Any of you use drugs to increase creativity?

[pbromaghin]

I used to take large quantities of hallucinogenics and ride the Harley (which I still have) on dark foggy nights. These images were taken July 4th 1982 from a hotel roof while on an unknown quantity of LSD. Canon AE-1 50MM f1.8 Kodachrome 25 exposure lost to history. Not recommending anyone do this (nor would I do it today) but it worked for me.

View attachment 230478
View attachment 230479​

Good lord, you had an angel sitting on your shoulder.
Shrooms, acid, and a Harley? How the hell did you ever survive?

 

[pbromaghin]

Sure. But the experience might result in some interesting pictures later. It's an intensive experience, and you are going to digest it in the days following, when you are sober again (and able to shoot photos again).

But, sure, I don't recommend to go that route in general.[/QUOTE

Are they interesting to others? Are they still interesting to the maker when no longer stoned out of his mind?

Maybe yes. Maybe no.

 

[BMbikerider]

esp LSD? This may be a dumb post, but I believe Lewis Carrol used psychedelic mushrooms to write "Alice in Wonderland?,

And how do you know that?

Also is this a suitable forum for discussing the use of drugs. Moderators please note!!!

 

[removed account4]

Of coarse, sleep is when your body producers serotonin, especially in the REM state when we dream. LSD is suppose to stimulate serotonin some way, but far better to stimulate it naturally.

Scroll down for 5 tips on how to increase serotonin.

1. Tweak your diet. Depending on what you eat, you could be replenishing the serotonin in your brain—or depleting it. ...
2. Get consistent, good sleep. ...
3. Take a vitamin D supplement. ...
4. Go for a walk in the sunshine. ...
5. Take steps to lower stress.

Thanks awty !

I'll stick to food, sleep and sunshine.

 

[guangong]

From my own observations of many drug users, the primary problem is the inability to determine one’s checkout time. Watching people hobbling about with bodies and minds racked from drug use is not a pleasant sight.
On the other hand, I have known many successful artists in painting, sculpture, and music who never had a need to resort to drugs for “inspiration”. Many continued to be physically vigorous and artistically active way Into their old age. Speaking frankly, most of those I met who did do drugs for a supposed creative inspiration were untalented posers.

 

[Cholentpot]

Blix really throws me 'round the bend.

 

[removed account4]

On the other hand, I have known many successful artists in painting, sculpture, and music who never had a need to resort to drugs for “inspiration”.

Art Clokey and Frank Zappa and ...

 

[jtk]

I knew dozens of successful studio photographers in San Francisco. I doubt any needed drugs to do great work, tho most smoked dope socially and a couple of them did go on occasional drug/alcohol benders. A very successful large format studio guy occasionally hit himself in the head intentionally with LSD, hoping to change something unspecified. His conservative Jewish family kept him on rails.

Dope dumbs some folks down enough to return to and stick with retail or government work.

The addict you know WILL steal from you (and from his parents and former friends) ... if they toot coke beyond briefly they will turn into ASSES within a week. Those are iron-clad rules of the universe.

On the other hand, I heard a long interview with Louis Armstrong in which he said he smoked dope every day...he didn't have to buy because it could be found growing in rail yards. There are millions of dopers and not many Louie Armstrongs.

 

[Colin Corneau]

...Also is this a suitable forum for discussing the use of drugs. Moderators please note!!!

Considering the title of the thread, it seems appropriate.

Always the option to not read the thread, too. BTW we decriminalized marijuana here in Canada about a year or so ago -- incredibly, society didn't come crashing down and at last check there were no marauding gangs of hoodlums running wild in the streets (well, maybe the meth heads).
Honestly the only difference I've seen since decriminalization is that everybody calls it cannabis now.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

Good lord, you had an angel sitting on your shoulder.
Shrooms, acid, and a Harley? How the hell did you ever survive?

No answer. I just did. Never crashed doing it either.

