WHAT MAKES PEOPLE INTERESTED IN ART IN WHICH THE ARTIST EXHIBITS WEIRD BEHAVIOR

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE INTERESTED IN ART IN WHICH THE ARTIST EXHIBITS WEIRD BEHAVIOR

A Research Paper Presented to

The English Resource Center

School of Multimedia Arts

Asia Pacific College

Magallanes, Makati

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Course

ERESWRIT – Research Writing

Rozzali Pinuela

December 2014

Chapter I INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Insane, Crazy, Eccentric and Lunatic these are the words people used to describe artists. And the observation of the eccentric behavior of an artist has a long history, from Vincent Van Gogh’s ear lobe cutting to Lady Gaga’s unique fashion.

Weird behavior always catches the attention of the media. In an article entitled “Self-Mutilating Russian Artist Says 'There's No Greater Evil Than Law-Abiding Citizens'” written by Dmitri Volchek. His article was about the Russian artist Pyotr Pavlensky who cut his ear off in public. Wrapped his naked body in barbed wire and sew his lips.

Dmitri Volchek wrote “Pavlensky believes that the authorities' confusion over his latest stunt might empower ordinary Russians to stand up to what he sees as an increasingly despotic government” (rferl.com).

Seeing the video of Pavlensky’s performance one cannot say that they won’t ended up cringing while he was doing his art. He wants his people to stand up and speak for themselves. Well Russia is a country famous for having a strict government, so the citizens there are afraid to rebel against. And the only way to push the citizens to their edge is for them to see such a brutal performance art.

In another article entitled “Folk of Genius: The 5 unusual habits of Andy Warhol” in written by Joel Williams, he mentioned some of the weirdest behavior of the famous Pop Artist Andy Warhol. One of those is the way he collects things that we called “trash.” Yes he collects those things like receipts, flyers and stamps. Also he has this unusual fetish, foot fetish, and when they gone through Andy’s stuff, they found a mummified foot.

He said that “And as artistic oomph goes, one of the Twentieth Century Greats has to be Andy Warhol – everybody’s favourite mop-headed Pop Art supremo. So, other than screen-printing his way into every student bedroom in the Western World, what did our Andy get up to?” (inktank.fi).

Andy Warhol really had the time of his life during his pop art days, imagine from a shy and silent boy to a world known artist. His works become popular over a period of time. There must be something in it that the people enjoyed seeing, hearing or feeling.

One of the most famous painters besides Vincent Van Gogh is Salvador Dali. According to an article “Salvador Dalí: 'Crazy'?” in written by Dr. Jane Holt. She mentioned some of the mental disturbances that Dali has experienced; hallucinations and paranoia. She also said something about the cross-dressing of Dali where he would cut his knee and the cloth will be soaked in blood and he also had the outrageous smell that he made out from fish and manure.

Dr. Holt also stated “The pertinent question is whether experiences associated with mental illness do aid artistic creativity, and if so, how, and to what extent. Alternatively, society may select as successful artists those who seem to be eccentric, thus, an element of eccentricity may be associated with success rather than creative ability. Certainly, Dalí's self-belief, self-propaganda and motivation facilitated success (supported by a vivid imagination and technical skills)” (creativityandanomalousexperience.blogspot.com).

There is no denying that most of the artist who became famous exhibits an eccentric behavior. People have taken the liking in the masterpiece if they heard a great story behind it or if they know that the artists is known for having a unusual way of creating their masterpiece. However, it created a stereotype in the artist and has come up with the idea that weirder artists make better art which endangers the other artists who does not exhibit eccentricity; if he is not crazy enough he is not good enough.

Therefore, having background knowledge about the weird behavior of the artists will help us understand why people think highly of the art even if the art is not that good, if the artist is eccentric and what makes their art more interesting than the art of the artists who does not show an unusual behavior.

The focus of this paper is to explain the connection of the eccentricity and artists and why weirder artists became famous than the artists.

Statement of the Problem

This paper aims to answer this question:

What makes people interested in the art in which the artist exhibits weird behavior?

Significance of the Study

Art Students and Artists. This research will help students in the field of art in developing their different art style and appreciate other artists’ way of doing their artwork.

