Art and Adversity

Who wants to suffer? Well, aside from masochists, essentially no one. But upon recent months of life, it's occurred to me how much easier it is to be creative when going through a difficult time. I can say that now because I'm not going through a difficult time, and I find it more difficult to create. Specifically, writing. When I started doing these blogs, it was after personal tragedy. And it felt like I didn't even have to put any effort into what I would write about because every relevant thing just rushed to the front of my mind in a way that filled me with a ton of motivation to see it through.

Not to say I'm living a lax life in comparison right now. In fact, I'm working harder right now than I have in years, but suffering in an emotional way—well, thankfully, no. Though now I have to believe that the more strain you deal with, the more effortless creativity can emerge from within you. And the thing about strain and suffering is it's all relative within yourself. Something that was hard once may be easy now. And since it's easy now, you're not going to suffer. Now, for it to become something difficult that you would suffer through again means it has to be new in a way that creates that stress. It's almost as if that stress creates new synapses in your brain as you discover a new unpleasant feeling—almost literally growing pains within your mind.

Suffer responsibly

Part of me wonders if this has any correlation with how new musicians struggling to make it—who eventually do—will have some of the best work of their entire career within the first three years of it kicking off. Eventually, the spark that made them stand out will fade, and they start to seem like an imitation of themselves rather than the person who once rewrote the rules.

Now cozy in their mansions, they may no longer have any reason to push themselves now that they've made it. Clearly, we know some talents who remain fresh and relevant long after they become famous, and I'm willing to bet that money and fame didn't affect their drive.

Because someone who hasn't made it has to struggle, has to bust their ass in a way few people can, with the reward sitting on the other side of it. And when you work that hard at anything, there are a lot of times when you will begin to question yourself—what you're doing and if it's worth it—because the suffering you will feel in the midst of the grind is very real. But so is the reward, as distant as it may feel.

So while suffering during your grind to make something amazing can be a contributing factor, I'm finding out it doesn't have to be suffering directly related to what you're working on as the catalyst for you to suddenly produce amazing work. Part of it feels like the fact that you suffered so tremendously makes the things that would have seemed highly difficult before now feel trivial, and you can allow yourself to push harder than you would have before—having gone through the trauma.

Last week, I really had to bust my ass, and now, all of a sudden, I feel that inspiration to write again. Coincidence? No, I don't think so. Me writing this is as much a lesson for me as it is for anyone. However, while suffering, I do believe, causes some real growth in creative fields, it doesn't mean you need to constantly experience tragedy to be at your best. But you do need to challenge yourself. If you are truly challenged, then you endure a level of hardship from it, and that hardship will also fuel the creative catalyst.

The old saying remains eternally true:

No Pain No Gain