I'm curious, what is everyones thoughts on art made on drugs, or art made after drug use or even the appreciation of art during/after? How does your opinoin change (if it does) of a piece (or the artist) when you find it was created by someone on drugs? Is it less valid or just different? Or is it different at all? Is it different than other life experiences in terms of influencing art? I know my opinions on the subject but I'd like to hear yours first. This is a pretty open ended question in that you could ask 5 people what drugs are get 5 different answers and however you define it, theres lots of that could fit any definition.
12 comments:
I think mind altering substances are a gift to humankind and a grat asset to artists and apreciaters of art. Unlock the doors of perception and see what you find.
psyshedelic means mind expanding and I think these drugs are great. Also other drugs that affect emotion, and energy level are also usefull. Drugs are tools and each tool is designed for a different job. A master carpenter knows how to use each tool for each task without hurting him/herself.
I agree that drugs and drug use can have many valid positive influences on certain people. But, being substances that alter/destroy the many filters of personality we create around ourselves to help us cope with our own existence, drugs are not right for everyone. In some ways I think it is very important to have a firm grasp on yourself (your own idea of yourself) before experimenting with drugs - specifically mind altering ones i.e mushrooms, acid, peyote, etc. Then again I know many people that have found much liberty through the walls they were able to break down around themselves after experiencing drugs. Ah, the more I write the more I feel the vaccum-pull of the paradox of this question. Let me close in saying that the majority of my experiences with drugs have been positive. But, in the end I think that, as no two drug experiences are exactly the same, this is a question who's answer lies soley in the individual that is taking the drugs, whatever they are.
ps Go see the Superman movie, it's awesome!
Im waiting for the drug olympics where participants are free to use whatever substance they want during the competition and training. I reckon after one or two years the regular olympics will go out of business because every 'natural' record will be broken.
Another note:
Upon re-reading I clarify - I meant whatever the drugs are, not whatever the person is.
I agree with the "drugs as a tool" metaphor - though I caution, not all people were meant to be carpenters.
people who do reality can`t face drugs :)
I have been running lots lately, and was also at a wedding this weekend; both teach me that there are many ways to be 'high.'
Running produces endogenous psychoactives, and so does the experience of strong emotions. Interestingly, both make me feel like puking if I push.
:)
I also agree that drugs are tools and each tool is designed for a different job; in that sense I further support the notion that not everyone can be carpenters, let alone a master.
Tread lightly on the land.
I would also caution that those that heavily use drugs, arguably can't face reality, or aspects thereof.
And surely there are limits (i.e., are there 'bad' and 'good' drugs? Heroine, crack, cocaine?)
In this sense, I also tend to think that if it grows directly out of the ground and there has been no chemical refinement, these substances can be considered gifts; but if the substance needs to be taken through a process where strong alteration is necessary to yield an effect, it ain't worth it.
A master is prudent.
Through, with, and in, in the unity, all power is yours, forever, and ever, endogenously or exogenously.
"In this sense, I also tend to think that if it grows directly out of the ground and there has been no chemical refinement, these substances can be considered gifts; but if the substance needs to be taken through a process where strong alteration is necessary to yield an effect, it ain't worth it."
So where does licking toads fall? Good or Bad? How about sniffing fresh cow turds under a halfed coconut shell?
There is enough drugs in the human brain to make anything you want (for a "master carpenter"). My favorites are dopamine and adrenaline.
sleep deprivation is also a great self-engineered drug, although it takes a lot of time, patience and sacrifice to get to the point where it becomes useful.
and even then, it still hurts the body.
inuit shamen, though, lacking any psychotropic (i.e. hallucinogenic) drugs, would use sleep deprivation, followed by long intense periods of drumming, to enter their shamanistic trance.
most people's reactions to this is "yeah, but that takes too long". i think carlos castenada/ don juan would aruge, though, that if you're not willing to invest that time, discipline, etc, then you're not really looking for a vision.
don juan/carlos castenada's take on drugs was that they were a TOOL-- not the end, but the means to an end. and don, remeber, seldom used them and only in very specific capacities.
however... it all depends on the individual. drugs of any sort (alchohol, weed, etc etc etc) ultimately become more harmful than helpful, though they can certainly, at times, help artist types crash through the wall and get into a new way of thinking.
I think that, while such things can be an aid, a shortcut to a state of mind, they almost always end up being a crutch, and being used for their own sake rather than for what you get out of them.
i'd agree.
drugs run the world.they permeate our culture (coffee,sugar,booze,tobacco)
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