The People outside art society. The knowledge in this research will help the people outside art society in understanding the different aesthetics of artworks. It can also help them open up their mind about the different creative process of the artists.

Future Researchers. The research paper will be supplemental reference for future researchers that have similar study.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on the attraction of people in the art of a weird artist. Considering that weirder artists gain more attention and fame than other artists.

This study will no longer discuss the reason behind the weird behavior, due to the lack of time in gathering necessary data. Therefore, this will only give emphasis to the attitude of people towards the weird behavior of artists.

Materials and Methods

The type of research that will be used in this study is a descriptive research. Descriptive researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of behavior of people towards art and the reasons that govern such behavior.

The researcher will also collect information substantial information from online academic journals and articles on interests of people on a weird artist’s art. All the necessary data will be able to devise an efficient conclusion.

Definition of Terms

Eccentric- (n) a person who exhibits strange behavior

                 (adj.) unusual, weird, uncommon

Pop Art-a movement that was marked by a fascination with popular culture reflecting the affluence in post-war society. It was most prominent in American art but soon spread to Britain. (http://www.artmovements.co.uk/popart.htm)

Chapter II DISCUSSION

I.              Weirdness and Eccentricity

When do we say that a specific thing is weird? What do we considered weird? According to a dictionary weird is something that “Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural” or “Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange.” When something is weird it is because of different reasons; what might be weird for some people might not be weird for other people. We consider something is weird when we think that it does not fit in our culture. And it is not just what the person does we think is unusual, it is also the person itself. Artists are the epiphany of being weird; they do things that most of the people cannot understand and sometimes their creative process contributes to the weirdness. For example: Tim Patches is an Australian painter who uses his sexual organ in painting, Millie Brown also known as the vomit painter who drinks colored milk and regurgitate it into her white canvas, Salvador Dalí’s affection for dangerous pets, and Howard Hughes spent entire days on a chair in the middle of the supposedly germ-free zone of his Beverly Hills Hotel suite.

      Eccentricity of the Artist

Artists’ behavior is one of the things we look from them. They have a weird and unusual way of expressing their art. Every artist and painter has the same trait of lick of eccentricity to their works no matter how normal they appear to be. Every project or work goes through a great deal of emotions in order to create a masterpiece. The roller coaster ride of emotions is what drives an artist to do what they are good at, producing artworks. Usually, strong and aggressive emotions are seen on the creations, maybe with a tinge of madness, is your clue to actually seeing that someone is having a trip down insanity lane. Vincent Van Gogh an artist, who cut his ear before painting a portrait of him, has been used in a research. His eccentricity was mentioned to people before presenting the artwork and the result was most of the people became more interested in his works.

In an article “Are Artists Really Eccentric?, and Forgetting the Beatles” written by Scott Timberg. He explained there that people had always considered artists as eccentric. And he also said that the crazier the better as long as it seems authentic.

Scott Timberg states “Whether artists really are eccentric, or have to be to produce  bold and original work, the rest of us seem to perceive their work as better the more personally unconventional they are.” (http://www.artsjournal.com/culturecrash/2014/02/are-artists-really-eccentric-and-forgetting-the-beatles.html).

People enjoy the art when they know that the artist exhibits an eccentric behavior, so  now the society perceives eccentricity as something necessary in creating art. The society consistently labels people: artist as eccentric, scientist as lunatic. For example, there are plenty of artist who dress and act in weird way like Lady Gaga in her meat suit; scientist also have this weird fashion sense that people noticed like Einstein’s strange haircut as if something exploded right in front of him. If society viewed these behaviors in a different way the course of history will change they will not be considered as mad geniuses.

In another article I’ve read “You don’t have to be Mad” in theguardian.com which was written by Alexander Linklater. The term “Mad Artist” starts from the two conflicts in the 19th century. First they romanticized the illness as an inspiration for the artist and then the second is the less enthusiasm to classify it as a medical condition. The Whitechapel gallery in London opens an exhibit “Inner Worlds Outside” where criminals, people with autism, and other genuine outsiders - making no distinction between the two kinds of artist. And it was shown that there is no distinct connection between mental illness and creativity.

