I realized that I have a problem with this idea of romanticizing pain in the arts. I'm guilty of it too: thinking that in order for my artwork to be considered beautiful or worth anything I have to go through some kind of traumatic event as a catalyst for its creation. Some sort of alchemical 'solve et coagula' with painful experiences. Such a silly concept when I really think about it because medical school should've had me churning out Mona Lisa's galore! Technically I have two, but that's not the point. Point is, where did the idea come from? Why did I somehow convince myself that whenever 'shit happens' happens, I have this responsibility to transmute my proverbial blood & tears to form the vast array of colors that I use in my Art. I've learnt to look at the experiences as a prerequisite for creating my pièce de résistance- you know, as part of a kind of creative gestational thing. SO stupid! Forgive me as I dip into my Kanye bag for a second; I think this idea comes from the notion that genius or creative ability marks the "haves" & that's obviously unfair. In society its better to adopt the excuse "well, that's the price to pay for major league talent or genius because otherwise why do they get the talent?". Which is why I think people fuck with Van Goh & his famous ear story or Mike Tyson for that matter. "Of course he had to be a little 'crazy', there had to be SOMETHING wrong with him." We hear this narrative all of the time, its often tied to the idea of celebrity. Gross. We turn to maladaptive behavior, substance abuse, depression, etc. all because that's what we're taught. Look at the geniuses that've died at the age of 27, that's a whole known category! In previous posts I've quoted people discussing this very topic & I've even alluded to having blank page syndrome as a result of being happy with life. Today, I've decided to own up to my low vibration & vibe higher. Pain is inevitable but as an ESSENTIAL ingredient in art it? it can only serve as a recipe for disaster. Just because pain sometimes equals results [in the gym or with abstinence] doesn't mean its always necessary. This picture is from the 2012 #karmaryla Episodes Collection. Wubalubadub.