Any of you use drugs to increase creativity?

[chip j]

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

 

[awty]

No but theres been some interesting resent medical research showing signs that some of these types of drugs can be beneficial in treatment of PTSD'S and the like, in a controlled environment.
I wouldnt trust the street type of LSD, no telling whats in it. Back when I was young and dumb, the effects varied dramatically from tab to tab. The local magic mushrooms were a little more predictable. Last time I was in hospital I was given a drug, cant remember what it was, but was like watching movies, OK till I tuned into The Walking Dead, ha.
Have a pretty vivid imagination, dont think it needs much help.
I believe Lewis Carol indulged in a few things that arent socially acceptable these days.

 

[foveon_m]

from my university days I remember some experience with LSD; it may be a good thing or a bad, but for sure you cannot shoot fotos.^^

 

[RalphLambrecht]

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

only beer;lots of beer.

 

[chip j]

from my university days I remember some experience with LSD; it may be a good thing or a bad, but for sure you cannot shoot fotos.^^

You could probaly operate a P&S.

 

[pentaxuser]

You could probaly operate a P&S.

How about a 747?

pentaxuser

 

[removed account4]

does home cooked food and sleep count ?
its easy to prepare and cost effective.
(and doesn't cause irreversible cerebral damage / trauma )

 

[BSP]

only beer;lots of beer.

+1

 

[guangong]

In my bebop days, many musicians and other artists, emulating Charlie Parker, believed that drugs were a source of creativity. Only The Bird himself knew that this was not true and tried desperately to kick the habit. I have never been attracted to drugs. Always wanted to maintain my cool. But a lot of guys met early demise, either from overdose or driving accidents. Chet Baker, who bragged about speedballs (cocaine plus heroine) either jumped or fell out of hotel window. In his later days not very good.
As for marijuana, back then a great deal less potent than today...always left with the impression that the user’s high was similar to Japanese drunkenness after one short beer...mostly play acting as an excuse for prohibited social behavior.
Business advisors are predicting that the marijuana industry is expected to be a multi billion dollar industry, so there is a lot of lobbying in various state legislatures. New Jersey, famous nation wide for its clean politics, has already endorsed the industry. Following the pattern of abortion (many now endorsing postpartum abortion), most likely more lethal drugs are in the future.

 

[David Brown]

Jack Daniels is my darkroom assistant.

 

[Trail Images]

I've heard Viagra can enhance a certain photographic mindset........

 

[Anon Ymous]

I've heard Viagra can enhance a certain photographic mindset........

I've heard that it enhances blue tones, but that's temporary.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

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.

 

[awty]

does home cooked food and sleep count ?
its easy to prepare and cost effective.
(and doesn't cause irreversible cerebral damage / trauma )

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.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Reading posts by a desert state's three letter troll had the capability of loosening me up and setting me free.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Hey man. Don't give away my secrets.

 

[Sirius Glass]

No $#!+

 

[jim10219]

Drugs can alter your perceptions, increase your focus, and/or disassociate your normal thought patterns. Hallucinogenics can allow you to make connections you wouldn't otherwise make. Stimulants can increase your ability the focus. Benzos and alcohol can reduce your inhabitions. Without a doubt, they can enhance your creativity.

However, they are not guaranteed to help you, and can often have the opposite effect on your work. Drugs work by mimicking natural neurotransmitters. As such, they can alter your brain's own production of these, as well as change their sensitivity to them. Hence what starts off as a creative boost can turn into a creative drain.

The trick to using drugs successfully is controlling dosages. Using too much or using them too often, which is obviously a major problem that most drug users will encounter, is what must be avoided. That's easy to say, and extremely hard to do. Most likely, if you decide to start using drugs, you will become addicted. For most people, the costs far outweigh the potential benefits.

As for LSD, photography involves a certain level of concentration and often requires going out on location. For these reasons, I wouldn't recommend LSD while using a camera, unless we're talking about microdosing. Light dosages of cannabis would be a better choice, though LSD might be beneficial in the planning stages for idea creation.

Keep in mind that everyone's brain chemistry is different, and everyone reacts differently to different drugs. What works well for some, may not have the same effect on others. Tolerance levels also vary from person to person. You need to know your limits and always stay within them, as well as know your product. Also, know that addiction is a major concern and some people are more easily addicted than others. If you or people in your family have a history of addiction, it's best to stay away from drug use. Also, force yourself to stop drug use early and often. Often you won't know your addicted until you try to stop, and by stopping frequently for prolonged periods of time you not only get a sense of your own dependency, but also give your brain a chance to recalibrate itself so the drugs don't lose their benefits.

 

[swchris]

from my university days I remember some experience with LSD; it may be a good thing or a bad, but for sure you cannot shoot fotos.^^

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.

 

[George Mann]

As for LSD, photography involves a certain level of concentration and often requires going out on location. For these reasons, I wouldn't recommend LSD while using a camera, unless we're talking about microdosing.

You are completely missing the point of it! Drug laden photography is not about focus or concentration, its about being stoned out of your mind while creating some really interesting images.

 

[jamesaz]

You are completely missing the point of it! Drug laden photography is not about focus or concentration, its about being stoned out of your mind while creating some really interesting images.

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

 

[mshchem]

I take a little Tylenol and a single Aleve for standing in the darkroom. I gave up mind altering drugs, except for coffee years ago. When I was in college I smoked pot. About 7-8 years back I was drinking beer, my nephew, little shit, had some genuine Colorado medical pot. I took a great bit drag, like I did with the old 19 70's open pollenated stuff. I didn't have any visions, but I was paralyzed. Modern pot is like opium.

If I ever go back to drinking it will be whiskey, good Tennessee sour mash or Kentucky bourbon. But I don't see that happening.

 

[GregY]

Do ferrocyanide & selenium toner count ? .......

 

[MattKing]

Does caffeine count?
In my early days, I was around a lot of photographers who clearly depended heavily on nicotine.
I expect that many of those who used to rely on mind altering pharmaceuticals are now making way more use of medications for hypertension and arthritis.

 

[foc]

I used to think creativity could be increased by various methods.

Having tried a few of the above mentioned "stimulants" I discovered not only was I the most creative person on the planet but I also solved world hunger and created world peace.

Unfortunately................... the next morning I couldn't remember how I did it.