He said that “Primitivism, naive art, dadaism and surrealism all invoked a realm of fantastic or unconscious disorder, but it was most particularly in expressionism that the notion of the mad artist found its modern incarnation. The pioneers of expressionism were by no means all insane”( http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/jul/07/healthandwellbeing.art.)

Those artists have a weird and unusual way of expressing their art. And it should not be questioned whether there only certain group of people who are allowed to express in a strange way.

II.            Weirdness and Fame

One can say that the artists’ weirdness is a huge factor to his fame. A lot of artist nowadays are became known to the public because of their strangeness. It could be their fashion, their behavior or their art. Most individual thought that being eccentric will give those advantages such as increased imagination, more emotional and overpowering energy. The mythology of weirdness and madness as fuel for creativity or all artists are crazy affects how we view the artists.

Salvador Dali, one of the most famous surrealists. He was known for his bizarre techniques on doing his art. He uses automatism as a technique in creating his work. Automatism is a process where you let your subconscious mind express through allowing the hand move randomly on the paper. Artists are only limited by their imagination, but when it comes to art media they can choose whatever medium appeals to them; it does not necessarily mean paintbrushes and pencils. It could be anything they want.

In an article entitled “Explore Unusual Art Forms” written by Chris Dumire. It was discussed there how the meaning of art is still debated by the professionals, because of different artist express their art in different way. And before artists would only express their art on what is available by their time.

Chris Dumire said “For centuries, traditional art and craft has stayed within the known boundaries of painting, drawing, sculpture, and design for utilitarian use.”( http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/art.appreciation.unusual.html).

As people noticed today, art is not just painting or sculpting artists have now different techniques in forming their art. As the technology advances the creative process also advances, the

In another article “'It's like a cleanse for your body and mind': Vomit Painter artist throws up on canvas to create Jackson Pollock-style splatter paintings that Lady Gaga loves”  written by Bianca London. It was discussed there how Millie Brown do her vomit painting; she does not eat two days before her live art show so that the product has pure color and does not contain any food.

London also said “The vomiting visionary began experimenting with her unique style back in 2005 and has since gained commercial success by regurgitating onto the dress of pop singer, Lady Gaga, in a controversial music video.”(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2549351/Its-like-cleanse-body-mind-Vomit-Painter-throws-canvas-create-Jackson-Pollock-style-splatter-paintings-Lady-Gaga-).

Her style in art had received a mix reviews and reactions some are proud because of her unique style and some were disgusted by it. Despite the negative reaction of some people, Brown became famous because of the vomit painting and also, people got to know her through Gaga’s puke film.

III.           People’s fondness in weird things

Weirdness always catches the attention of people, maybe on the streets, films and television shows. The strangeness gives people a sense of rebel that can lead to excitement.

Being weird challenges the norm of the society that it makes them uncomfortable and yet they accept this uneasiness which leads them to questioning themselves.

A.   Danger

Some people like being scared and most do not. People who have fascination in taking the risk are the extremists who take things to the edge in order to boost their adrenaline. So when people get scared the brain is flooded with adrenaline, endorphins and dopamine. So those who like to experience dangerous situations has this set of mind that when they got over something that is threatening it’ll boost their confidence.

Allegra Ringo wrote an article “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” explaining how brains react to dangerous situations. She also explains that culture is part of the reason why a specific thing or situation is scary to a person while it is not to others.

Allegra Ringo said “Lots of people also enjoy scary situations because it leaves them with a sense of confidence after it’s over. Think about the last time you made it through a scary movie, or through a haunted house. You might have thought, “yes! I did it! I made it all the way through!” So it can be a real self-esteem boost.” (http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/).

People are fond of danger because it can give them some sort of glory, if they succeeded in the said danger. That is why we see some people do dangerous sports like sky diving, bungee jumping, car racing and others.

In another article written by Joe Kloc entitled “Fascinated by Fear” it was discussed that a 44 year old patient “SM” has a rare case of brain in which it makes her not afraid of anything. And for months they did everything they could to scare her but nothing works.

