Does writing (or Art in general) require a certain level of misery?

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Sarahani

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I felt so bad lately, seemed to live in a vicious circle of misery. So I went to listen to some classical music. Beethoven's ninth enlivens my heart, Rachmaninov 2nd piano concerto shakes my spirit and Wagner's Tannhauser overture widens my mind... why so? How could Beethoven compose such powerful Symphony while being miserably deaf or Rachmaninov after his epic failure or Wagner while being dismissed and under-appreciated? I recalled being quite miserable before reading Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and somehow it gives me hope and so many other writers incite me to be the hero of my life. How so? How come the creator, imprisoned in a black hole of pain, suffering and despair could produce a piece which radiates with such intensity that they give us hope?

I have to confess myself that my "best" writing is usually while living the most painful and miserable experience, the words, the sentences, the ideas are flowing whereas in my normal self, my writing is quite slow and I'm probably fluffing it with unnecessary things. Do we need a certain level of misery to perform, compose, write... to create in general?
 
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MythMonger

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Maybe, when you're miserable, you desire an element of escapism when you write?

I find it's easier to get in my character's head when I can get out of my own.
 

mjlpsu

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It's not necessary. I tend to write my best when I'm happy. But I do see the benefit of escaping through writing as MythMonger mentioned.
 

Layla Nahar

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No not at all. All it really requires to be good at Art is engineering skills (to build your project - writing is engineering with words...) and empathy (to understand how your product will affect people's minds). I had the opportunity to be around someone who made soul-wrenching music - he was happy - and open about the *manipulative* aspect of making effective art. It was really easy to think of him as a deep soul, but after a while I saw that in day to day life he was pretty much a regular smart kid. He had just figured out how to write heart-wrenching songs.

(This is part of why it doesn't matter what a work of art means to it's maker - it only matters to the perceiver.)
 
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blackcat777

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and open about the *manipulative* aspect of making effective art.

I remember being devastated as a teen when I heart Bright Eyes made it all up! ;) There's an art to this.

To the OP, there's nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from your own tough times. I think lots of people do. Suffering is also universal, and that shard of truth in your soul might be the bit of magic that brings a story to life and makes it believable.

But if you are grieving, depressed, etc., and your creative outlets are taking you into a place where it's causing you mental distress... you might want to make sure you have some other kind of support network/outlet in place if art is the only one and it's bringing you down. Don't self-flagellate. Take care of yourself, first and foremost.
 

cornflake

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I felt so bad lately, seemed to live in a vicious circle of misery. So I went to listen to some classical music. Beethoven's ninth enlivens my heart, Rachmaninov 2nd piano concerto shakes my spirit and Wagner's Tannhauser overture widens my mind... why so? How could Beethoven compose such powerful Symphony while being miserably deaf or Rachmaninov after his epic failure or Wagner while being dismissed and under-appreciated? I recalled being quite miserable before reading Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and somehow it gives me hope and so many other writers incite me to be the hero of my life. How so? How come the creator, imprisoned in a black hole of pain, suffering and despair could produce a piece which radiates with such intensity that they give us hope?

I have to confess myself that my "best" writing is usually while living the most painful and miserable experience, the words, the sentences, the ideas are flowing whereas in my normal self, my writing is quite slow and I'm probably fluffing it with unnecessary things. Do we need a certain level of misery to perform, compose, write... to create in general?

Excuse me?
 

Lise123

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My first degree is in Painting. We used to ask each other this question amongst ourselves. It reminds me of a stand up comedian I heard say that death is like the sensation you have when you are given medication before a colonoscopy. They do the colonoscopy and you are unaware and everything is hazy and painless. The problem is that the rest of life is like the PREP FOR A COLONOSCOPY. So, just being alive is a pretty miserable experience and we are lucky if we don't experience true tragedy. That being said, not all artists are motivated by misery. My best friend in art school was talented and left handed and good with color and gained great skill over the years with her paintings. She is a happy person, not without her own sorrows of course. Then another friend much more talented than her seemed to be motivated not only by natural ability but by inadequacy. A sense he needed to compensate for being short essentially. He is much more successful than my friend overall. So what drives us and gives us reason to do this are a variety of reasons. For me I try to be happy as possible having learned its actually takes as much effort to be miserable as to be happy. Although I have my own issues I would like to think that it is not my issues ie my misery that make me great but my talent and drive.
 

