We know that a lot of the great artists have been dealing with intense emotional turmoil and mental health issues. But does that necessarily mean that great art comes from great pain only? Does art come from suffering in general? Or are there still other factors that inspire us to make art? Well, we are getting into it in this post!
Is there a connection between creativity and pain? Does art come from suffering? Or maybe, does only good art come from pain? And if not so, what does art come from?
The myth of the haunted artist has been around for a very long time and it seems to be deeply engrained in our thinking. But is it actually true that artists need to experience suffering in order to create art, or is it simply one of the many myths about artists?
One thing we cannot deny, though, is that some of the greatest artistic achievements in history came from artists who went through intense emotional hardship. Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Frida Kalho and Goergia O’Keeffe likely suffered from mental health issues, to just name a few examples.
But also when it comes to contemporary art, we hear again and again of artists being afflicted with various mental problems, from personality disorders, substance abuse, depression, to suicidal tendencies, and more.
While art-making can have positive effects on our mental health, we also know that the obstacles and the pain we face in our life have the potential to unlock our creativity.
In this post, I want to delve deeper into whether art comes from suffering only, or whether there are other factors that may trigger our creativity as well.
I will speak a bit about my personal way of making art and I encourage you to share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below!
But before we get into it—who actually said that art is suffering in the first place?
Who said art is suffering?
“Great art comes from great pain.” ~ Christopher Zara, Tortured Artists
The above is a statement that we have been hearing a lot lately. But who actually said it?
Well, it’s a quote from Christopher Zara’s book called Tortured Artists. Zara compiled the profiles of 48 famous artists, including Virginia Woolf, Arthur Miller, Amy Winehouse, Andy Warhol, Charlie Parker and Walt Disney.
All artists profiled in Zara’s book stated said that their hardship served as an inspiration. But they also mentioned that it was not the sole source of their creativity.
Undoubtedly, all of them were exceptionally talented creators whose art is remaining famous beyond their death.
So, is it actually true that good art comes from pain—at least to a certain extent?
Well, I don’t even want to go down that rabbit hole of what makes art good or bad. If I were to do so, we would be still here tomorrow…
Actually, I only recently published a post on why you should make bad art, and I believe that every artist happens to make bad art at some point in their life. No one can produce a masterpiece every time they create something. Not even the greatest artists.
But whether you make good or bad art doesn’t even matter when we talk about whether or not art comes from suffering.
Continuing on, who else said that art is suffering? Well, Edvard Munch, for example, who I already mentioned above, also sees a link between art and pain:
“Art comes from joy and pain... But mostly from pain.”
And there are more artists that share the same opinion. French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre stated:
“Suffering is justified when it becomes the raw material of beauty.”
Moreover, American actress Julianna McCarthy believes that it is key for artists to preserve their vulnerability:
“If you lose your vulnerability to being hurt by criticism, you lose the very vulnerability that makes you able to be an artist.”
These statements make it obvious that a lot of creatives feel that art and pain are connected. In fact, the idea that art comes from suffering seems to be deeply rooted within our collective consciousness, and many artists have made similar experiences themselves—including myself.
However, that doesn’t mean that everyone who draws inspiration from their difficulties suffers a mental condition. Nevertheless, it seems like creative individuals are more prone to mental health problems than ‘non-creatives’ (even though we are all born creative ´\_(ツ)_/`).
So let’s quickly take a minute and look into that.
Why do depressed people make art?
Interestingly, a study at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden discovered that creative people are more likely to be treated for mental illness than the less creative rest of the population.
The researchers examined more than one million patients and found that certain mental illness is more prevalent in creatives, in particular bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, substance abuse and drug use. However, that doesn’t mean that every person who makes art suffers a mental problem.
Or, in other words, there is no scientific proof that one can lead to or cause the other. It rather means that depressed people are more likely to use art as an outlet for their negative emotions. If you will, they use art as a means of self-expression—like so many of us do, too.
So, if you are living with depression, or similar issues, creative activities can provide you with an opportunity to process your emotions and calm your mind, much like meditation for artists.
In my opinion, does art come from suffering?
I wouldn’t consider myself an artist full of torment and pain, and I don’t suffer any mental illness. However, most of my surreal creations definitely spring from dark emotions. Let me give you a few examples.
In Naufragée, for instance, I am exploring the experience of feeling lost. Naufragée is French and stands for a female castaway. I’m sure all of us have felt like drowning in life at some point in time. We’ve all had times when we felt totally overwhelmed, didn’t know what to do and where to go next…
That is the concept behind Naufragée. If you’d like to learn more about my creative thinking process, feel free to check out the Making of ‘Naufragée‘.
In ‘Naufragée‘ (2015), I am exploring the feeling of being lost.
Likewise, the concept of vulnerability plays a huge role in my work. I have been taking it up over and over again throughout my artistic career. When I first touched upon the concept of vulnerability with Porcelain in 2015, I didn’t know that it was going to be an important theme that I would be taking up in my work many more times.
Over time, I have created a bunch of works that all deal with the same concept. There’s China from 2019, Rose Red Supper and Keyla from 2020, Moonlight from 2022 … And I am sure there will be more to come. It’s just something that is very dear to my heart to express through my art.
(I speak more about some of the above works and others in my Making Of section. If you are interested in my creative process and my thoughts behind it, hop over and have a look!)
Like everyone else, I am going through the usual ups and downs in life. I have happy moments, sad moments, serene times and more gloomy ones. Altogether, I would say that most of the time I am feeling happy and balanced—I’m a Libra as well. ʕᴖᴥᴖʔ
Still, I like to express my painful moments through my art. Sadness, disappointment, hurt, fear, uncertainty, vulnerability. As I mentioned in 20 Facts about the Artist, my goal is not to make happy art—or nice art.
My goal is to make art that makes people feel something. Those feelings may be positive, such as liking, empathy, or aesthetic pleasure. But they may also be negative, such as discomfort, uneasiness, confusion, or even repulsion.
However, my primary purpose is to tell the stories through my art that have moved me at some point in my live. Naturally, the negative stuff we go through tends to leave a greater impression on us than the nice things. At least to my experience.
So, to me, art comes from suffering, definitely. But that’s just my personal opinion. It doesn’t mean that every artist needs to see it this way.
I surely agree that pain is not the sole source of creativity. Apart from that, my own definition for suffering is not the same as another’s. We all make different experiences in our lives, we grow up in different cultures, and we have different social and personal views.
Therefore, everyone has their own understanding of pain and suffering, and everyone even has their own understanding of creativity and art.
Nevertheless, intense negative feelings can be a gateway to discover your artistry. That way, suffering can be channeled into a positive creative pursuit. Creating art can serve as a catalyst. It allows you to let go of your negative emotions and restart on a positive note.
Just don’t overthink your art, and don’t listen to your inner critic. Give yourself the freedom to create simply for the sake of creating! The best you can do when you are on a low is to be kind to yourself and nurture your inner artist.
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BUT—no matter what place you create art from, the most important thing is that you have fun with it. Enjoy the creative process and be a happy artist with whatever art you make!
What is your greatest source of inspiration to make art? Please leave comments and questions below or reach out to me directly. I’d love to hear from you! Make sure to sign up for my email list below so you don’t miss out on new blog posts and other cool stuff. ♥