Kloc wrote “If the amygdala is functioning properly, these emotions work together to get us out of trouble—and enable us to enjoy the occasional grue­some movie. When it is damaged, however, our response can actually work against our survival, attracting us to the very things we should be avoiding. As the researchers concluded, “the evolutionary value of fear is lost.””( http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fascinated-by-fear/).

Amygdala is responsible for our emotions such as anger and fear as well as memories. So when people are in a dangerous situation the amygdala sends an automatic response such as flight response. But to some people their fears are overthrown by their curiosity so they end up attracted to danger.

                                                                                    

B.   Obscene

The media is so powerful that it can make us learn; inspired and educated also it can corrupt and damage us at the same time. Obscenity is one of those; obscene pictures make some people feel bad. This is why many societies repress obscenity, although one should concede that what constitutes obscenity varies considerably across cultures.

In an article “What are you doing after orgy” written by Jean Baudrillard, he explained why people are attracted to pornographic pictures; it is an empty picture where nothing happens yet people are stimulated by it.

Jean Baudrillard said “Our obscenity, our pornography does not stem from sexual lust, it stems from this paralyzed frenzy of the image. In discussing sex no one can say whether it has been liberated or not, whether it is being consummated more often now or not, whether the gross national sexual product has increased or not.”( http://artforum.com/inprintarchive/id=32836).

People who like seeing obscenity does not necessarily mean they are obsess with sexual lust. In general aspiration, some sort of collective vertigo of neutralization, a forward escape into the obscenity of pure and empty form, unintelligible form, wherein the visible is both lessened and degraded.

In another article entitle “Art and Obscenity” written by Laura Maguire it was discussed what people considered obscene. In the end defining obscenity in art is difficult, unless they categorized the material.

Laura Maguire wrote “In their role as subversives, iconoclasts, culture-jammers and agitators, surely artists are bound to produce work that offends, work that will be called “obscene” by their peers. If all art ever did was comfort and reassure us, it would fail in an essential task.” (http://www.philosophytalk.org/community/blog/laura-maguire/2014/06/art-and-obscenity).

Obscenity in art might offend people in some ways, but then again artists have different perspective in obscenity; because artists believe that in art there is no obscenity only creativity. And there are some people who appreciate this kind of art; if you ask them, they would say that it is not the grossness that they appreciate it is the concept behind the art.

C.   Pain

Pain is an unpleasant sensation that is triggered by damaged stimuli yet there are some people who enjoy the pain; instead of treating the pain, some people do more damage to so they can feel the intensity of pain. This pain can be physical or emotional or both, but most of the time people much rather enjoy the physical than endure the emotional pain.

In an article written by M.Farouk Radwan entitled “Why some people like pain” the reasons behind the fondness of pain was discussed thoroughly; People like pain because it makes them feel like hero or because they did not want to feel bad about their selves that is why the try to endure the pain and suffering.

M.Farouk Radwan wrote “some people enjoy cutting their bodies with knifes or harming themselves in a way or another. For the first instance those people might seem mad but when understanding that physical pain makes them feel much more in control the riddle is solved. Most of those people don't have any control over their lives and so they use physical pain to restore the sense of being in control.”

People who do self-harm do not mean they are tired of living; they do that because they want the physical pain to overthrow the emotional pain. Then there are some who think that it is their punishment when they harm their selves. And then some do that because it gives them sense of control over their life; they choose to be in pain.

In article written by James Gorman entitled “This Is Your Brain on Schadenfreude” he explained how Schadenfreude works. Schadenfreude is a German word that means pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. Bullies are the best example for schadenfreude, they hurt the weaker ones so that it can lift their confidence. Seeing pain in others and taking pleasure from it means people are trying make their selves feel better.

James Gorman wrote “When someone slips and falls on the ice, celebrities have wardrobe malfunctions and rich people lose money, your reward center may light up. Sometimes envy inspires schadenfreude”.( http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/science/24side.html?_r=0).

Envy and jealousy is often the core of schadenfreude and people always possesses those emotions. Naturally, we feel great when somebody tripped down because of their hypocrisy or pride. Schadenfreude gives people warm radiance in the coldest nights especially when they know that the people deserve the pain.

