Vincent van Gogh and Tortured Artists

"The sadness will last forever."

The trope of the tortured artist, "the sometimes misunderstood genius who turns their pain into art, using frustrations with the world and their life as a tool to create the ultimate masterpieces," is actually quite an old one, tracing back to Plato's idea of creativity as "divine madness" (Neath, 2023). It continues to be found in the lives of many artistic figures, such as Sylvia Plath and Kurt Cobain (Neath, 2023). Perhaps the most famous example of a tortured artist, however, is Vincent van Gogh.

When people discuss the tortured artists, Vincent van Gogh is understandably one of the first examples to come to mind. van Gogh created exquisite works of art throughout his whole life while simultaneously dealing with extremely disabling mental illnesses (most commonly assumed to include bipolar disorder, among other possibilities), self-medication with alcohol, and malnutrition (Armitage, 2019). Even in the present, we cannot help but add a lens of pain and suffering to his art. In 2014, van Tilburg and Igou conducted a study examining how knowledge of an artist's "eccentricity" affects both people's perception of that artist's skill and their appreciation of the artist's work. In the first experiment of this study, van Tilburg and Igou found that participants evaluated van Gogh's Sunflowers more positively when they were informed that van Gogh had cut off his left earlobe than when they were not given this information (2014). The eccentricity of an artist led participants to believe that the artist displayed a greater authenticity and skill in their work (van Tilburg & Igou, 2014).

As someone who struggles with mental issues of her own, it is always disheartening to hear people dismiss mine and others' struggles simply because it supposedly benefits us in some dramatic, fantastical way. Creative endeavors can indeed be a perfect outlet for suffering that would otherwise be left unexplored; art therapy is a thing for a reason. What I find people tend to forget, though, is that an outlet is supposed to release this suffering, not fixate on it and exacerbate it. When we subscribe to the idea that great works can only come from great suffering, we limit ourselves to a palette of blood, sweat, and tears. To quote Diane Nguyen from BoJack Horseman,

...if I don't, that means that all the damage I got isn't good damage, it's just damage. I have gotten nothing out of it, and all those years I was miserable was for nothing. I could've been happy this whole time…is that what you're saying? What was it all for? (Bob-Waksberg et al., 2020)

When people desperately try to delude themselves into thinking their suffering is so beneficial to them that the pain becomes the point, they lose sight of the ecstatic beauty that could be granted to them if they could only seek out the light in their lives. Vincent van Gogh, for example, created some of his best-known paintings, such as The Starry Night and Almond Blossoms, while recovering in Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, an asylum (van Gogh Museum).

In The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin discusses tortured artists in "The Possessed," and I wholeheartedly agree with his opinion on it. Two quotes stood out to me in particular. First, "art does not unravel the maker, but makes them whole" (Rubin, 2023, p. 324). How can we possibly appreciate the gifts of the Source if there is no secure being to receive them? When our soul is so clouded and blocked by pain and agony, we must heal it before we can freely connect to the creative energies that flow through us. Second, Rubin says, "Whether you have a powerful passion or a tortured compulsion, neither makes the art any better or worse" (Rubin, 2023, p. 324). I believe this quote ties in perfectly with what Rubin says in "Implications (Purpose)": "There doesn't need to be a purpose guiding what we choose to make…When we're making things we love, our mission is accomplished" (Rubin, 2023, pp. 313-314).

Ultimately, Vincent van Gogh succumbed to his mental illnesses when he committed suicide at 37 years old. It is possible that if he had received mental health care that the present has to offer, he may have learned to coexist and manage them. Unfortunately, we can only treat him as a cautionary tale. Abandon the idea that self-destruction will somehow build something sustainable. Healing will bring you more lasting beauty than any self-imposed torture ever can.

https://postscriptpublication.wordpress.com/2019/03/04/van-gogh-and-romanticizing-the-tortured-artist/

https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/art-and-stories/stories/vincents-illness-and-the-healing-power-of-art

Bob-Waksberg, R., Calo, J. (Writers), & Bowman, J. (Director). (2020, January 31). Good Damage (Season 6, Episode 10) [TV Series Episode]. In W. Arnett, R. Bob-Waksberg, N. Bright, S. A. Cohen, A. Paul (Executive Producers), BoJack Horseman. Boxer vs. Raptor; ShadowMachine; Tornante Television.

Rubin, R. (2023). The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Penguin Random House.

