by Prisha
Creativity is not easily defined; it cannot be put into boxes of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. It completely depends on a person’s perspective. If creativity is taken as a spectrum, a person could roam back and forth, or stay on the same spot their whole life. The perspective that inspires creativity is unique to every individual. In pieces of literature and art, knowing the perspective and story behind a piece helps us understand and appreciate the piece, as well as the author’s or artist’s creativity. Oftentimes creativity's catalyst is madness. There are long-standing notions that creativity and madness are intertwined in literature and art.
Prominent authors such as Sylvia Path, Frank Kafka, Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemingway, Lewis Carol, and many more went through mental or psychological struggles, like depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia etc. throughout the course of their life. Each author has suffered something different, and their books highlight their unique perspective on the world.
Sylvia Path's "The Bell Jar'' talks about the dangers and repercussions of conforming to societal norms of identity, mental health, and personal autonomy. Oftentimes, readers have thought of it as semi-autobiographical and reflects her own experiences with mental illness.
Edgar Allen Poe, the master of gothic and macabre tales, suffered from depression, as seen in stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart", where the protagonist suffers from psychosis or paranoia. "The Fall of the House of Usher " elucidates one of the most haunting stories, highlighting the inherited madness and isolation that may have been a reflection of the author's mental health.
J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of “The Lord of the Rings”, which revolves around wrong themes of fellowship, corruption and most importantly corruption of war. The author himself was a soldier in World War I. A famous war expression is “The thousand yard stare” which is a pensive or vacant look in the soldier’s eye, due to the corpus amounts of bloodshed and cruelty they have witnessed. This is greatly reflected in the author’s books. The war may not have left physical scars but numerous mental ones.
These mental or psychological struggles may also heighten creativity and help one to see the world from a completely different perspective. The effect of this on creativity increases vulnerability and sensitivity that lets you explore your emotions and lets you reflect in more profound and creative emotions.
Unconventional thinking includes divergent perspectives and attitudes to shift over time, from understanding your narrative to being able to sympathise and trying to put forward your unique perspective.
This expression of creativity would be a means of catharsis for the authors and artists.
Yet the vice versa of these struggles can dampen creativity. Lack of focus, excessive emotional turmoil, and emotional exhaustion can be adverse as any creative process uses a range of emotions and may prove to be a hinderance rather than an asset. These hindrances highlight self-doubt and lead to a lack of motivation. All these factors may lead to isolation and withdrawal from social interaction that once may have been a source of inspiration. Sometimes the medication prescribed to those who need it affects them drastically and may impact cognitive functions or dampen the intensity of emotions.
It cannot be said that creativity is dependent on their mental health, neurological or psychological issues that seems to heighten emotions and pave a path for creativity. People who may have been victim to any struggle during their lifetime may not have a creative flair, these struggles are in no form the root of creativity but merely a catalyst for what is present.
In the same breath, anyone who is going through mental health issues of any type should please seek help from elders or specialists. Please take care, self-love is the best form of love. If you need to take time out, please do, slowly yet steadily work out any problems that you have, communication is key. Do not let anything stop you, you can overcome all types of obstacles and keep creating.
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." - Maya Angelou
Follow the author Prisha on Instagram @prishaaa_m
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