This is so true
When I was in art school one teacher gave my class some wisdom.
He warned us not to fall into the trap of working while under the influence. A lot of artists will get drunk or high before they create, because they think it makes them more creative.
It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. By only allowing themselves to be creative while under the influence of a drug, they program their brains to associate drugs with creativity. They train themselves like Pavlov’s dog.
Eventually, their brain forgets how to be creative while sober, because they’ve spent their so much time practicing and reinforcing this self-destructive behavior pattern.
People can only rely on self-destructive habits for so long before they hit a crisis point. Eventually the addiction gets out of control, and starts to destroy their careers.
The same applies to mentally ill artists who refuse to take their meds because they think that their skill is a product of their psychosis.
Whether you’re taking drugs you don’t need, or not taking medication you do need, you’re sabotaging your art. It might seem like it’s improving your creativity in the short term, but self-destructive habits will only damage your creativity in the long term.
Real skill doesn’t come from random moments of inspiration – it comes from thousands of hours of practice. If you do the bulk of your practice when you’re in a manic state, or when you’re high, etc., you’ll end up falsely attributing your skills to that mental state.
Don’t fall into that trap. You’re self-inflicted suffering is not the source of your “genius.” If you believe it is, you’re suffering from a grandiose delusion, and you need to rethink your creative process.
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