Creativity in Stupor

Have you ever heard some song that you absolutely swear by and wondered how in the world, did the creator or the performer think of it? There are quite a few songs that send a shiver up your spine or make the hair on your neck stand up each time you hear it. Similarly occasionally you come across a piece of art be it in a form of a sculpture, painting, building, or a poem; you simply cannot comprehend how did the artist visualize the idea before putting it in physical form. Does creativity or original thinking need that extra boost from your nerve endings?

I have often heard that Bhimsen Joshi and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan performed best when they were drunk. Most of the rock musicians you can think of have been crazies in their own right and of course lead chaotic lives or have had an eventful life that somehow drives them to produce extraordinary music. Writers take long hiatuses in solitary confinement somewhere in the wilderness to write their dream work. Ask Archimedes, he didn’t mind running naked through the city when he hit upon the idea that make ships float. Jon Utzon’s epic Sydney Opera House design was merely few scribbles on a rough tracing paper; almost suggestive that it was a random brainwave. Did Van Gogh’s tumultuous life influence some of his greatest works? If you have heard Jim Morrison perform live, I bet you will be all for pumping some dope in his blood to make him go all wild and play like the devil possessed. Descartes wrapped his head in towels and buried himself in bed to do his best work. His thoughts came best to him when he was lying down, a quality which he shared with mathematician Leibnitz. Thomas Alva Edison would close himself in a cupboard when he had to do some serious thinking. You somehow cannot think of something extraordinary or produce that spark of genius that makes you go Ahhhh! in your regular day-to-day life. You simply cannot sit down with a sane mind in the middle of the day, all thoughts sorted out and no worries on your mind to produce the greatest idea of your life.

I remember doing some of my best architectural work during long night outs in ghostly studios; the unearthly hour or deathly silence somehow gave me the kick that no mid-day sun in picture-perfect surroundings ever would. I bet everyone needs to be a bit zoned out to think out of the box and produce that idea which no one ever has thought of. Didn’t Kekule dream of the benzene ring in his sleep?

But I digress. The question I should be asking is does one need to be a crazy junkie to produce some of man’s wildest creative works? Should you be out of the box to think out of the box? Do you need to have some idiosyncratic behavior to bring the best out in you? Think of the closest genius individual near you and then ask, is he/she a “regular” person? Isn’t he/she more likely to be a bit whimsical or eccentric than a normal person? Is it nature’s way of balancing out the gifts that she bestows upon us that make us the individual we are? A little googling reveals that I am not the only crazy one to think about this; some do entire dissertations on creativity triggers.

I also wonder; ermm, I am just too caffeinated right now; so I better stop and let you take over. I forgot what I was talking about. But I hope you get the drift.

“Creativity in Stupor” [Short URL: http://www.ipatrix.com/?p=327] was published Monday, October 4th, 2004 at 11:05 pm by Patrix, filed under Society Culture. Both comments and linkbacks are closed.

« Super Size Me

Get what you deserve »

