Heh. Actually. I'm going to expand on something that I said in the comments section of my last entry, because... well, because I feel like it, and because this is MY blog, so there, nyah nyah.
In essence, people who constantly use drugs/alcohol to bolster their creative powers... are cheating. It's like those people who trace panels out of manga, call it 'fanart', and put it on the web as 'something I drew'. It's not you being creative, it's something else being creative FOR you. If you can't produce your best work without alcohol, then it's not YOUR work at all.
Does this make me a hypocrite? Hell yes. There's some amount of caffeine in my body CONSTANTLY, every second of every day, which means that every single thing I've ever created was created at least partially while under the influence of a drug.
But does this make me a hypocrite? Hell no. I have never, not once in my life, ever drunk caffeine 'because it will make me write better'. Caffeine is just a part of my life, a fact, if you will. True, I am physically addicted to caffeine. If I stop drinking it, I WILL get a headache. So yes, I am a drug addict. But not because I think it makes me a better artist.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with the occasional bout of drunken arting. Far from it; we all occasionally get into ruts, and we need something to break us out. It's just when you start to NEED that drug to produce that you've gone too far.
It worries me when people use substances as a substitute for something that is lacking in their own minds. Or even as a substitute for something that they believe is lacking. I guess there are people who are so hidebound by life that they can't break through and be creative without some sort of barrier-destroying white powder or clear liquid... which is, basically, tantamount to saying 'I can't understand the little gray monster in my skull, so I poison it until it reels and then it screams things that I can write down'.
Lovely.
But, then, I AM hypocritical about this. Look at my last entry, extolling the state of hyperconsciousness, which is so often aided and abetted by caffeine. I guess, in essence, that since I've been a caffeine addict since I was three or so, things that I create while on caffeine are still MINE. Because caffeine is inherently a part of who I am. So... maybe drugs aren't the answer, but they're part of the question...
Basically, you've read through this entire rambling entry to discover that... I can't draw any real conclusions. Do what it takes, as long as you produce works of reasonable originality. If you think you need drugs, well, be careful... we need every last scrap of creativity that exists. Don't destroy yourself. Hone your craft and your talent, not your high. But whatever you do, we love you, and we're here for you if you need us. Give Auntie Moon a hug and then go draw or write something, okay?
Replies: add your comment: currently 11 comments
A lot of people at Pitzer claimed (incessantly) that smoking pot made them more creative. Unfortunately for them I'd SEEN them after they had smoked said pot, and all they really did was sit there saying 'dude' and thinking that was THE most creative thing EVER.
Didn't make them creative, just made them so dumb they thought they were brilliant.
Of course, then again, one fellow who lived in my hall and was in one of my classes came to class one day and gave an absolutely brilliant presentation. The next week the two of us ended up talking for some reason, and I told him what a good job he'd done. He responded, "Yeah. Man, I couldn't believe it when I got my grade. I was SO fucking STONED."
I dunno, though. I wonder how brilliant he'd have been if he wasn't stoned.
Posted by Ed @ 08/30/2001 09:20 PM EST
Well done, Moon; I agree totally here. I really don't buy it when people say drugs make them more creative or work better, etc. I consider it like using cheat codes in a game; if you NEED them to finish a game, you may not be that good of a player in said game. However, yes, many games are so damn hard that how can you finish them without using codes? But let's not get into that...
Just use your own creativity that comes naturally is what I say, yes. Don't depend on drugs. Frankly, I don't think people should use drugs anyway, but i'm not going to preach that. I honestly think many people use it just as an excuse that drugs make them more crwative so that it justifies them USING drugs in the first place. But no, I think not.
You're using them just because you WANT to. And so you can creatively cheat. ^_'
I won't get into the caffine thing though, Moon. Heh. ^_'
Posted by Wolf @ 08/31/2001 12:41 AM EST
Heh... sounds a great deal like the Pitzer I remember. I actually liked it there... despite the incessant drug use by a bunch of students. Heh.
Posted by Nathan @ 08/31/2001 01:38 AM EST
No generality is complete, including this one. Seems to apply nicely.
Nezumi agrees wholeheartedly with the above. There is nothing creative you can do with the aid of drugs that you can't do without, and drugs are usually a /distraction/ from creativity. But not always.
There are a few, and Nezumi used to be one ages and ages ago, who would use a mild joint now and again as a tool. A relaxation aid, something to get you nice and settled, is useful to a writer. Same goes for the occasional glass of wine before sitting down to the keyboard every other week or so. But it's not necessary. Think of it as the difference between walking 15 minutes to the store or taking a car, it's a convenience and it's even a little fun. But it's not necessary.
Problem of course is that very few people Nezumi's met have the knowledge or self-control to use drugs (marijuana or alcohol, that is) as a tool. Most people just use them to get wasted, like the examples above.
There are all kinds of nifty places you can get to with drugs. You can expand your horizons and visit other mental states. But it's like making the trip blindfolded. If you get there on your own, without chemical aid, you know how to get there. And you can go any time.
Posted by Nezumi @ 08/31/2001 08:39 AM EST
....Nathan went to pitzer? Same Nathan as Nathan-is-evil? o.o *flees*
Posted by Ed @ 08/31/2001 05:58 PM EST
Huggles for Auntie Moon!
Posted by Duo Maxwell @ 09/01/2001 02:22 AM EST
I guess 'huggle de huggle' would be appropriate. ^_^
Posted by Duo Maxwell Again @ 09/01/2001 02:23 AM EST
Yes, I went to Pitzer. I don't see why you're so scared... the primary reason everyone is calling me evil is because of my name, which is pretty sad, if you think about it. Ah well. I'm fairly certain someone will pop right back and call me evil now. Heh.
Posted by Nathan @ 09/01/2001 03:39 AM EST
İİİ if you think Pitzer has incessant student drug use, you should see Western Washington Universityİ
I've hung around with people who get really stupid when they're stonedİ Usually these people aren't that bright sober, thoughİ If they were smart, they wouldn't get so stoned they can do nothing but sit around and say "Dude, manİ Dudeİ" on a regular basis in the first placeİ
But I can see how it could help someoneİİİ slow down enough to get their thoughts in order, which could help a creative person actually create, rather than just being creativeİ
I'm not a particularly creative person, but I've been known to drink a beer or smoke a bowl whilest doing homework so as to calm myself, keep myself on trackİ I'm quite hyper otherwiseİ
And the only "A" paper I wrote during my brief enrollment at college was written after consuming a quarter of a bottle of rum and 4 shots of espressoİ But I had to edit out the foul language the next morningİ
Posted by Lack Thereof @ 09/01/2001 04:37 AM EST
^_^;;;; do I get royalties for this topic? >;)
Kidding...
Posted by StB @ 09/01/2001 03:25 PM EST
To each their own, I say. Moderation is the key with anything-- and yes, if you believe that getting high in one way or another is the only means to a creative end, then there's something wrong. BUT, I see nothing wrong with partaking now and then. Yeah, drugs can be a distraction, thus the maoderation thing, but I know several people who have high-stress work places that can have a few tokes and perform excellently through the day. Hell, I could get all coked up right now would and probably spend the rest of the evening only talking about all the cool shit I'm gonna draw. But the difference is that tomorrow I would actually draw it. XD
The use of substances to alter oneself is a part of nature. Stuff grows. We're not the only critters that do it either. So I don't really see it as cheating. Its all about the awareness of the user. Maybe that means I'm agreeing with Moon... or something.... just throwing in my two cents....
Posted by Andrya @ 09/04/2001 07:29 PM EST
