Psychology and the subject of illness, more specifically mental illness, has always been a slight interest of mine. I've always been curious to how the mind works, why people think the things they think, how opinions are developed, how do illnesses such as schizophrenia come about, etc. I think that is why I found this chapter to be so interesting. Many of the most notable and famous artists, musicians, and writers dealt with illnesses throughout their careers. Artists like Henri Matisse and Frida Kahlo have experienced illness and have used their creativity to cope with the pain.
As stated in the textbook, illness and creativity take on similar symptoms: fever, delirium, and depression. These are some of the side effects, so to speak, of illness, while they are also aspects that can help develop creativity. In general, I think that illness and creativity tend to go hand-in-hand. I mean, as I mentioned before, some of the best and most notable artists, musicians, and writers have dealt with illness. Legends such as Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder both dealt with blindness. Writers such as Aldous Huxley, John Milton, and James Joyce were also all blind.
I think it is in our human nature to turn to creativity when dealing with some type of illness. Whether it be writing, painting, sculpting, music, etc. whatever it takes to express our emotions, I think it helps us in coping with the pain and agony of whatever illness it is we are dealing with. The situations we are dealing with in our lives strongly influence the moods we are in, how we interact with others, how we express our feelings, the choices we make, etc.
A quote by Graham Greene on page 131 of the chapter kind of reinforces these thoughts: "Sometimes I wonder... how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in the human situation." Greene is basically asking how do people deal with the pain, day to day suffering, problems, etc. that we all deal with throughout our lives? If people do not somehow express their emotions through some creative outlet, how do they deal with the stress of life?
As stated in the textbook, illness and creativity take on similar symptoms: fever, delirium, and depression. These are some of the side effects, so to speak, of illness, while they are also aspects that can help develop creativity. In general, I think that illness and creativity tend to go hand-in-hand. I mean, as I mentioned before, some of the best and most notable artists, musicians, and writers have dealt with illness. Legends such as Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder both dealt with blindness. Writers such as Aldous Huxley, John Milton, and James Joyce were also all blind.
I think it is in our human nature to turn to creativity when dealing with some type of illness. Whether it be writing, painting, sculpting, music, etc. whatever it takes to express our emotions, I think it helps us in coping with the pain and agony of whatever illness it is we are dealing with. The situations we are dealing with in our lives strongly influence the moods we are in, how we interact with others, how we express our feelings, the choices we make, etc.
A quote by Graham Greene on page 131 of the chapter kind of reinforces these thoughts: "Sometimes I wonder... how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in the human situation." Greene is basically asking how do people deal with the pain, day to day suffering, problems, etc. that we all deal with throughout our lives? If people do not somehow express their emotions through some creative outlet, how do they deal with the stress of life?
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