I've seen a certified 178 MPH on a motorcycle a couple times as well. Got paid to ride a Nitro burning Harley in the quarter mile too. Raced open class motocross for 40 years too. 60 years old I still ride motorcycles on and off road. But I will not jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Got a feeling that's where my luck will end.

 

[Vaughn]

Super and Smokey

And remember, Acid consumes 47 times its weight in excess reality.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I don’t think great photographers I have books of were dopeheads.
Photography I like involved people to be in the frame. I don’t think it is manageable under dope.
But in some cases it is. Anne Leibovitz followed musicians on the trips. At her RS time.
She was taking not only pictures. It helped her do become closer, I guess.
I can’t take pictures well under influence, but here is Janku in Japan, known street photographer, if i’m not mistaken he took pictures in the pub, by doing regular things in the pubs.
Here is also Russian photographer who won Instagram award for street photography.
He drinks, at list.
But non of it will make your life better.

 

[removed account4]

Super and Smokey

And remember, Acid consumes 47 times its weight in excess reality.

HI Vaughn
You've posted those comix before, they made me laugh then, too
The fuzz was right, messing with super would not be a good thing !
John

 

[guangong]

The marijuana that Satchmo, Gene Krupa and others smoked back then was the equivalent of 3.2 beer compared to the stuff available today. Off hand, I can’t think of a jazz musician who took cocaine or heroine who lived a long life, most died young, such as Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Bud Powell, etc. Chain smoking tobacco also took a toll, for example, Art Blakey (one of the nicest guys I ever met).
Looking for creativity in booze doesn’t work either and, again, often leads to a short life. In the performing arts it can lead to a short professional life. Hank Williams was a sad loss for those of us who enjoyed hill-billy music. ( Where I grew up we had a great mix of music,...opera, symphony, jazz and hillbilly...and often the same audience for all genres.)

For a young guy only 60 years old to believe that because he is still alive he has gotten away with drug use, I can only say I know of many artists who finally reached a creative peak in their 80s. But they were all physically fit.
I never had an interest in drugs because I wanted to know what was going on around me. Also, I couldn’t stand the smell.

 

[Cholentpot]

I knew dozens of successful studio photographers in San Francisco. I doubt any needed drugs to do great work, tho most smoked dope socially and a couple of them did go on occasional drug/alcohol benders. A very successful large format studio guy occasionally hit himself in the head intentionally with LSD, hoping to change something unspecified. His conservative Jewish family kept him on rails.

Dope dumbs some folks down enough to return to and stick with retail or government work.

The addict you know WILL steal from you (and from his parents and former friends) ... if they toot coke beyond briefly they will turn into ASSES within a week. Those are iron-clad rules of the universe.

On the other hand, I heard a long interview with Louis Armstrong in which he said he smoked dope every day...he didn't have to buy because it could be found growing in rail yards. There are millions of dopers and not many Louie Armstrongs.

Alcohol is my Tribes poison of choice. We don't really truck much with mind-altering stuff, kinds of is contrary to our core ideals with intellect and reason playing very large roles in the culture. A nice Jewish Family (tm) did good.

 

[anthonym3]

In college, I found caffeine and nicotine excellent for helping me to study art history, physics, chemistry, electric circuits, philosophy, mathematics, and pretty much anything else that involved reading or memorization. Cannabis helped with my art and design classes, allowing me to come up with new ideas that I wouldn't have otherwise. It also helped with physics, chemistry, electronics, history, and philosophy for conceptualization and incorporating small ideas into the big picture. It was terrible for math and memorization, and made reading more enjoyable, but less effective. Caffeine and nicotine we're good for fill in the blank and multiple choice tests, and cannabis for essay tests. LSD, mushrooms, and peyote are good for changing your perspective on life, but bad for getting work done. Cocaine and hard stimulants are too addictive and dot do anything for me positively that caffeine can't do. Opitaes are virtually worthless for me. The only way I can tell they're working is if they make me itch. Alcohol just makes me tired and gives me a headache. Benzos provide minor help with social anxiety, but aren't highly effective.

