Relativity of Mental Illness

There's no doubt about it. There is a great deal of mental illness in the arts. Some of my favorite artists are out of their minds. Imbalanced and incomplete. One in five Americans are purported to be mentally ill. Could this be the breeding ground for the worlds art community?

I have a theory that suffering and suppression (internal or external) spawns artistic behavior. It seems when there is little to no suffering there

is little to motivate you into production. Naivety of youth accounts for a great deal of artistic suffering as does the refusal to mature. But greed is what will keep you in the game. Obsessive

need for praise and affirmation of self worth are like oxygen to the "successful".

I've talked about art vs craft in a previous post. It's related to this topic as well. Balance between art and craft is an obvious trait to behold. Knowing this balance

point is vital. You can stray off from it but you can always return to a point of personal control. It is of great concern to the artist that wishes to sustain themselves within their art.

Can I sit and pound out words every day? Not yet. But I take solace in understanding that no healthy minded person wants to sit and write for an extended period of time. Hopefully there are better things going on in your life that you don't feel the need to isolate yourself in a room shut out from the world.

So we keep striving toward our goals and hope not to lose momentum or inspiration. But none the less a healthy minded writer needs to incorporate the disciplines of their craft.

One of my favorite quotes: "You got to get in before you get out; and getting out is what it's going to be about." - Chili Peppers. Writing has to become a habit. Preferably a healthy one. In other words, I may have writers block (or lack of writing discipline) but at least I'm not crazy... well?

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

[Images courtesy of the world wide web. No ownership implied.]