Does mental illness produce best creative material?

This is the place for readers of poetry. Discuss poetry and literary art. You can also discuss music here, including lyrics. Also, you can discuss poets themselves, in addition to poetry.
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BookSavvy90
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Re: Does mental illness produce best creative material?

Post by BookSavvy90 »

I started writing poetry because of my depression. It gave me an outlet for all the pent up feelings I had that I could use without hurting myself (which I did before I found poetry). Some of my best work I remember writing when I was feeling really down, and some of my worst just so happen to be ones I wrote when I was feeling happy or at least content. I guess it just sort of depends on the person and situation. I also found that if I feel I really need to write something that the end result ends up being really good. Like recently I was compelled to write a poem regarding personal change; it's one of my best poems to date. I still struggle with my depression and am use to the fact that it might never truly go away but I know I'll make it through, one verse at a time. :)
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sa-jenkins
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Post by sa-jenkins »

I am of the opinion that it all depends on several factors working together at the same time. First, how severe is the mental illness? Depending on how severe the mental illness is depends on how capable an individual is to be able to produce anything. Second, in reality what is the true meaning to "creative"? Creative to one individual does not mean creative to another individual. I think considering all factors working to together, that if someone with a mental illness feels inspired enough to work in their subject of the arts, then anything that is being produced will be creative. Will it be their best? It might be..... you never know until you continue to give it your all, even on the worst of days.
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BookWorm_4life
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Post by BookWorm_4life »

I don't think being mentally ill will make for creative material. I think being in a state of vulnerability makes for good writing. Letting what you feel out on paper, not holding back. Being mentally unstable can lead to erratic thought processes. So I say it depends on the illness. Some of the most beautiful music and books have been written during a depressed state.
MaroBenipayo
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Post by MaroBenipayo »

It depends, but sometimes it does.
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laney728
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Post by laney728 »

I think it probably depends on the type of writing. In a horror or similar genre I'm sure it'd be better then the average mans.
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qzect
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Post by qzect »

As a neurologist, I find this a fascinating question -- one I'm actually hoping to study in the near future. I think that some mental illnesses definitely do have this influence on the creation of art. However, I do not think that it is so much having a mental illness as having a more open mind that is readily able to make associations between thoughts and ideas in a more unconventional way. Often times these two things are compatible. This usually comes about when there are hardships to be faced and this can occur from environmental conflict as well as internal conflict. In your case, you are referring more to the internal conflict that happens when one is battling with a mental illness. In general though, I do not necessarily think that having a mental illness means you will be a better artist or poet. However, having something internal that you are dealing with does provide much more to emote about.
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R-Myra
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Post by R-Myra »

It is possible that when we are on our worst, we tend to get a lot of thoughts. And a lot of people have the capacity to put those words into poems or make something creative out of it.
-R
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S53herieJohns
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Post by S53herieJohns »

It depends on the person and the type of mental illness he or she has. The music they sing gives them hope and a chance to be heard by society. It explains about the inner self and the demons that we have inside of us that we can not control. Putting there feelings into music helps them to understand the mental illness and to be heard. Sing and express to the world how you feel. Someone will listen and feel your pain.
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Jeyasivananth
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Post by Jeyasivananth »

Strangely it is true. Writers and poets are tormented souls and the works are a pouring of their unbridled pain and aches.
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maggieconforti
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Post by maggieconforti »

Being in a bad mental place can shift your perspective, even if its in a dark or dangerous direction. Sometimes the purest of art forms come from a place of rawness and true human pain. People tend to relate better to pain than happiness and if you're trying to make your poetry relatable then this is your secret sauce.
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revna01
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Post by revna01 »

My best creative work (in my opinion) has been when I feel madly in love. That relatively small window of time when it's either new, exciting and nostalgic.
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Post by crediblereading2 »

It is said that there is a thin line between greatness and madness. The great artist Vincent Van Gogh is reputed to have suffered from mental illness. He severed not just his ear lobe, but his entire ear, and dropped it off at a brothel.
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Post by becsimpson »

I pretty much only get inspired to write lyrics when i’m feeling depressed or upset. It’s like an outlet for me, to just release everything that’s going on inside my head. When i’m happy I always forget to write lyrics, or I just don’t get inspired to.
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sbcollins
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Post by sbcollins »

I definitely tend to want to write more when my depression acts up because I know that getting words out of my head helps. But the work isn't necessarily good. I think the work I do when I'm feeling better that reflects on the bad feelings is much better.
I often think about the fact that people often cite van Gogh as proof that depression creates good work, but the truth is that he checked himself into a mental health facility to get help, and THEN he created so many of his great works.
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Uche Balogun
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Post by Uche Balogun »

I don't think so and I think people are too obsessed with the whole dark, brooding, troubled writer thing.
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