Sarahani

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Not a legend, it's factually true. Beethoven was losing his earring around his thirtieth birthday just before composing the Eroica (3rd symphony) and he was tone deaf while composing his last symphony (9th) which is ironically considered the greatest piece of music ever written.
 

Kjbartolotta

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I have to confess myself that my "best" writing is usually while living the most painful and miserable experience, the words, the sentences, the ideas are flowing whereas in my normal self, my writing is quite slow and I'm probably fluffing it with unnecessary things. Do we need a certain level of misery to perform, compose, write... to create in general?

No! Artists need to be happy and love themselves. Or, at least not actively court misery. My gf is a full-time artist who works herself to death every second, and I've had to become a full-time life coach to keep her happy and fulfilled, otherwise she loses time second-guessing herself and hating good art. We can't afford that, so self-care and joy is required at any cost.

I'm bad at taking my own advice tho, but slowly outgrowing the need to be miserable. I think anxiety is part of the creative process for sure, but there's a delicate trick to not letting seep into your life.
 

cornflake

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Yeah, I know he went deaf.

The OP said "while being miserably deaf."

WTF does that mean?
 

Maze Runner

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Many brilliant artists seem to be very well-adjusted individuals. Paul McCartney comes to mind. Also, many who struggle with heavy bouts of depression produce great art. We play the hand we're dealt. I do believe that there's a certain amount of sensitivity, empathy that's helpful. I also believe, if we're not careful it can be debilitating. If there's a constant I've seen, it's work ethic. Get up every day and do the work. Through happy and sad, and in the end it will be a true representation of who you are. You really have no choice. If you want to produce quality work you must be consistent. And, every day, you'll be faced with one constant. You.
 

lonestarlibrarian

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I noticed that when I'm cranky and dissatisfied, writing is an awesome outlet. The energy from my frustration and dissatisfaction gets redirected into something productive and creative, and it's awesome and prolific.

When I'm content and the status quo is just chugging along, it's hard to get the oomph and the focus to be motivated. Stuff is floating around in there... but it evaporates. The desire to create is there, but the energy that fuels it is more like a still pond than it is like a raging storm. :)

It was especially noticeable when I was a student in undergrad, and I came to the conclusion that it was no wonder that so many of the great artists were insane, if that was the kind of fuel it took for them to thrive on! :)
 

Sarahani

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Many brilliant artists seem to be very well-adjusted individuals. Paul McCartney comes to mind. Also, many who struggle with heavy bouts of depression produce great art. We play the hand we're dealt. I do believe that there's a certain amount of sensitivity, empathy that's helpful. I also believe, if we're not careful it can be debilitating. If there's a constant I've seen, it's work ethic. Get up every day and do the work. Through happy and sad, and in the end it will be a true representation of who you are. You really have no choice. If you want to produce quality work you must be consistent. And, every day, you'll be faced with one constant. You.

Last week I read a great little book about it. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. He called that one constant, the resistance.
 

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Selfcare, to a point, requires time and money.

Writing is often the providence of the desperate or the privileged, sometimes both. At least in my limited experience.



I often see people say, getting enough sleep is important for writing, for example. If I got anywhere near enough sleep I'd simply never get to write. End of. That's a minor example but I'm sure everyone has less than ideal circumstances.
 
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Kjbartolotta

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Selfcare, to a point, requires time and money.

Writing is often the providence of the desperate or the privileged, sometimes both. At least in my limited experience.

It's harder on a limited budget, that's for sure.
 

AW Admin

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No, art and writing don't require us to be miserable. That's idiotic in the extreme.

Some people may require misery for various reasons related to psychology and experience, but that's about them, not about art or writing.
 

cornflake

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Not a legend, it's factually true. Beethoven was losing his earring around his thirtieth birthday just before composing the Eroica (3rd symphony) and he was tone deaf while composing his last symphony (9th) which is ironically considered the greatest piece of music ever written.

Is it factual he was miserable?

I also don't know where you're getting the 'considered the greatest piece of music ever written,' from but one thing at a time.
 

Sarahani

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Is it factual he was miserable?

I also don't know where you're getting the 'considered the greatest piece of music ever written,' from but one thing at a time.

Yes it is factual. Read his biographies.

I got it from music experts. Read their books about music.
 

lizmonster

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Misery doesn't make me an artist. Misery is actually crippling and silencing.

But having experienced misery is part of what I pour into my art.

(And no, I don't think an artist has to have been miserable at some point. I do think artists tend to use all of their life experiences, good and bad, in their work.)
 
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