How often do we hear that artists are insane, or they’re crazy people who make unbelievable things? That their best work is when they’re under the influence of hard drugs? Or that one can never be successful trying to live as an artist, and they have to be crazy to try?

At least as an artist, I hear them pretty often. In Non-Fiction Workshop I, we were talking about how artistic personas and insanity go hand in hand, because it seems there is a very fine line between the two. My first thought is to refer to the imagination. It is my belief that writers (and artists in general) tend to have very vivid, constantly running imaginations. We have to, because the basis of our work is making the unreal, real. And imagination is the vision that sees anything and everything unreal.

So, then, one could argue that artists are people with a sixth sense. We have a knack for sensing what is there, which doesn’t exist yet, catching it, and then obsessing over it and working with it (with hands for the sculptor, pen/paper or keyboard/fingers for writers). But does any of this make an artist a crazy person? Sure sounds like it.

There are three considerations I’d like to discuss. First, if you’re an artist, and you pursue it as any kind of career, you’re automatically insane on some level, because the odds of you actually succeeding are so slim, you have to be crazy to go up against them.

In our workshop, the discussion took a different turn. We were talking about different types of artists: those who are actually crazy, and those who pretend to be crazy under the guise of being an artist. I find it remarkable that our society has put art on such a pedestal that if you are an artist, even a self-proclaimed one, you’re given a free pass on being as crazy as you like. In fact, it’s more or less expected of you. And if you don’t/aren’t identified as an artist, you’re locked away because you’re a “menace to the public”.

A third avenue to consider also is the distinction between being crazy and being reckless. Think of your favorite artist or band. Many of us would say “oh man, his music was so good when he was addicted to drugs… now he’s just ok.” I’ve heard this claim more than once and about more than one artist. It would suggest that the more reckless an artist is with him or herself (and therefore the sixth sense/creative spirit) the more enjoyable the product is.

So which is it? Are all artists insane? Are only some insane while others pretend to be? Are artists who are more reckless with their insanity more successful? I’m not going to pretend to know the answer, but I will put in my two cents.

I believe in strongly that each artist is his own or her own visionary. I began this blog post with a discussion of the artist’s role to make the unreal, real. Each artist has a vision in his or her mind, a vision that is impossibly bright and powerful – a star to strive for. This is why I am convinced anyone can be an artist, not just a painter or sculptor, a musician or writer. An artist is simply someone who not only has a vision, but has the nerve, gut and passion to make it a reality. That’s why, to me, a business man can be an artist. If he sees potential and, with some devotion and passion, strives for it, he’s as much an artist as the painter down the road, struggling to keep his shop open.

My example is Steve Jobs. Take a look at the precedence he set. He started making and selling computers out of his garage. A hobby. And he single-handedly changed (or at least made a lasting impact on) the music-entertainment industry, and how it reaches the hands to the general public. He took his passion for digital technology, and made it an art, stretching far beyond just the small scope of a backyard business. Was he insane? I say no. To me, insanity is in the eye of the beholder, and the artist is only as insane as their vision, and their dedication to that vision, is to you.

Until next time,

Joe

Artist word count: 25