Can creativity be an 'addiction'?

[Guest guest]

I agree with this dictionary definition* of

addiction:

 

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ad·dic·tion : Habitual psychological and

physiological dependence on a substance

or practice beyond one's voluntary control.

 

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A practice that I engage in

against the commands of my rational/

logical mind just because it makes

me 'feel good' can be called addiction.

 

A practice that I engage in at

the expense of what 'common wisdom'

[and, my own logical/rational mind]

might say is more important, necessary

or urgent can be called an addiction.

 

When that activity takes little time

and doesn't damage the mainline [of

livelihood] it can be called... a hobby,

a pastime, an entertainment. When that

activity gets out of balance and

starts taking time away from activities

that logical mind says are more *necessary*;

it works like an 'addiction'!

 

It is my observation and xperience that

it gets 'out of balance' quite easily

and in high percentage of " creative "

people!

 

I have seen example of people who have

practically starved themselves and their

dependents in order to play music, paint,

to write fiction or to write poetry. In

many cases, they have

done so in spite of hearing from many

sources that their " creation " has no hope

i.e. it is not going to reach a wide set

of audience. In many cases, they have done

it at the expense of sacrificing their

main 'career', business and family!

 

In those circumstances, " creativity "

does seem to work like an 'addiction'!

 

We have also heard many stories of

" mad " scientists, " mad " poets, " mad "

painters, " mad " philosophers. I take

" mad " in these phrases to denote someone

whose behavior goes against common

wisdom [and logical mind].

 

I think such people [including myself]

can then be said to be addicted to

that 'activity'!

 

It is a commonly used term and common

experience that " creative " people get

" high " while performing their " creative "

activity such as painting, poetry,

'solving puzzles', 'solving scientific

problems'! And, there also has been research

linking these activities to the flow

of certain hormones [chemicals].

 

I think it is fair to say that

those people [including me] have

[chemical???] dependency on these

activities...

 

 

 

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*

ad·dic·tion (-dkshn)

n.

 

Habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance

or practice beyond one's voluntary control.

 

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Perhaps, it is not accidental that

terms like 'poet's high', 'scientist's

high', 'painter's high' has been in

common usage!

 

Perhaps, it is also not

accidental that you use terms like

getting our " creative " 'juices'

flowing...

 

Perhaps, deep down we recognized for

long time that there is a relationship

between the creative activities and the

'juices [which I take to

'scientifically' mean... hormones in

bloodstream] that flow during it and

the 'effect' of 'high' that it produces!

 

This is quite similar to the effect of

'drugs', Analyzing it little further,

we can also find many other similarities:

 

- While you are in the middle of these

" creative " activities - you seem to

'forget' all your problems! This is

quite similar to what happens to those

under the influence of a drug.

 

- While you are in the middle of

" creative " activities " the rest of the

world seems to disappear for you.

 

- Many of your senses seem to get

quite dulled down, your brain filters

out many signals including body pain,

body ache and even hunger and thirst!

You seem to go on for a long(er) time

without needing food, water or sleep

when under the " creative " spell!

 

- Even your 'hearing' and 'seeing'

seem to get really dulled [or focused

only what you are doing] - and, you

tend to not hear, not see 'external'

signals!

 

- You form somewhat of a 'dependency'

on that 'activity' and seem to return

to it again and again for no apparent

reason!

 

- Initially, you tend to 'deny' that

you are really addicted to it. You

think you are doing it " only " because

its makes you 'feel good' and that you

give it up any time you want!

 

- You tend to sacrifice things (such

as regular education, career, family

obligations, money, projects,

deadlines) that common wisdom and

logical mind would call more important,

necessary and urgent. You do it in

order to engage in " creative "

activities even when they may not be

bringing any 'external' [such as money

and fame] reward.

 

It is researched and documented

phenomenon that people with one

addiction tend to get easily addicted

to other. Perhaps, then, it is not

accidental that many " creative " people

are known to be 'flirt' [addicted to

'romantic love']. Perhaps, it is also

not accidental that there is large

percentage of substance (marijuana,

alcohol, drugs) abuse among people with

" creative " tendencies!

 

 

 

 

In my experience, 'creative zone'

feels very different than the *natural*

state of Peace:

 

- My experience of Peace is of being

Empty and Available. Being Like Space!

My experience of 'creative zone' is

being very 'absorbed' and being

unavailable to everything else that the

'act' that is taking place right now!

 

- My experience of Peace is of Total

Relaxation. My experience of 'creative

zone' is of high intensity!

 

- My experience of Spacious 'no

thought' zone is that my senses get

greatly expanded. I can hear what I

could not hear before. I can see what I

didn't see before. My experience of

'creative zone' is that lot of sound

and sights simply seem to fall out

unless it is related to the activity

that I am engaged in.

 

- In my relaxed space, I seem to have

an welcoming and loving attitude

towards the whole world. I seem to be

ready, willing and available for all

that the world can bring! In my

'creative zone', I tend to prefer to

shut the whole world out and just be

full absorbed in what I am doing now.

 

Further, where Peace has a very calm,

still, relaxed and *natural* feeling

inside the body; 'creative zone' feels

intense, focus and 'excited'! I think

that body is definitely aware of the

'juices' that are flowing in during

that time.

 

I often don't recognize this 'elevation'

of 'juice' level while in the middle of the activity.

But, once that activity has passed I

often *naturally* feel the need to take

a walk, run, exercise or perform some

other physical activity to gets its

'residue' out of my system. It seems

that body too recognizes that it had

been under the influence of an 'agent'!

An 'agent' that it now tries to

'release' [expel] out of its system!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

And, perhaps, following is the biggest

similarly between the creativity and

'drug use' is:

 

- You engage in it mainly because the

'effects' that it creates in your

bodymind and not because of the

'external' [such as money, power, fame]

you can get by doing so!

 

 

When asked to refrain from " creating " ;

a poet, a painter, a musician indeed

feels quite deprived! There have been

several cases of revolt against

parents, school, society and

authorities to pursue one's creative

" passions " !

 

This is something that can only be

'understood' by those who have

experienced that 'HIGH " that the

experience of the activity brings and

the 'low' that the lack of it seems to

create! And, to an outside observer it

might look quite silly. It works pretty

much same way with those addicted to

drugs - only they know how it is to

live without them!

 

 

It is quite interesting to note that

instances of both the 'influence of

drugs' as well as of being in 'creative

zone' is often characterized by...

Vivid and almost Unrealistic Dreams!

 

 

 

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*To understand similarity between the

drugs and hormones and to understand

how their 'effects' can be quite

similar - it might be helpful to note

that some very *powerful* and highly

*addictive* drugs work simply by

changing the 'hormone balance' of the

body! i.e. they work simply by

increasing the flow of one hormone and

decreasing the flow of another hormone

that our body already produces!