Patrick Kane: Showtime

     If you are a long time local of Chicago then it is near impossible that you haven't heard of Patrick Kane. For those who haven't, "Showtime" or "Kaner" as his nicknames were, is arguably one of the best hockey players to have ever played for the Chicago Blackhawks. Born in 1988 in Buffalo, NY, Kane had frequent exposure to hockey. His father was a season pass holder for the Buffalo Sabers so they constantly went and watched them play. Kane would practice his skills whenever he could, pushing to be better and better at hockey when he did. During his youth, Kane had broken one of his wrists. Rather than putting the stick down and properly resting, Kane worked on his backhands, which have proved for years to be a signature for him. He net the Blackhawks 3 championships in his 16 years for playing for the team, before briefly playing for the New York Rangers and then currently plays for the Detroit Redwings.

    While many would say that there is no creativity in sports, players like Kane show that there is. During any sort of adversity, he would work hard to find ways to improve. Obviously he worked around his injury, but he would also work with Jonathan Toews, another Blackhawks player, in order to work with the team and find any issues they would have on the ice. He also had many creative methods as he approached the goal, netting him some outstanding achievements, such as the youngest player to achieve 1000 points. Kane has also been a very key part in the 3 championship runs that the Blackhawks had, being one of the highest point scorers that the team had for all 3. The between years where the Blackhawks didn't win, Kane usually was injured or lacking.

    In Walter Isaacsons, "Code Breaker", Jennifer Doudna on her track to discovering CRISPR needed to collaborate with many others to work on finding the results they needed. Labs were ran worldwide and nearly 24/7 in order to perfect the idea. Kane had a similar route. Despite being a star player, hockey cannot be won alone. Again along side Toews, they worked together to captain the team into success. They helped with rigorous training in order to keep every player ready and performing. They did everything in their power to create a competitive but collaborative environment and worked day in and day out to keep the Blackhawks in top form. Kane's success in the Blackhawks and his lead on perfecting the team is what led to some successful performances and high skill for the team. All this is what keeps him up there amongst some of the all time greats.

Youth Lagoon - Whispers of Childhood

In The Creative Act, Rick Rubin talks of a “whisper out of time.” He walks his readers through the misconception that brilliant creative ideas always hit the artist like a thunderbolt. Instead, he presents them as oftentimes “little seeds:” an echo of a memory, an unexpected thought, a seemingly trivial insight that are cultivated and eventually bloom into a great creative project. 

This process can be seen in Youth Lagoon (real name Trevor Powers) album Rarely Do I Dream.

Born March 18, 1983, Trevor Powers is an American musician from Boise, Idaho. He began releasing under the name Youth Lagoon in 2010 and continued through 2016, creating 3 albums. Then he began using his own name before returning as Youth Lagoon in 2022. This year, he released Rarely Do I Dream, his 5th record total. What is so fascinating about this album in particular is the circumstances and “seeds” it was born from.

In a PNC live studio interview, Powers describes how this album came to be: he was visiting his childhood home after his latest tour for Heaven is a Junkyard, and while there, he found old family videos from when he was a kid. Powers explains that initially, he took the videos home just to watch them; because he had just came off of tour and was exhausted, he had no intent to do anything with them creatively. But, as Rick Rubin would point out, artists are not always (and often not at all) in control of how and when seeds of inspiration will root themselves and begin to grow. These family videos inspired Powers to create sounds and music that sounded like what it felt like to grow up for him in 1980-90s Boise. 

Powers does this in a multitude of ways on the record, some more surprising than others. 

One very noticeable and direct way he brings the listener in is by including audio clips from the original family videos and includes it in the music. The low quality, conversational snippets fill the music with a nostalgic quality that takes the listener back to simpler times.
Still, Powers includes unexpected elements that have the same purpose. He describes the stories he tells in this record as full of fairytales: there are devils and detectives. These are fantastical elements that are not an accurate depiction of his childhood, but he explains that it “weirdly felt like the truest way to immortalize these pieces of my family.” 

All of these elements get at what Powers considers to be one of the most important parts of creativity: specificity and personal connection. In the same interview, he explains how many artists are concerned that the more personal they get with their music, the less people will be able to relate and want to listen. His take is that the opposite is true, and his proof is in the fact that more people have connected with Rarely Do I Dream, the most personal and specific album he has created, than the ones he has released in the past. 

“It can be easy to think that the more you zoom in on your life, the more alienating your creations may be, but it’s actually the exact opposite because the more that you make something truly about you–and that’s all you can do is tell the story of your own inner world–the more you honor that and stay true to that vision, the more it actually feels to everyone on the outside looking in [that] it’s about them because they can sense that personal depth.”

- Trevor Powers, PNC Live Studio Interview

I think Trevor Powers has a truly (mind the pun) powerful approach to music that is freeing for both the artist and the listener. He does not create based on what he believes his audience will enjoy or out of anxiety to release. Instead, he listens to the little seeds and whispers of inspiration even when it doesn’t seem like a good time, and he creates something that is starkly personal that appeals to each listener’s sense of self. 

