Sunday, March 26, 2006

Pain and suffering - opinions wanted

It's interesting how many of the bloggers I read regularly have health problems, mental and/or physical. The link between art and suffering is nothing new - Google these 2 words, and you'll come up with 37,400,000 entries. So why should this interest me? Probably because I have only very recently come to think of myself as an artist - after all, my art is not what earns me a living. While I consider myself to be a positive and optimistic person, I have certainly had my share of heartache and heartbreak. My art, however, doesn't spring from pain - or does it? Does what we've endured or the effects of our illnesses make some of us unconsciously turn to art as an outlet? What do YOU think?

6 comments:

Helen said...

i dont think our art is born out of pain directly...i can't work for toffee if i'm deeply unhappy, but after i've lived through something bad it gives me a new perspective on life and that new strength feeds my creative direction... maybe we are just more in touch with all levels of awareness as creatives?

Kay said...

I agree with helen suzanne. Your creativity comes out of who you are, and who you are is shaped by your experiences, so indirectly the suffering can affect the creativity.

Val said...

No, if I'm suffering all I want to do is read...and eat! Happiness fuels my creativity and makes me want to do things. Sometimes looking back at a period of angst I'll use that to shape my choice of colours...deeper, darker, more intense but not to shape the work.

Anonymous said...

I think about your FOOT!

mine comes from having fun, and wondering 'how can I make that, with that?'

artmixter said...

Like Helen, I don't think art springs from pain. What I do think, though, is that art is perhaps one of the few positive things that are born from painful experiences, and the way we deal with them. Art is just a way of telling the truth, and the truth sets us free.

Karoda said...

My desire to create comes out of who I am, but my physical challenges reminds me not to take myself or time for granted.