Thoughts on Being Miserable.

Your last post got me thinking; white isn't just for cleanliness. I think that the reason it does mean cleanliness actually has a religious connotation. Whiteness is historically something only the rich (or very commonly European overlords) could maintain; most prominently in skin color. Paleness was associated with not having to work in the fields, and became desirable. When religions, especially Christianity, realized this, they attributed the paleness to things present in the "kingdom of god" and therefore Jesus and God became pale men, and light and pastel colors became prominent imagery throughout the bible to signify purity of body and spirit. Angels have white wings, the white dove; things that are inviolable and unchangeable in their holiness. That's why white=good. Because of those damn European empire-driven Christians.

Anyway, I've been giving a lot of thought lately to misery. Not necessarily because I'm miserable-haha- but because of learning things about art and what I've seen in the news in the past months. It seems to me that in many cases, misery breeds creativity.

If you look at many of the great artists-Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Allan Poe, Andy Warhol, they've all had rough lives. Isn't the "tortured artist" one of the most known tropes of life? If you even take into consideration that the Renaissance came to be after centuries of human misery and struggle through the Dark Ages and Black Death, you'll know that this theory has some credibility. But why is that? Why does being miserable 
make us somehow better at expressing it?

One could say that being kept down will increase our will and power to escape it. This makes sense; being creative and telling stories in whichever way creates an opportunity for escapism. I know when I'm upset drawing lets me forget about everything for a little while. Expressing yourself can make you feel better. Being creative can also lead to opportunities to get away from a miserable situation for good, if it leads to a job or a new social situation that makes your happier.

J. K. Rowling started writing the Harry Potter series around the time of her mother's death. She wrote through depression and turned her personal struggle into something that benefited her in the long run. The series centers around overcoming horrible situations in life and has inspired many others to overcome their own troubles. This is a good example of how misery breeds amazing creativity. While the story idea was already in her head, her hard experiences further shaped the tale into the success it is today.

Van Gogh famously struggled with poverty and mental illness, and is now one of the most famous artists in history, his work both unique with his personal style and a great embodiment of the Impressionist movement. It was his struggle throughout his life that kept him painting and inspired many of his works, including undoubtedly those he completed during his time in institutions, which are all very beautiful.

How is it that misery can bring such inspiration and success to some, and yet destroy others? How do we have the Marilyn Mason’s and Eminem’s, who have turned their troubled childhoods into careers and art, and yet see the Adam Lanza’s? How do we know the Poe’s who struggled their entire lives and created beautiful things, and also have Jack the Ripper and Hitler dancing their ways through our history books? Is it the type of misery? To quote the show "Sherlock", "Bitterness is a paralytic." Is that what it comes down to-how we perceive and internalize our misery? Is it the amount of horrible-ness these people go through? Is there only so much people can take? This is impossible to answer, as it's probably susceptible to a person's personality. Maybe that's what makes the difference; the soil into which the misery is planted. And yet there are more artists than serial killers, more impassioned activists than abusive spouses.

Or are there? Which side of it lends insight into our natural human disposition and tendencies?

As always,
~Leigh Shine