IV.          Conclusion

People have different fascination in life; these fascinations can affect how they perceive things. That is why a lot of people take interest in weird art even though the art itself is not pleasing to the eyes. As for the eccentricity of the artists, it has no connection with the art; weird artist does not produce better art than non-eccentric artist, people tend to like the art when it has a great story behind but, the story has to fit the artist in order for the audience to give full attention to it.

Chapter III SUMMARY CONLCUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary

This paper tried to ascertain the reason behind the interests of people in the art in which the artist exhibits weird behavior.

The Research design used in this study is the observational research method wherein the researcher will collect information substantial information from online academic journals and articles on interests of people on a weird artist’s art. All the necessary data will be able to devise an efficient conclusion. The research findings are the following:

1.    Observation of the eccentric behavior of an artist has a long history, from Vincent Van Gogh’s ear lobe cutting to Lady Gaga’s unique fashion

2.    Weird behavior always catches the attention of the media

3.    There must be something in the weird art that the people enjoyed seeing, hearing or feeling.

4.    There is no denying that most of the artist who became famous exhibits an eccentric behavior.

Conclusion

1.    People have taken the liking in the masterpiece if they heard a great story behind it or if they know that the artists is known for having a unusual way of creating their masterpiece.

2.    It created a stereotype in the artist and has come up with the idea that weirder artists make better art which endangers the other artists who does not exhibit eccentricity; if he is not crazy enough he is not good enough.

3.    People tend to like the art when it has a great story behind but, the story has to fit the artist in order for the audience to give full attention to it.

Recommendation

1.    Art is the way artists express their selves that appeals to their emotions or senses. People should understand that artists have different art style and technique so the comparison between artists will be removed from the mind of the audience.

2.    Eccentricity does not necessarily produce better art; people should explore more in the art world to know that there is no better art.

3.    Non eccentric artists should not be threatened by eccentric artists for they can also produce art though in a different manner.

References

Dumire, C Explore Unusual Art Forms from http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/art.appreciation.unusual.html

Gorman, J This is your Brain on Schadenfreude from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/science/24side.html?_r=0

Hewett, I Do weird people make better artists from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10622344/Do-weird-people-make-better-artists.html

Kloc,J Fascinated by Fear from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fascinated-by-fear/

Linklater,A () You don’t have to be Mad from theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/jul/07/healthandwellbeing.art

London, B It’s Like a cleanse for your body and mind from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2549351/Its-like-cleanse-body-mind-Vomit-Painter-throws-canvas-create-Jackson-Pollock-style-splatter-paintings-Lady-Gaga-

Ringo, A Why do some brains enjoy fear from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/

Timberg,S() Are Artists Really Eccentric and Forgetting the Beatles from http://www.artsjournal.com/culturecrash/2014/02/are-artists-really-eccentric-and-forgetting-the-beatles.html

Blogpost 9: Art can help

People have been talking how mental illness is connected with creativity? For example, an artistic person tends to be mentally ill because of his mind works or because of the production of his imagination? Art society has been campaigning against the stereotypes in artists and mental illness. So what if, instead of thinking that creativity is linked with mental illness, why not think that creativity can be a cure for mental illness?

In an article I’ve read “What Is Art Therapy?” in psychology.about.com which was written by Kendra Cherry. In her article, she explains how art can help their patients to overcome stress, be focused, and improve their mental health; they consolidate the techniques in psychotherapy and creative process.

She said that “It may surprise you to learn that art can be an effective tool in mental health treatment. What could art possibly have to do with psychotherapy? As an expressive medium, art can be used to help clients communicate, overcome stress, and explore different aspects of their own personalities.”

Yes, maybe some people will be surprised especially those who stereotypes the artists. But for me, it is no surprise at all. Because sometimes when I’m really stressed or I think that I’ve had enough with studying, I just get a piece of paper and pencil. I draw whatever comes to my mind and 5 minutes after sketching, it started to wear off the stress and I felt at ease. And after that I’ll continue my studying and becomes really focused on it.

