'ed friend in my arms as she died... all in the name of getting high for the sake of expanding her perception of the world (another way to say creativity, perhaps?)

Anyone that needs recreational drugs to increase their quality of life has issues a LOT more serious than creativity to address.

Drugs are used to heal people and reduce pain and disease... not assist someone to become more creative, no matter what the excuse in the user's head they justify it under.

Puhleeze! :thumbdown: :thumbdown:

 

[Mike_E]

.

 

[ir0n_ma1den]

hard drugs = bad.
non-hard drugs = okay in moderation.

 

[Phranquey]

I liked an earlier idea that the creativity is there, but the inhibitions are lowered to trying new things. I smoked my share of weed, and always felt the urge to do something, try something new, either with a camera, airbrush, or whatever.
My favorite interview was watching Carl Sagan admit how his book "Cosmos" was founded. He and his wife (also an astrophysicist) were in the shower smoking a joint, and began discussing ideas, which translated to using bars of soap to write formulas & ideas on the shower walls, which wound up turning into a pretty good book.
Alas, now I am a family man, with the mortgage, a very good career, and an employer who does randoms, so my partying days are long over. Do I mind...not in the least bit. Any regrets for what I have done in the past...not in the least bit. I now have a seventeen year old son, and he knows what lays in my past, and knows that if I ever catch it, see it, or smell it (dad still has the "nose") he will be in trouble.
Do I sit there and say "wish I could get some"....nope. I grab the camera, airbrush, or whatever, and go have some fun.

 

[bill04]

The only people who can comment that drugs increase, or decrease creativity are people who have used drugs. Plain and simple. If you say you have never used drugs, then you better have not drank one sip of alcohol, otherwise you are a liar.


Personally, if I smoked some pot, I'd think of some crazy stuff. e.g, I'd though pointed rocks on top of a frozen lake dusted with snow around it resembled a mountain (hey, give cut me some slack, it was through the viewfinder. )

I later learned those shots were f****** retarded, and my IQ probably dropped several points by just looking at them.

No doubt, drug use will stimulate the mind in ways that will not happen when sober. New stimulations will yield different work. Sometimes it's stupid, and sometimes it is amazing. There has been amazing artwork produced while the artist was under the influence. Have you never listened to Coltrane or Pink Floyd? Ever read or seen the movie Alice in Wonderland?

Some people here are extremely closed-minded, and need to get a freakin' grip. It's that whole abstinence/straight edge campaign America has going. We can blame the "social conservatives" for that one. (Sorry, I had to take a stab at those extremely hypocritical, extremely twisted Christian preaching...........people)

http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html

 

[Wozza]

I'm in the same boat as Iron. I have to say I'm not anti-softer drugs (in moderation) - but one thing that really irks me is when people think they NEED it to be creative or produce anything worthwhile.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Let me be clear about something: I have taken every drug (and I mean EVERY drug) many many many times. Some I took too much, and got myself cleaned up. Some I have decided to continue taking, whereas some are best avoided.

One thing I have learned as I got older is that drugs do not enhance, enable, or incite creativity. Someone hear called me (indirectly) closed minded. Take it as face value, I'm on the other side. I did it all, sometimes a little, sometimes the perfect amount, sometimes way too much. The unequivical answer is: no, your creativity is still yours, the drug just makes it different. It does not make it better, or worse, or shinier, or tastier, or brigher - it just makes it different. And because it is something that happens to you, rather than being something that you make happen, it is effectively worthless. You cannot chase a dragon, he will appear when he wants to.

Lord Byron may have drunk a lot of laudanum, but his best work happened before and after. During the high he was busy trying to shag his mistress, unless he passed out completely.

 

[Mesoam]

when i'm high i come up with some of the best idea's i have ever had, inventions, ways to do things, how to fix certain things....

however i have NO desire to actually carry them out, mostly because i find a bag of dorrito's or something like that

occasionally i'll write them down and the next day put it to good use...

i will tell you, one of my roommates and I went grocery shopping high once and we ended up with the most amount of groceries for the LEAST amount of money we have spent yet. We were so concerned about each individual thing we were buying it led to an excellent overall purchase...granted it took us about 2hours

 

[sabbath999]

I have no idea whether drugs help or hinder creativity, since I try to avoid drugs of any kind.

No booze, no sigs, no pills, no caffeine, etc.

My personal choice, not trying to say that what I choose for myself is in any way right for anybody else.

I think one would have to study the work done by somebody on drugs/vs when they were not on drugs, and see which is the more creative. I suspect some would be more creative on, and some off... but that is a total guess with nothing to support it.

