The Mind Creative
It is in the nature of human beings to strive for better
achievements and some research has suggested that “depression
is an evolutionary way for us to tightly focus our attention on what
needs changing in our lives.” For the creative mind, depression
therefore drives them to strive more and then push their limits of
creativity once they step out of the depressive state. This drive
then makes them to produce more creative work; and therefore
ruminate more on their thoughts which in turn, nurtures
longer-lasting and the ‘never-ending’ cycle of depressive states.
I also believe that the ‘creatives’ of this world often wonder about
their usefulness in society and the feeling of being useless creeps
up quite quickly; simply because selling creative work and ideas
is possibly one of the hardest tasks around. The state of a creative
mind in such matters is best explained by Oscar Wilde’s note below
where he explains (in his inimitable style, of course) as to why he
wrote the famous line “All art is useless” in his acclaimed novel
The Picture of Dorian Gray.
“Art is useless because its aim is simply to create a
mood. It is not meant to instruct, or to influence action
in any way. It is superbly sterile, and the note of its
pleasure is sterility. If the contemplation of a work of
art is followed by activity of any kind, the work is either
of a very second-rate order, or the spectator has failed
to realise the complete artistic impression.
A work of art is useless as a flower is useless. A flower
blossoms for its own joy. We gain a moment of joy by
looking at it. That is all that is to be said about our
relations to flowers. Of course man may sell the flower,
and so make it useful to him, but this has nothing to
do with the flower. It is not part of its essence. It is
accidental. It is a misuse. All this is, I fear, very
obscure. But the subject is a long one.”
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