That's my experience. Everyone's brain chemistry is different, and everyone reacts differently. If everyone reacted the same way as me, cannabis would be legal, alcohol wouldn't, and no one would be addicted to cocaine, meth, or opiates. It would be like Dramamine, which is a powerful psychotic, but so unpleasant that abuse is extremely rare. LSD, mushrooms, and peyote would be commonly prescribed drugs for depression and PTSD.

These days, I just do moderate caffeine, nicotine, and rarely a glass of alcohol. If cannabis were legal here, I might occasionally do that, but it's not, and not worth the risk.

 

[anthonym3]

I fail to understand how nicotine can help one to study anything. It may give one a false sense of something.

 

[btaylor]

Super and Smokey.

“Odd Bodkins” by Dan O’Neill summed up the late ‘60’s - early ‘70’s era in San Francisco quite well. Unfortunately there a good number of drug casualties too, don’t know if their creative selves got a lot out of it. My older brother and sister enjoyed the Summer of Love and all that went with it, being a little younger I saw the other side of it, it wasn’t pretty. They had a lot of fun while it lasted.

 

[Vaughn]

“Odd Bodkins” by Dan O’Neill summed up the late ‘60’s - early ‘70’s era in San Francisco quite well. Unfortunately there a good number of drug casualties too, don’t know if their creative selves got a lot out of it. My older brother and sister enjoyed the Summer of Love and all that went with it, being a little younger I saw the other side of it, it wasn’t pretty. They had a lot of fun while it lasted.

Some people should not drink, some people should not do some drugs. Either one can harm, either can bring benefit. Most of the drug problems -- perhaps 90% -- are caused by the drug(s) being illegal.

 

[Vaughn]

I fail to understand how nicotine can help one to study anything. It may give one a false sense of something.

Caffeine and/or nicotine -- for some people it is a needed natural laxative in the morning...

Just caffeine does it for me...

 

[anthonym3]

Just a 16 oz. glass of water does it for me.

 

[jamesaz]

The marijuana that Satchmo, Gene Krupa and others smoked back then was the equivalent of 3.2 beer compared to the stuff available today. Off hand, I can’t think of a jazz musician who took cocaine or heroine who lived a long life, most died young, such as Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Bud Powell, etc. Chain smoking tobacco also took a toll, for example, Art Blakey (one of the nicest guys I ever met).
Looking for creativity in booze doesn’t work either and, again, often leads to a short life. In the performing arts it can lead to a short professional life. Hank Williams was a sad loss for those of us who enjoyed hill-billy music. ( Where I grew up we had a great mix of music,...opera, symphony, jazz and hillbilly...and often the same audience for all genres.)

For a young guy only 60 years old to believe that because he is still alive he has gotten away with drug use, I can only say I know of many artists who finally reached a creative peak in their 80s. But they were all physically fit.
I never had an interest in drugs because I wanted to know what was going on around me. Also, I couldn’t stand the smell.

The folks you mentioned also already had the talent, discipline and creativity to put ideas, regardless of where they came from, into a form of art. It's doubtful that any substance that alters consensual reality is going to make someone artistically creative. Someone either has it before or doesn't. I type this while listening to Bob Marley, who had it, with or without ganja.

 

[anthonym3]

Drugs to increase creativity? In my humble opinion creativity comes from the intellect,drugs can do nothing but alter one's mind,perception and eye to a greater or lesser degree. True creativity does not need enhancement you either have it or you do not. I am a retired master jeweler/designer and have been employed at various fine jewelry firms such as JOSE HESS,BUISSON BROS. and TIFFANY & CO. I never felt the need for a crutch.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I agree that transcendent experiences help creativity. I use meditation and travel to get out of everyday doldrums. Here's a book by Michael Pollan on using psychedelics to alter conciseness.

https://michaelpollan.com/

 

[Vaughn]

... I never felt the need for a crutch.

Well, if I needed a crutch, I'd go with drugs before religion or politics.