Religious Creativity: Tye Tribbet

     Historically,  when religious ideology grows and changes, the practices evolve with it. Many customs can remain throughout the years but shift to fit the time period. In Black American christianity, the practices or worship people follow stem from the historical influence that brought it to them. Religious Gospel Music, as a worship form, comes from the roots of the slave hyms they were born out of and has evolved to take a newer form today.  One of the most prominent gospel artists of our time is Tye Tribbet. Known for his remixes on classic songs and his reinvention of gospel choir in hip hop style worship songs, Tribbet has pushed the boundaries of religious gospel music and produced his fair share of songs considered to be classics in the new generation. His songs carry many pieces of modern day pop, hip hop, R&B, and even rap music; which is becoming more common in new age worship songs. 

    Tribbet has won several GRAMMY awards in the gospel category and has dedicated his life to producing worship songs about " Jesus-focused music to start conversations, not condemn." This is a different approach to the religious mindset many people are used to that will condemn those who don't follow or don't follow correctly. It is important to note that in Tribbet's creativity to combine the genres into his gospel music he makes messages more known and easier for people to digest because they sound like music that might be consumed outside of a religious context. 

   

    I found it interesting how many similarities can be drawn from Tye Tribbet to Jennifer Doudna from Code Breaker. She utilizes pieces of well known information in science to derive experiments that get her to the end result of CRISPR with the help of her collaborative lab. Similarly, Tribbet uses pieces of well known music styles to create more outlets to share his religious message with the collaboration of several different singers (gospel choirs) and songwriters. Here is a link to one of Tribbet's more popular songs if you're interested: 

Jeremy Lin/Linsanity: Pain and Faith as a Catalyst for Change

 Jeremy Lin is an Asian-American former NBA player that most famously played on the New York Knicks in 2011. Lin’s huge impact on the Knicks and his seemingly abrupt rise to athletic dominance and world-wide fame created the term known as “Linsantiy”. 

However, Lin’s rise was not truly abrupt. 

Lin's journey was started out by constant and repeated rejection. He was undrafted and cut by two NBA teams. Without a job and a home, he was spending each night on the couches of several friends and family before getting a final, desperate chance with the New York Knicks. 

Lin stayed on the bench. However, in a tight game against the Nets, his team desperately needed players and he was put in to play as a last resort. Finally being given the chance he endlessly worked for, and on the last 10 days of his NBA contract, Lin put all his heart and effort into this moment. He scored 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, leading the Knicks to a victory and left Madison Square Garden chanting for him. After this game, Lin would continue to lead his team to victory like an unstoppable blaze, even scoring almost 40 points against Kobe Bryant.

His immeasurable success after being on the brink of obscurity and a point of no return created one of the most inspiring "zero-to-hero" sports stories of all time. Lin being a devoted Christian, his faith taught him greatly about humility. It takes humility to endure all the failures that he did as an athlete. Lin’s belief and faith even through years of rejection and hardship was his secret weapon to keeping his head up and helped him grow and mature as a Christian and an NBA player.

In the book Faith, Hope, and Carnage by Nick Cave, the idea that pain is a catalyst for change is very prominent. After losing his son and using that grief to create music, Cave states, “Suffering is, by its nature, the primary mechanism of change. . . . God bestows upon us these terrible, devastating opportunities that bring amelioration and transformation”. This view links adversity to the unshakable motivation that drives creation, greatness, and success, suggesting that the pressure of loss and suffering forges a deeper desire for achievement.

Linsanity can be related to those ideas touched on by Cave since Lin’s story is often framed as a testament to working tirelessly, continuing to maintain belief in a dream despite every odd, and the undying resilience required to succeed even when the world seems like it is against you. 

Frida Kahlo's La Venadita (little dear) and Other Works of Grief

 Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon was a Mexican painter, which I am sure you know. She was an extremely influential artist whose works are known around the world. She is a household name at this point, when you say Frida Kahlo everyone knows who you are talking about. She was known for her vibrant, symbolic self-portraits that explored themes of identity, the body, and death. A lot of her work was influenced by traditional Mexican folk art, indigenous cultures, and European movements like Surrealism and Realism. Kahlo's art often merged depictions of the body, earth, and the cosmos with Mexican history allowing her to express her personal pain through art. We will be looking at some of her art that represents grief because like Nick Cave talks about in Faith, Hope, and Carnage grief influences a lot of work but also puts you in this sort of trance when creating. He created lots of music that is almost uncanny in sound which we can also see in Kahlo's work where she also examines grief.

                                                                Diego and I, 1949

Kahlo created this piece after her husband Diego Rivera had an affair with Maria Felix. This painting shows Kahlo's great anguish because Diego almost divorced her at this time. Maria was a beautiful film star and an intimate friend of Kahlo. She has loose hair around her neck which represents strangulation and it is obvious that the cause of her distress is her husband. Diego was always in Kahlo's mind which is revealed in her diary which a lot of is a love poem to him.