 

[Antithesis]

...Ever read or seen the movie Alice in Wonderland?
http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html

My girlfriend just took a childrens lit. class, and this was the first book they studied. There were no drugs involved, at all, no matter what the urban myths tell you. It was written in the 1870's if I'm correct, long before the merry pranksters.

Like I said, I don't support the use of drugs at all, but everyones body is their own and I have no right to tell them what to do with it. I did a whole lot of drugs (primarily 'natural') as a self-medication when I was about 16 because my parents were going through a bitter divorce. I learned a lot about how to destroy very important parts of your brain by using drugs while your still developing mentally. I have no regrets because my life is turning out ok, but I was pretty nervous for a while when I felt brain-dead.

 

[JerryPH]

-I smoked my share of weed, and always felt the urge to do something, try something new, either with a camera, airbrush, or whatever.

- Alas, now I am a family man, with the mortgage, a very good career, and an employer who does randoms, so my partying days are long over.

- Do I mind...not in the least bit. Any regrets for what I have done in the past...not in the least bit.

- I now have a seventeen year old son, and he knows what lays in my past, and knows that if I ever catch it, see it, or smell it (dad still has the "nose") he will be in trouble.

Not that I disagree with you, but a blatant case of double standards. :lmao:

It was ok for you to partake, but if your son (whom you obviously care about), did, it would cuase trouble?

As a kid you were less informed and did stupid things. As an adult, you grew up, matured and realized it was unhealthy, so you stopped. That SAME issue of health is just as equally important for a growing human being as it is for an adult.

I think the point is made.

As for that wonderful list of popular and well known drug users, how many tragically died way before their time? Oh yeah, they were the most creative people... in the cemetary.

I am not patting myself on the back, but I am proud that I am 47 years old and I do not know what a hangover feels like, that I've not pushed crap into my arm via a dirty siringe and that I have mantained full control of my mind and body my whole life and not killed anyone while being behind the steering wheel, becuase of drinking alcohol and being to stupid to know that I should not drive.

I think people that get stoned, do it... but not for creativity's sake, but their own weakness and addictions. They KNOW it's wrong and bad, but do it anyways.

Whatever. Those who wish to, should get stoned in the name of creativity... I am going to laugh my hiney off and point my finger at the mental midgits as they fry off the few irreplaceable brain cells they have left... lmao.

 

[Arch]

The only people who can comment that drugs increase, or decrease creativity are people who have used drugs. Plain and simple.

This IS the answer to the original question.

Most the other opinions on drug use are 'nice' but uninformed.
The fact is a drug like cannabis DOES have an effect on your senses, namely your vision, hearing and taste. While under the influence of cannabis your creativity will be effected as your senses are hightened.

However, whether or not the end result is any good is a different story. You may produce something you never would have 'normally' produced... or maybe you produce what you would have anyway but with a worse technical ability.

It is therefore impossible to tell which is which... an example of this is:
would Andy Warhol have ever been inspired enough to create the Campbell's Soup Cans idea had he not been on drugs?
OR -
Would he have created something more important if he hadn't been on drugs?

See an impossible question... but those who think it can help them are the ones that have tried it before and know enough about themselves to know, no one else can tell them the answer.

 

[Mesoam]

Not that I disagree with you, but a blatant case of double standards. :lmao:

-agree


I am not patting myself on the back, but I am proud that I am 47 years old and I do not know what a hangover feels like, that I've not pushed crap into my arm via a dirty siringe and that I have mantained full control of my mind and body my whole life and not killed anyone while being behind the steering wheel, becuase of drinking alcohol and being to stupid to know that I should not drive.

- perhaps you are the one afraid to try new things?

I think people that get stoned, do it... but not for creativity's sake, but their own weakness and addictions. They KNOW it's wrong and bad, but do it anyways.

- well I'm sure not addicted to anything, booze, or otherwise...perhaps you should re-evaluate that as well? Sure as humans we all get urges and acting upon urges are nothing short of satisfying. You consider seeking and accomplishing satisfaction a weakness???

Whatever. Those who wish to, should get stoned in the name of creativity... I am going to laugh my hiney off and point my finger at the mental midgits as they fry off the few irreplaceable brain cells they have left... lmao.

- do you consider yourself a better person because you don't partake in other things that people do? Perhaps you are the so called "mental midget"...

food for thought?

side note, this thread is going to go nowhere fast

 

[terri]

It's been an interesting read, and plenty of you have voiced very expressive opinions here.

Just a reminder to keep it civil so you can keep it going if you'd like. There's nothing more tedious than having to lock a thread because of a few spoilers.... carry on.