by Sigit Budiarto

Created on: September 25, 2007   Last Updated: February 14, 2009

The Drugged and the Dead
The brilliance of artists works always interesting to be discussed. In the Greek era many people considered the brilliance of the artists was caused by the madness in the neurotic level. They also considered that brilliant artists differ from the other because of their subconscious world which is transformed into their works. Many artists did some rituals and distinctive habits to get the brilliant inspiration. However, the effort of many artists to be considered brilliant is still going on.

The questions which are may churn around in our head about the artists and their works are who they really are? And how they make their works? If we refer to the many artists habits we may conclude that they are special both in point of view and personalities. With that both specialties they are seemly able to turn reality in to another state. In other words, they make their works with point of view and personalities that different from ordinary people. Those differences make them too to treat their fantasy differently. As their specialties work the new reality may be born as the artworks. After that, the appreciators concede them a justification as valuable reflection of actual life.
The next thing we are about to discuss is the inspiration. People usually refer inspiration to term for subconscious factor in the creative process, the thing from which all those great works developed from. Now we come to next question, can we create inspiration? Such a kind of question is a factor that led many artists use the drugs. In the logic that alcohol, opium, and other anti depressants causing the conscious go down. So, they can reach the sub conscious world.
There are so many artists who use the drugs to get the inspirations. Even, some of them declare to public what they did their works with accompaniment of the drugs. For example a novelist and poet De Quincy stated that a new adventure world opened for the literary works through the opium. In the different era John Lennon declared that he used LSD to help him to produce the songs.
Some of the drugs users are managed to created the brilliant works. Jimmi Hendrix for instance, he had good reputation in blues music because of his genius works. Another example is The Beatles who managed conquer the world with their music. Because of their success many artists followed them, especially the younger ones. In other hand the artist who overdosed with no significant works are bigger in the quantity. These facts have to have made us to contemplate the usage of drugs in creative process deeply.
Nowadays, the curiosities about the drugs effects in creative process are must be decreased. Recent clinic research found that unusual elements in the artworks didn't come from the effect of the drugs but it came from emotional disorders. Furthermore, the death of many young artists with no tremendous works should be the proof that the use of drugs in creative process is far beyond compare to healthy way.
There are so many habit and ritual that a lot of artists to stimulate the inspirations. We may take a look at Hemingway habit. He believed that type writer solidifies one's sentence before they are ready to print. But, every modern discussion about the creative process always talks about the artist's sub consciousness and the conscious world.

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