When it comes to creating any art, I feel certain people are attuned to be inspired by certain emotions a lot more than others. For some it’s a feeling of loss or longing, for others excitement and maybe for others its happiness. I believe through practice we can learn to tune into other emotions and create. But this thread is more about the former, naturally attuned emotions and how they possibly affect our own personality once we notice this pattern.
For me it is certainly a feeling of deep affection or longing. The first few songs I wrote were all written as I went through a very convoluted relationship around the age of 20. What I find interesting about these pieces (and others inspired by similar conditions) are that all of these pieces created themselves, they were polished on creation and I love all of them.
There was barely any control over the creation process, my memory is hazy now but the funny part is it was also hazy back then. These are phases where I describe myself as being drunk on emotion, where most of my daily existence consisted of getting the bare minimum of my daily responsibilities in(as a student I didn’t have many) and the rest being just locked up in a room with a guitar. The writing process wasn’t smooth in the micro view, I suffered blockages etc. But they seemed to resolve themselves, disconnected riffs found a way to connect as long as I just put in the time. Any thinking was essentially effortless, in hindsight it was pure presence, almost a meditation on a simple, yet rich emotion.
I wouldn’t be surprised if other artistic people, who’ve realized their affinity for a certain emotion, also tend to move towards a way of being that puts them there, knowingly or not. For about the last half decade, I consciously tried to move away from this way of living, mainly as I figured myself out and got swayed by life. Needless to say I was creatively barren lol. But as I’ve slowly re-embraced it over the past year it’s been coming back.
Another thought I’ve had is what if your affinity lies with a very self-destructive emotion, do you continue to put yourself there because of your need to create. There seems to be enough evidence of exceptional artists becoming victims of their own art.
Your options seem to be -
1) Reprogram yourself to be attuned to other emotions
2) Stop associating yourself with the identity of an Artist or
3) Just give in to it and whatever happens happens.
The last one is a gamble of course, going down a path that has unknown outcomes let alone unknown odds. I believe all 3 are viable options to take in life.
1 is the most pragmatic, the smarter you are, the likelier you are to go down this route first.
2 can be a little jarring, but depending on a person’s priorities in life, could be the cleanest way forward
3 ofc is an adventure, this path of self-expression can lead to self-destruction or self-evolution.
I think some balance of 1 and 3 at various times in your life is the way to go.
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