Skip to main content

Writing While Stoned

Some people find writing under the influence a breeze. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde during a six day, six night cocaine binge. Ken Kesey penned One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest while he was on LSD. British novelist Lee Child, author of Killing Floor and 61 Hours, admits he writes while high on cannabis.

   While it's true that using psychoactive substances can help bring your creative endeavors to life, it can also make you think something's a great idea, when in reality, it's just a random, nonsensical shit. In 2004, while on vacation in Boracay, I tried to write inside my hotel room after partaking in some dope festivity: five bong hits, two bottles of light beer and lots of pizza. This was the result:

I'm here at the beach, a mere mortal in boardshorts and sandals, breathing some fresh air while walking on a hot summer evening. You're inside your expensive hotel room, typing away on your laptop while listening to Kate Bush, or Mazzy Star, maybe Jeff Buckley. I am several meters below you, silently staring at happy faces with great grief.
Lucky girl, you nymphet of the southern isles, share your thoughts. Share your wisdom. Share your sorrows. My knees are weak. My back is aching. But I can't let the white whale win. My lips linger on the rim of the glass while some old guy screams. 
Fire breathers, jackasses and hookers everywhere. Neon lights blinking on and off. Welcome to hell. Welcome to paradise. Welcome to false epiphanies.
Calm waters take me now. I am going to wade in, for my final baptism.  
April 6, 2004

   Marijuana did not improve my motivation to write or my creativity because I wrote this awful piece of garbage for two hours while looking at some online porn. For me, weed is great for ideas and inspiration, but for a narrative to be composed I have to be sober.

   Do you write while you're high? I'm interested to read your comments regarding the matter.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sayaka Ganz creates amazing art menagerie from discarded plastics

I could never get enough of Sayaka Ganz . The Japanese-born artist saves the planet from plastic, at the same time creates brilliant animal sculptures. Raised under the Japanese philosophy of Shintoism, she hopes to bring greater awareness to the condition of our environment through her art. When creating sculptures, Sayaka organizes the reclaimed plastic objects into color groups, constructs a wire frame, and then carefully attaches the fragments of waste until she creates the shape she has envisioned. Her work has been exhibited in many places around the globe, among them Parma, Tokyo, Denver, New York, and San Francisco to name a few. Sayaka's Reclaimed Creations is currently on view at the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University in Maryland. She regularly posts on Facebook, so be sure to like and follow her page for updates.

'Apophenia' by Luis Lopa

If you're into large-scale, color-intensive, and multi-layered art pieces, Luis Lopa 's work is an absolute delight. The Filipino artist, who works primarily in acrylic, paints beautiful contrast of textures, shapes, and lines with pops of vibrant colors reminiscent of kaleidoscopic patterns, but soothing to the eye.  Luis graduated from the University of British Columbia with a major in Visual Arts. He started off his career in Vancouver, where his illustrations appeared on t-shirts, ski sets, and the walls of various galleries. Now, he's back in Manila and is currently working on finding his spot in the local art scene. Luis draws inspiration from all forms of visual culture, from books and films to cartoons and fashion. His recent solo exhibition,  Apophenia, showcased not only his raw and spontaneous visual power but also his open-minded versatility. You can check out the photos here .

If you're into vintage erotic art, follow Cold Meat

It's not just the pictures of celebrities in skimpy outfits that makes Instagram interesting. But if those are the only people you follow, then you are missing out. The social media platform is full of some of the most talented artists of the moment, but one account that truly caught my eye is cold___meat , which is dedicated to vintage pictures of BDSM art and erotica.  The account has been cancelled several times, but it's alive and kicking and is showing no sign of slowing down. Dazed recently interviewed Daryl, the mysterious founder of Cold Meat, to learn more about his background, his fear of another shutdown, and his mission to make "formerly clandestine and underground erotica available to a wider audience." A photo posted by Darryl (@cold___meat) on Oct 31, 2015 at 1:11pm PDT A photo posted by Darryl (@cold___meat) on Nov 6, 2015 at 8:35am PST A photo posted by Darryl (@cold___meat) on Jul 22, 2015 at 7:17pm PDT ...