Now that we’re already talking how drawing makes me focused, I remember in my last lecture in BehaSci about doodling in class can make you smart. So I research about it and came across an article entitled “Doodling should be encouraged in boring meetings, claims psychologist” in theguardian.com written by Ian Sample. He explained in his article what is actually happening when we doodle during lectures, seminars and meetings. He also mentions Jack Andrade’s survey, where he asked 40 volunteers to listen into a 2 minute telephone conversation while shading, to see if they can remember the details of the conversation. And yes, most of them remember it accurately.

He also said “A study that compared how well people remembered details of a dull monologue found that those who doodled throughout retained more information than those who tried to sit and listen.”

As I have remember it right, recording information using different drawings, colors, typography can help retain the information in our brain longer. Because we can concentrate more on a thing if we are doing something that doesn’t bore us or that we really enjoy.

Blogpost 8: Speak up! Equality Act!

How would you approach your friend that has a fever and cold? Are you going to be, Eww go home you’re sick, you might infect someone or Are you okay question: the most redundant thing you’ll ever heard. Now think of this: if you are now in a workplace let’s say you’re the manager or supervisor or head of something, how would be your approach to your employee that was diagnose with mental illness. Come on now, don’t be such a hypocrite, I know you’ll say “I’ll treat him like my regular employee” and then be very awkward around them and challenged their capabilities. Those scenarios are the reason why there people with mental illness decided to conceal their illness.

In fact, according to an article I’ve read “Mental health problems still a workplace stigma” in theguardian.com written by Philip Landau. It said in a survey conducted by Friends Life there about 40% from 2000 respondents from cross-section industries have experienced mental health problem and did not told their employer.

He also said that “Whether or not you decide to tell your employer of your mental illness is always going to be personal decision, especially as a mental health issue will not always be as immediately apparent as a physical one.”

Because of the stigma in mental illness, employees are hesitant to undergo a treatment out fear that they might imperil their jobs and at the same time their employers don’t even know how to handle that kind of situation.

In another article I’ve read entitled “Mental Health Prejudice Rife in Workplace” in huffingtonpost.co.uk written by Dr. Paul Zollinger-Read he said that nearly half of UK leaders try to ignore the situation. The employers or managers thought they were helping their employees. But said they were never been asked about their mental illness and they don’t feel opening up about it.

He also stated that “The main thing I take from all of this is that employees are being reduced to being defined by their condition rather than their skills, experience and expertise. These don't disappear because of a mental health problem, much like they wouldn't if you broke your leg.”

It’s not like the mental illness hinders a person from doing their job. Their skills and capabilities will stay with them despite how severe the illness is. Leaders value too much the importance of a healthy team that they don’t recognize the situation of his employees suffering from mental illness. If they really want healthy workers they should pay more attention not only the physical well-being but also to the mental well-being. That is why they are leaders they have to show a good example so their subordinate will follow as well.

Blogpost 7: Processing Art

In science, in order for a scientist to solve a problem, inquire a new knowledge or, correct and integrate previous knowledge they use “scientific method.” It follows a method of inquiry that is based on empirical and measureable evidence subject to specific reasoning principles. If I can remember it correctly my high school teacher taught us the six steps in scientific method; Ask a Question, Do Background Research, Construct a Hypothesis, Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment, Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion and, Communicate Your Results. In art, they also have steps in producing art; it is just that the artists never realized it.

In my research about the steps in producing art, I’ve come across an article “The Art of Thought: Graham Wallas on the Four Stages of Creativity, 1926” in brainpickings.org written by Maria Popova. In her article she explained the creative process according to Graham Wallas’ book. The creative process steps are Preparation: where you gather ideas and inspiration, Incubation: you leave your ideas alone and let your unconscious mind work on it, this is also the part where you see that most artists are sleeping, Illumination: a sudden idea that run through you mind: you don’t force it you just let it come to you and lastly, Verification: the part where you arrange your ideas.

Maria Popov also said that “But perhaps most important of all is the interplay of the stages and the fact that none of them exists in isolation from the rest, for the mechanism of creativity is a complex machine of innumerable, perpetually moving parts.”

