Sex, Creativity and Madness

I have often heard artists speak of their works as their children and of making the work as a process of giving birth. Of course this implies an act of conception, which extends the metaphor of an intimate sexual act. In extreme (?) cases this creative state is seen as a state of ecstasy—real or romanticized.

Stories abound of the artist’s muse becoming the artist’s sexual partner, thus conflating the states of sexual ecstasy and creative ecstasy. Then arousal (or awakening) of either urge becomes a fantasy, a real human circumstance or a confused mixture of both.

“Horniness” is in many ways a form of temporary insanity. The rational is turned off, social and cultural taboos are pushed aside, decision-making is impaired. For the mature artist engaged in the act of creation, intuition takes over, rational decision-making becomes a handicap, the needs of the work take precedence over cultural and social norms and creative release only happens when the piece is resolved, even if temporarily.

Much has been written about creativity and madness. But madness and mental illness are not the same thing and have different, if sometimes subtle, relationships to the process of making art. A schizophrenic, not on medication, is a visionary of sorts in the artwork, which is powerful in its limited way. I know enough about mental illness to know what an intense state of being it is and how it completely takes over the individual’s view of the world. It can be a source for art, but it is much more likely to be a great obstacle, since it impairs so many of the important analytical and decision-making processes of the artist. That’s why it’s important not to romanticize these circumstances because that diminishes the art and the artist.

Madness and mental illness are not the same. Madness is a fuzzy term; mental illness is a consequence of biology and behaviors, which can be diagnosed and treated. For the individual, artist or not, mental illness has the potential to be treated, to change the artist’s mental state and the change the art. For me, madness is a fuzzy and romantic place where no one would want to live.