Living Bipolar (24 page)

Manic Inspiration

Changes or extremes in mood and experience, combined with imagination and discipline, appear to be the formula for creating lasting and sustaining art (Jamison 1993: 117). While mania serves as the ideal state of mind for creating, and generating new ideas, melancholy and mild depression function as the editorial state for the work produced in a feverish state. Thus, while the amount of new work produced during depression significantly decreases; depression is used by artists to improve, fix up, or edit work which has already been produced in a manic state. Jamison notes “The slightly melancholic perspective is meaningful in its own right. The sensitivity and compassion afforded by depression are for the most part, absent in the unbridled self-assurance and hectic pace for hypomania. The tendency to gaze inward, to ask why and of what avail is on the other hand, deeply embedded in the depressive view” (Jamison 1993: 118).

The driving force in all artists, scientists, and innovators, is inspiration. This quality is pivotal if any extraordinary creation is to occur, and inspiration is associated with extreme mood states found in artistic creativity. One of the key qualities found in a genius is the third eye which grants them with the insight which is not present in ordinary people. “The notion of a special access to a power beyond what is ordinarily known to an individual or his society has extended across many different kinds of inspired states” (Jamison 1993: 103).

There is agreement by early Greek philosophers and twentieth century specialists that artistic creativity and inspiration must be accompanied with the ability to access unconscious streams of thought while also maintaining contact with reality. There are two aspects of thinking which are of particular importance: rapidity, fluency, and flexibility of thought and the ability to link and combine ideas “to form new and original connections” (Jamison 1993: 105). The talent to transform seemingly chaotic thoughts and connections to make meaningful work is known as the Aristotelian sense of “dissimilarity.” This is achieved when the grandiosity in manic-depressives join forces with sharp observational skills which result in remarkable intellectual leaps that otherwise would not be possible.

Whether it is writing, painting, or composing, working provides an escape from sadness and depression for manic-depressives. Furthermore, creative work not only acts as a means of escape from turmoil and pain; but it offers a way of structuring the chaotic emotions and thoughts, thereby offering artists relief and creating a safe distance from the very despair which sucks the life from them. In fact, research has proven that the beliefs and observation which are produced during mildly depressed states are closer to reality than normal mood states. “It is undeniable that familiarity with sadness and the pain of melancholy -- as well with the ecstatic, often violent energies of the manic states -- can add a singular truth and power to artistic expression. To the extent that an artist survives, describes, and then transforms psychological pain into an experience with more universal meaning, his or her own journey becomes on that others can, thus, better protected, take” (Jamison 1993: 121).

Suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts are indicators of depression, which are found within most creative people. “All last winter…I was on the continual verge of suicide,” wrote William James, an American philosopher (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 178). Though not all severe depression brings suicidal impulses, depression may make the person too agitated to concentrate on doing work, or upset to the point where they are unable all together to focus on anything other than their misery (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 178).

The delusions which accompany suicide and depression, lead a depressive to a place where they believe they are worthless as a person, and life is hopeless. Furthermore, delusions bring the depressive so low that they withhold their work from others in order to avoid criticism and rejection. The fear of criticism may even lead artists to give up on their career for years or terminate it, because depression brings such low faith and low judgment in an artist's work. In fact, creative people can become pessimistic to the point where they expect to be greeted with harsh reception to their work. The lower the mood sinks in a depressive, the more they exaggerate the faults within their own work. As the depressive sinks lower in depression, they hate to even begin new work; because they fear failure, and have no confidence whatsoever in their own ability (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 179).

Anxieties are another factor which arises from depression; and while it does not usually end careers, it makes creative work and life in general difficult. For instance, the Polish composer Chopin frequently said about his depression, “I wish I were dead,” and “There are no words for my misery; how can I bear this feeling,” (Hershman and Lieb1998: 180). Samuel Johnson felt such strong anxieties at times that he bought fetters so he could be chained up in order to prevent himself from going berserk. In 1936, Picasso was in an automobile accident, and he did fewer paintings as a result of imaginary injuries which stem from hypochondriacal delusion, a manifestation of depression (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 180).

The effects of depression are staggering for a depressive to achieve creative work. Symptoms include a lack of energy, an increasing need for rest and sleep, working fewer hours, loss of will power, procrastination which causes the depressive to take longer in finishing work, thinking slower, lack of concentration, and loss of memory. All of these bring the depressive to a mindset where they are waiting for words, ideas, and solutions to problems. Depression makes decision making difficult as a one thought does not lead to another, and connections to ideas are not made. The effects of depression may also lead the creative person to simplify their work, or omit important aspects -- just so they can remain productive during these periods of depression.

Additionally, starting new projects becomes difficult as depression deepens, and anything requiring originality, or sustained thinking, is pushed to the side. “I have always been regarded as a man specially favored by fortune…But…I might go so far as to say that in my 75 years I have not known four weeks of genuine ease of mind,” remarked The German writer Goethe (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 180). For some individuals, the day to day events in life, while less dramatic in manic-depressive temperament can still provide artistic advantage. Life becomes a “tempestuous experience” for those who have moods which change often and intensely. Since manic-depression brings the capacity to react strongly and quickly it is comparable in a biological sense to an alert and excitable system. “It responds to the world with a wide range of emotional, perceptual, intellectual, behavioral, and energy changes, and it creates around itself both the possibilities and chaos afforded by altered experiences and fluctuating tempos” (Jamison 1993: 125).

