Creative Pressures

I chose to write about the second topic for this article because it is not only something that interests me and intrigues me in regards to the book, but it also is something that I think relates to me as an artist. Although I would not consider myself a traditional artist, I would still think of myself studying a creative field.

I think the main reason that so many artists are plagued with these self-destructive tendencies is not a simple coincidence. I think that creative types are prone to this behavior because of how they act and how they are treated in regards to their behavior. When an artist acts in eccentric ways and it is passed off for normalcy is when they begin their path of self-destruction. This is shown in the novel when Elizabeth began to get visits from her ghost monk friend and passes it off as an everyday occurrence. The quote “…she had really been shaken up into accepting an entirely unnatural situation and adapting it to the flow of her life” on page 23 shows how she was aware of this fact. I think this same thing is shown in other modern destructive artists, such as Kurt Cobain, in the form of alcohol and drug abuse. Both of these examples show an artist somehow escaping from their problems and pressures.

Kurt Cobain was the lead man of the band Nirvana. Kurt Cobain is a prime example of an artist with a self-destructive personality. This is true because while he was a brilliant musician and lyricist, he eventually took his own life. Kurt Cobain was a heroin addict for many years of his life, and this addiction contributed to his eventual suicide. I would guess that Kurt Cobain used these drugs as a method to escape and forget the pressures and deadlines that he faced in his everyday life. I would also think that his heroine use became so regular to him, that he saw it as a simple everyday activity, much like brushing your teeth. Cobain was also said to have denied that he was doing anything self-destructive in regards to his drug abuse.

Elizabeth, similar to Kurt Cobain, suffered a history of drug abuse.  Her drug of choice was alcohol.  I think this alcohol, and her dependence on it, seemed to contribute to her hallucinations, and vivid imagination.  Her alcohol abuse also lead to her early death. 

I don’t think that it’s an artistic mindset that leads to these destructive tendencies; I think it has to do with the pressure that is exerted from the outside world onto these creative minds that drives them to self-destruction. In my mind, art is a free flowing form, and cannot be captured and forced to do things within given time constraints or other parameters. In the modern business world, time is money, and this will lead to creative mind being rushed in their artistic flow, and this can lead to frustration, I know this better than anyone.

Within this past week I would say that I have began to have some eccentric behavior and I, like many of these other artists, passed it off as normal. I was blessed with a ridiculous amount of homework over spring break, and I reacted to this by working very hard at these tasks that were given to me, but developing odd habits whilst doing so. The most notable of which was not sleeping. I would constantly stay up late creating 3D models or working in Photoshop until three, four or even five in the morning. Although this is unhealthy, I do not think this is uncommon for a college student, however what was unusual for me was that when I was going to sleep at four or five in the morning, I would still wake up around nine or ten. I have since talked to my teachers, and alleviated some of the stress. This has helped, but it was interesting to see what the creative mind goes through when it is put under pressure. For example when you are working on math homework you can see the end in sight. For example I can tell you that I am on problem number 40 out of 60 on a math assignment. However if I am creating some work of art, at least in my mind, there is no clear end in sight. I will spend much of my time working on my assignments, fine tweaking and perfecting the object. I have very high standards for my work, and I can’t turn something in that is half assed because that is generally how it will look, and many other people will see this. I think that you could argue this to be true for any field, but I see as creativity as something that can’t be forced, and as something that has to be developed over time.