It means that the process does not necessarily follow a specific order unlike the scientific method. Isn’t it great to know that are brain works can work that way especially in the creative process. So maybe, while you are reading a book looking for inspiration for a masterpiece your mind is unconsciously solving another problem for you.

Speaking of creative process, different artist have different form of creative process some do enhancing drugs, some meditate and some just laze around; but it does not mean that they don’t do preparation, incubation stuff, they still do it just not the same shape. In an article I’ve read “The Odd Habits and Curious Customs of Famous Writers” in brainpickings.com also written by Maria Popova she discussed a book “Odd Type” by Celia Johnson. She said that according to the book, many famous writers have an unusual way of writing: Edgar Allan Poe, has a cat that he considers the purr as an approval in his work or Truman Capote that won’t start or end his work on Fridays or he would change his hotel room if the phone number has 13 in it and others.

Also Maria Popova said that “As curious as these habits are, however, Johnson reminds us that public intellectuals often engineer their own myths, which means the quirky behaviors recorded in history’s annals should be taken with a grain of Salinger salt. She offers a necessary disclaimer, enveloped in a thoughtful meta-disclaimer.”

Some written observations of the creative process of the artists are not entirely true. The gathered information about them is words that have been passed on many ears, which means the info has been altered somehow. So if you are trying to copy their creative process then good luck with that. My advice is follow the creative process that suits you best.

Blogpost 6: Depiction of Media

I remembered watching films like, “We need to talk about Kevin” where Kevin a psychopath or sociopath boy decides to murder his classmates and his family members using bow and arrow, then “American Psycho” where a wealthy businessman murders people and animals whenever something upsets him, and of course “Wonderland” where a schizophrenic man goes on a shooting spree in Times Square. Are you seeing a pattern here? Look at how those movies portray a mentally disturbed person; they make them violent in the movies like they are very dangerous to the society.

In an article I’ve read entitles “Movies Stigmatize Mentally Ill as Violent and Dangerous” in brainblogger.com written by Elise Stobbe, she says that in reality mentally ill person does not more likely to commit a crime, rather, they are the ones who became victims of the crime. Well of course there are some “rare” cases that a mentally ill person becomes so violent that he started to hurt other people.

Elise Stobbe also said that “This sensationalism, combined with other factors such as the stigmatization of the mentally ill resulting from portrayals of dangerous and violent mentally ill people in films, results in injustice and prejudice to the great majority of the non-violent mentally ill.”

People with mental illness in the movie were depicted as violent, dangerous, demonic and crueler. These kinds of stigma are not helping the mentally ill person and as I have said in my last blog, if this continue they will have a hard time asking for help. Because people fear them and if you are afraid of something you tend to have a distance with him. And I bet that these mentally ill people are more afraid of themselves than we are already afraid of them.

As I continue my research about the portrayals in films, I’ve come across an article entitled “Mental Illness: How the Media Contributes To Its Stigma” in everydayfeminism.com written by Jarune Uwujaren. She carefully explains every myth people have on mentall illness in her article. She said that portrayals of mental illness in media are so inaccurate, but then again media does not want to educate us they only want to entertain us.

She also said “The fact is, you’re more likely to see scantily clad women getting lobotomized in an old school mental asylum than you are a sensitive media portrayal of mental illness or the mental health industry.”

We enjoy seeing these kinds of portrayals in films right? Halloween movie night, we pick the psychological thriller film, why? Because it amuses us; we enjoy the part where a mentally ill guy randomly kills everyone or the part that he kills people who hurt him. The problem is that we as audience believed that we are fully educated in about the mental illness but the truth is we are not. Those we’ve seen in movies or television were just for pure entertainment. And you know why they still do that? Because we like the stereotypes and stigma the media shows us.

Blogpost 5: Stigma and Discrimination

Back in high school I remember this one schoolmate of mine; he is my year actually. People used to avoid him because of his unusualness: he was often seen talking to himself or talking the plants or he would run across our hallway and shout random things, and if you are wondering, yes he was diagnosed with a mental disorder which I have forgotten the name of the illness. Okay so despite all his weird behavior he ranked first on our entrance examination and on the top of the class (in the elite section). But I cannot deny that I used to avoid him too, because I was afraid of him and I always thought that I could not keep up with his behavior. So one day, he was in my class (elective class) and sat beside, what I was not expecting that he would talk to me. And you know what I had enjoyed talking to him; learning how he perceives life. I suddenly realized the stigma and discrimination the people with illness have faced.