http://broodingdude.rediffblogs.com Kiran
Pat, you have made a very good point. I have an opinion on this so let me putit across.
From childhood we are taught certain things about our environment, which tends to condition our minds. Thus when we think of a building, we have an image of a structure with right angles and concrete. When we think of a tree, we have a similar image of maybe a trunk, some leaves, some little animals etc.
To be creative, is to suggest something out of the ordinary, for which we have to “unlearn” some of which we have already learnt. Unlearning unleashes creative thinking, and also incidentally enables true learning, as opposed to the regular rote learning we are subjected to from childhood.
Unlearning can happen unconsciously (as in when someone is “high”) or through a painful and gradual conscious process.
http://chetan.ckunte.com Chetan
The question I should be asking is does one
need to be a crazy junkie to produce some of manâ€™s
wildest creative works? Should you be out of the box
to think out of the box?
Yes! artists are escapists (from the real world). Their ‘normal’ lives are often chaotic. They try to find balance and harmony in their creation. They end-up becoming masterpieces.
http://whirlwings.blogspot.com Whirlwings
Mostly yes, we have to be out of the box to create things that are so too. But sometimes, though we may be inside the box due to reasons beyond our own control, we manage to give vent to the creativity in us and let loose. Sometimes.
Toro
Great post, Patrix.
My two cents and more:
There has to be the element of uncertainty for every theory/principle to be accepted (re: particle physics). The same applies to any genius–a quantity that cannot be understood in full by most people.
Personally, I’ve written some of my best work when in a state of extreme disorientation and stupor (while escaping from a chaotic personal life). On the other hand, it helps to be (perceived as) unbalanced to be recognized as a good writer! Whatever works will do.
Sabra
The most talented musicians I know all seem to have one trait in common: self-destructiveness. It seems great art only springs from the ashes of human ruin. Similarly, the greatest scientists I know have little or no concept of societal reality. These people spend their whole lives living in the upside down world we normal people only find at “unearthly hours” or in the “deadly silence” where you found your inspiration.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/ashweeta Ash
Nice post.
I have something to add about the funda of getting our greatest ideas in our ‘wierdest’ moments. Our most original ideas arrive when we look at normal things unconventionally. Now, when we’re in our right senses and rationally arranging our facts, the jigsaw puzzle fits together in the way that we’ve been conditoned to make it fit and so we’re left with the hackneyed copy of the picture on the box. I guess its only when our thought process is a bit skewed, like when we’re drunk or high or just plain insane, that we can percieve the pieces coming togther differently and forming something unique that astounds the world.
http://pompy.rediffblogs.com pompy
creativity and being-off-your-rocker i guess goes hand in hand. to make it the fine difference between the good and the genious.
http://patrix.typepad.com Patrix
Kiran – You are right, unlearning can be one of hardest thing to learn or even teach. Learning the concept of abstract in an art appreciation class is almost like breaking through years of traditional learning.
Chetan – Thatz what I was talking about…trying to balance out the chaos with order in other avenues but instead that order is chaotic for others, who find it masterly.
Whirlwings – Sometimes maybe but as Kiran pointed out, it is extremely difficult to do that when you think in traditional terms.
Toro – The level of uncertainity actually means that the person has managed to break the barrier and surge ahead…and what is not understood is either labelled crazy or considered great.
Sabra – It is almost like nature balancing out…if you produce great music, you are more likely to be eccentric or crazy but it can be freaky for normal folks like us to experience that other side occassionaly.
Ash – Yup..I think I understand what you are trying to say. Only when we start redefining the norms or go beyond the rules in any creative field be it painting, sculpture, architecture or even advertising..the best examples are the ones that have managed to break the mold…as sometimes Calvin would say, who says I have to make the picture as shown on the jigsaw puzzle box..I’ll make whatever I want.
Pompy – I guess someone speaks from experience, eh? ;)
pompy
yeah someone does speak from experience. second hand if you may. *many* lived in this virtual world of blogs :) yours included.
Yogustus
Normal is defined as what the majority believes in. The common misconception is that what the majority believes is usually “right”. Anyone who stands out, is pulled down, bitched about and generally heckled in an attempt to level the playing field. Insecurity is a strong common trait in humans and manifests itself in various emotions…petty jealousies, selfishness, envy…and the need to be accepted by the masses. Geniuses are termed as eccentric because they are too invloved in their art to show signs of these flaws or care about public opinion. In other words they stand out, and that makes them “wrong”. I think each one of us is a “genius”…we just have to find that one thing that makes us special!
http://patrix.typepad.com Patrix
Pompy – am not sure if you are slotting me into one of those elite categories..sadly I wish I belonged there but do not. But I wouldn’t have the same opinion about you though.
Yogustus – You are right (as usual). History has always shown us that many geniuses have been heckled in their lifetime but thankfully better sense prevailed and we did not lose their contribution but that also makes us think, were some original and creative ideas lost in outpouring of negative public opinion in its time?
Passerby
That was a good post, Patrix. My first brush with pure genius was when i read at length about Richard Feynman, the physicist. “Surely, you’re joking Mr.Feynman” is a great read. It’s said that there are two kinds of genuises. “An ordinary genius is a fellow whom you and I would be just as good as, if we were only many times better. There is no mystery as to how his mind works. Once we understand what they’ve done, we feel certain that we, too, could have done it. It is different with the magicians. Even after we understand what they have done it is completely dark.- Mark Kac
The few geniuses i’ve seen in the flesh have one common quality- restlessness. “Not this, something else..something else..what is it?” That restlessness permeates every aspect of their existence. Great works of art are as much as result of pain and impatience as love and passion. And there are so many geniuses out there who haven’t produced anything solid for the world to see and appreciate. Their genius lies entirely within their minds, silent, simmering and ultimately fulfilling and releasing.
Sorry about that really lengthy comment. The post was so good, couldn’t stop the flow.
http://patrix.typepad.com Patrix
Passerby – Don’t worry about the length of the comments..longer the better.
I want to read that Feynman book for such a long time now but forget it each time I go to the bookstore. We just are stumped at the way they work. But in my experience, I have come across mostly lazy geniuses. Sometimes I pray only if I had their kinda intelligence, I would be light years away from where I find myself now. But all it takes for that genius to manifest itself is that little spark.
http://www.20six.co.uk/gargi harini calamur
Hi
i think that all of us are creative and have creative ideas.
But, very few vocalise or express these ideas. The fear of ridicule probably subdudes most. Also, real life needs, wants and aspirations leads many to compromise on their “creative” ambitions.
those, who don’t mind ridicule, those who say i will walk to work rather than have a posh vehicle, those who are willing to give up the basics of a comfortable life – those are the one’s who are known as “creative”.
It is not so much that they have talent, as they have junoon – a passion bordering on maddness to express their creativity.

Nerve Endings Firing Away

Creativity in Stupor

Subscribe