I was watching The Simpsons and I heard Lisa say something I liked:
It reminded me of something I’ve recently read by Nathaniel Branden:
I know some pretty creative people on C&F, and I know a few have recently voiced concern that being involved in an online forum signals that they need to “get a life,” so I thought I would share these quotes and see what people thought.
My response borders on the medical line…
Anyway, I lot of creative people from the past, would not have been so creative if they were on the modern psychiatric drugs.
I think my own quote was something like this: the drugs did help keep my demons at bay, however, they also kept my angels away, and that was too high a price, so I decided in favor of my angels and against the drugs.
Again, I realize this is close to the line…
I would think that art of any kind that is inspired by a great night out with your friends down the pub,is not as profound or powerful as art inspired by a night of utter despair when the weight of the world has pushed your soul so far into the pit of darkness that you think you’ll never find a way out .
RORY
Good god! Rory is an emo. 
Mukade
Solitude can be handy, yes. It is, after all, difficult to think if you are surrounded by people who won’t shut up. 
Solitude is not something that I think artists would seek out ,but more it is forced on them due to their inability to express themselves in a more sociable manner.
Trouble being that for the artist ,art is ultimately unfulfilling,for no matter how much beauty they put into a poem or painting or a song or symphony ,it is not as much beauty as they have in their soul.
Unexpressed it eats them up.
RORY
Turn on, tune in, and … uh … 
djm
Really? … I hadn’t noticed that to change much when I’m alone.
You may be suffering from neural overload. That can take a while to dissipate. 
“All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”
Blaise Pascal
Slan,
D.
I love being alone…alone like a cat, with a cat.
Meow.
Heh…
I read that quote and immediately thought, “That sounds like it was written by a father of six.” But wikipedia makes no mention of B. Pascal having any children. Pascal, I guess, was even more insightful than I ever realized.
That’s a great quote. It reminds me of something Temple Grandin said about how socializing wasn’t everything. Can I google it… yep, here we are:
No-one asked that cat what it thinks of the arrangement.
djm
I don’t think being alone and/or suffering breed better art. There were and are plenty of artists of all types who enjoy being with people. I just can’t name any right now.
She loves me.
Lost it in the end though didn’t he?
There you go!
I only know that when I am painting or drawing I am totally immersed in what I am doing, so yes, I am solitary-Don’t bother me. I don’t want to eat or anything- just paint or draw. I can go at it most all day if the mood strikes.
Without that level of concentration, nothing really good is accomplished.
This is not done out of misery or depression but by “the mood”.
Actually when I’m depressed, stressed or dealing with “life”, the LAST thing I want to do is be creative.
The real socialable people would have been around the campfire singing songs and dramatizing a hunt.