                                                 La venadita (little deer) 1946

"I suffered two great accidents in my life: one in which a streetcar knocked me down...The other accident is Diego", said Kahlo in an interview in 1951. Her relationship with Diego was deeply volatile that toggled between passionate highs and bitter lows. The latter were often inspired by Diego's insistent cheating and infidelity on Kahlo's part as well. Little deer represents her pain inflicted by the relationship as well as her immense physical pain from enduring numerous surgeries she underwent throughout her life.

Terry A. Davis: The Genius of a Schizophrenic Programmer

    Terry A. Davis was a software programmer, revered as a genius in the programming community for his solo creation of the operating system known as TempleOS. Davis's story presents a uniquely tragic yet novel insight into the mind of a man who was able to create one of the most novel and creative computer programs in history, all while dealing with the unrelenting symptoms of severe schizophrenia.  

    Davis worked as a software engineer for Ticketmaster before having a psychotic break that would change the course of his life and work forever. After being a staunch atheist most of his life, Davis experienced a Schizophrenic Episode after becoming increasingly paranoid, in which he began believing that God was talking to him through his car radio, telling him to drive south to Texas, where he dismantled his car in hopes of finding a tracking device. After the incident, he was found by local police and admitted into a psych ward in Arizona with the diagnoses of Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder. 

    Luckily, his parents were able to care for him after his stint in the psych ward, fearing he might pose harm to himself or others. Now free from the time constraints of work, the programmer began creating what he believed God had revealed to him was his purpose in life: a program that allowed him to communicate directly with God. Davis worked tirelessly for 10 years on the project. Starting from scratch, he created his own computer program, coding language, and a complex universe of programs designed to allow users to experience direct contact with a higher power. To the average person, it may be difficult to understand how impressive and unheard of creating something like this is. To understand this feat, imagine creating a car from scratch. Not buying all the pieces and assembling the vehicle (which would be impressive in itself), but creating each component of the car individually, inventing new tools to work on the car, and then constructing it in a way and for a purpose no one had ever thought of. The operating system itself is akin to popular operating systems like Microsoft or Windows, which took years and a team of hundreds to invent. The "tool" he invented to create his programs was a coding language called "Holy C" a derivation of the traditional software called "C", which made his coding virtually unintelligible to most in the field of programming. 

    His creation, TempleOS, is a biblical-themed operating system which Davis believed was the "third temple" of the bible that God willed him to create during his schizophrenic delusions. The system included programs like a shooter game called "God's Revenge", a religious oracle that generated bible verses, and a flight simulator named "After Egypt" which served as a biblical allegory. These biblical references reminded me of musician Nick Cave's book "Faith, Hope, and Carnage," in which he discusses a particular infatuation he has with art that incorporates biblical imagery and allegory. He sees this art as not only interesting in itself but uniquely powerful for its ability to serve and honor a divine purpose above the physical world. 

In the study of creative psychology, there is a lot of discussion on how neurodivergence and mental illness can lead to extremely unique creative processes and products. Although Davis described schizophrenia in a YouTube video as "an illness of no hidden rewards," and no one would doubt the struggles associated with this type of mental illness, TempleOS is undoubtedly a testament to the ability for divergent thinking related to neurodivergence. Divergent thinking, where a creative comes up with an unconventional process or answer to a problem in their work, is particularly important to Davis's story.  

     His neurodivergence was not a minor trait, but instead what allowed him to interact with unique problems (such as how to create a program that will enable him to speak directly to God) and devise entirely new solutions (by creating an entire technological universe from scratch). The hallucinations and delusions that severed his connection with reality and the belief that God was dictating technical specifications like a 640x480 resolution and a 16-color display(which Davis believed established his covenant with God) were clearly not obstacles to his work. Instead, the "divine revelations" were as real as the code he wrote, directly fueling a decade of dedicated work and a creative product that was unheard of. This aligns with the long-documented and complex link between schizophrenia and creative output, where novel cognitive processes can often allow creatives to implement associations between their radically different reality and their work. It is consistent with psychological research that Davis's work, like that of many creatives with schizophrenia, can be difficult for others to understand and interact with in a meaningful way. Davis's genius was unquestionable, but the mental illness that, in many ways, moved him to create made his work so divergent from the scope of traditional technology that it had little use to anyone but himself. Nonetheless, the tragic and beautiful story of Terry A. Davis will live on in the memories of those who recognized his unique genius. 

Sources:

Alden, Winston. "TempleOS and the Strange, Sad Case of Terry A. Davis." Steemit, 12 Sept. 2017, steemit.com/computers/@winstonalden/schizophrenia-and-genius-templeos-and-the-strange-sad-case-of-terry-a-davis.