Perhaps, the most defining feature of manic-depressive illness is the cyclic and contrasting nature, which ebb and flow along with the seasons in nature. Life itself occurs at regular intervals, and this is seen with the rotations of the earth around the sun and moon. There are pronounced seasonal patterns found with poets, novelists, and visual artists, and studies have shown that during mania there is an increase with rhymes, punning, and sound associations in manic depressives. Poets and novelists display their greatest artistic productivity during September, October, and November, whereas painters and sculptors exhibit not only a fall peak (although September and October only) but one in the spring (April, May and June) (Jamison 1993: 130). Scientifically, there is little disagreement as to the regulation of life on the cellular, biochemical, physiological levels. Jamison notes, “Rhythmic patterns and disturbances in manic-depressive illness are clinically apparent in many ways: diurnal variations in mood, pervasive disruptions in sleep, and seasonal recurrences of episodes. The illness is itself an important kind of rhythm. Daily oscillations in mood are a common feature of mood disorders and have been noted clinically for centuries” (Jamison 1993: 130).

An interest in religion is a common development in the lives of manic-depression, and this interest at times becomes an obsession which leads the person to a place where they believe to have been appointed to be on a special mission by God. Newton devoted much of his time to interpreting prophecies in the Book of Daniel and the Apocalypse, and he attempted to compute how many generations had been born since Creation. One of Newton’s closest friends, John Craig, believed he gave much more time to religion than science (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 48). Delusions of grandeur produced during the psychotic stage of mania led Beethoven to discover he was on a mission from God, a “holy cause.” Beethoven even announced “I am now the real physical father of my deceased brother’s child,” which he literally meant (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 83).

Hershman and Lieb made this observation regarding religion and manic depressives:

Religious leaders have long been aware of connections between religious phenomena and the psychology of the individual. Saint John of the Cross was skeptical about those around him who aspired to sainthood: “I am really terrified by what passes among us these days. Anyone who has barely begun to meditate…goes about proclaiming “God has told me this,” or “I have heard that answer from God.” But all is illusion and fancy; such an one has only been speaking to himself.” Gautama Buddha compared his own religious experience to that of the mentally afflicted. He said, “Like one who is driven mad by spells, I know not by whom I am crazed, or who possesses me.”

-Hershman and Lieb 1998: 143

This connection with religion appears to be quite significant for a few reasons. Primarily, it is important with the subject of artistic temperament, as it seems to give manic-depressives more of a sense of purpose with their work, as well as providing them with more drive in completing their work. Take for instance, Vincent Van Gogh, whom was a failed saint. He was willing and able to give all of himself, all of his life, in order to meet what he believed to be God’s demands on him. He had great compassion and warm feelings for all living creatures. In fact, one family whom he stayed with said Van Gogh would rescue caterpillars from being trod upon (Hershman and Lieb 1998; 142). Van Gogh’s strong religious convictions never left him, even after he failed to make a place in the religious community as a man performing God’s work. However, he did build his life around worship; and he instead dedicated his life’s work to a higher purpose. “I can very well do without a benevolent deity in my life and also in my painting,” Van Gogh said. “But I can’t do without something which is bigger than myself and constitutes my very life, the capacity to create” (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 143).

During mania, there is an increase in bodily and mental activities, with the need to continue doing things. A person is able to work much longer than normal, and they work without feeling fatigue. Additionally, in mania a person has little awareness of other forms of physical discomfort, including heat, cold, hunger, thirst, or pain (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 27). Commenting on his own behavior, Beethoven recorded “I live entirely in my music; and hardly have I completed one composition when I have already begun another. At my present rate of composing, I often produce 3 or 4 works at the same time” (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 76). Hershman and Lieb noted this description on the manic behavior Newton had:

Mania not only kept him going night and day, but it also kept Newton from feeling hunger and deprived him of the patience to sit down for a meal…In addition to the seasons, another factor set Newton’s cycles from mania to depression: his scientific work. He began a new project or ventured into a new field of inquiry in a manic state that flooded him with ideas and energy. Apparently his intellect worked night and day, for he claimed that many ideas came to him in his sleep. Mania gave him the confidence to undertake the largest and most difficult problems: universal gravitation, the nature and behavior of light, and a new mathematics.

-Hershman and Lieb 1998: 45

One of the greatest secrets of success for manic-depressives is the high level of discipline which accompanies their personality. Charles Dickens is the epitome of a manic-depressive who did not merely work, rather he overworked. “I should have never made my success in life if I had been shy of taking pains, or if I had not bestowed upon the least thing I have ever undertaken exactly the same care and attention that I have bestowed upon the greatest. Do everything at your best” (Hershman and Lieb,
Manic Depression and Creativity
pg 120). His brain operated similar to a machine that ran both day and night, and his mania did not allow him to sleep. Dickens wrote innumerable short stories, speeches, articles, edited magazines, went on reading tours, and he acted in and directed fifteen plays. Similar to other manic-depressives, Dickens’s heart had a soft spot for other people. He raised funds for orphaned children, set up a home for “fallen women,” and he developed a plan to improve sanitation in tenement areas (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 108).

To treat his manic impulses to continually move, Dickens walked great distances daily. In 1843, Dickens was struck with a blaze of manic emotion; and he begun the story known today as
A Christmas Carol
. It took him two months to complete the story, and in thinking of the story he walked the back streets of London 15-20 miles many nights (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 113). By 1865 Dickens’s foot became painful and swollen and would remain so for the rest of his life. However, he did not let it interfere with his long walks he was so accustomed to taking. Speaking on his manic energy and his lack of awareness of physical discomfort, Dickens said, “I got frost-bitten by walking continually in the snow, and getting wet in the feet daily…My left foot swelled, and I still forced the boot on; sat in it to write, half the day; walked in it through the snow the other half; forced the boot on again the next morning; sat and walked again…At length, going on as usual, I fell lame on the walk, and had to limp home dead lame, through the snow, for the last 3 mile” (Hershman and Lieb 1998: 133).