I tried to research more about this stigma in mental illness and saw an article “Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness” in ncbi.nlm.nih.gov which was written by Patrick Corrigan and Amy Watson. They explained in their article how people with mental illness struggle to live their everyday life; they said that people with the illness do not have much opportunity that defines a quality life. They also said explained how society, especially the media reacts with the stigma and not all people with the knowledge of stereotypes agree with it.

They said “Media analyses of film and print have identified three: people with mental illness are homicidal maniacs who need to be feared; they have childlike perceptions of the world that should be marveled; or they are responsible for their illness because they have weak character.”

Media is really manipulative and by showing the portrayal of a mentally disturbed person, gives us the knowledge that they should be feared, they should not interact with people or vice-versa, and most of they do not have the right to decide for themselves. If this continues, people with illness will find a hard time to ask for help.

On another article that I’ve read: “Mental Illness in Society” in merckmanuals.com written by Caroline Carney Doebbeling. She said that 50% of adults have experienced a mental disorder and despite of high numbers of people experiencing a mental disorder only about 20% of them received help. She also said how people with illness are often blamed for what they are experiencing and most of the time they are often misunderstood. One misapprehension is that “people with the illness are lazy and weak, and if they actually try, they could overcome it.”

She also said “Everyone requires a social network to satisfy the human need to be cared for, accepted, and emotionally supported, particularly in times of stress. Research has shown that strong social support may significantly improve recovery from both physical and mental illnesses.”

I think that the best way to challenge those stereotypes is to have firsthand contact with a mentally disturbed person. You know, like have a normal conversation with them; you’ll never know what you might learn from them. Just don’t be awkward around them, act the way you act with your friends.

Blogpost 4: Bro, do you even do drugs?

45 days 45 drugs 45 self-portraits were basically how Bryan Saunders did his masterpiece. Every day he would in take a drug and do a self-portrait of him to see how a certain drug works. Most of his paintings looked outrageous and some looked really good. But I can’t seem to understand his reason why he did those, is it for fame? Is it part of his art style? Or he really needed something to boost his creativity?

Again I wanted to learn more about this so I researched. And fortunately I found an article “Can Psychedelic Drugs Enhance Creativity?” in patch.com written by David Jay Brown. He explained about a popular drug that was used by many artists “psychedelic drugs”. Psychedelic drug is a psychoactive drug that alters the perception and cognition of person who have intake those.

According to Brown  “The relationship between cannabis and creativity was the subject of one of my , and many highly-acclaimed artists, scientists, writers, musicians, and creative people of all sorts claim to have received creative inspiration from cannabis and more potent psychedelics--like LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin--for decades.”

I think it is no wonder for us to know that artists use drugs, not to be stereotypical or anything, but, they are the ones who confess that they use drugs. It may be for inspiration or production or for self –meditation. But most of the time this people who uses drugs abuse it, yes by using those they risk the having of an addiction.  

For more information about how the psychedelic drug boost the creativity an article “Creativity and Psychedelics” in maps.org written by Rick J. Strassman explained that, if the consciousness if modified in the creative process the creativity will be alter. He also mentions that psychiatry, especially psychoanalysis, has an eye for creativity. And psychoanalysis studies mania and schizophrenia that somehow showed us a connection in creativity and mental illness.

He said that “Under the influence of these drugs, all forms of perception are altered, especially the visual and auditory. New ideas, thoughts, and memories emerge. Emotions are intense and shift rapidly. The body changes shape, weight, and appearance, as does its relationship to the mind. Our sense of self, its nature and quality, is highly altered”

In my opinion, because of the rising of “psychedelic drugs enhance creativity” a lot of artists and people who wanted to be an artist will try to use the drug, to experience the effect firsthand. It imposes an idea that artists do not need to worry about inspiration for their work because psychedelic drugs will always give them.