Posted by Krunal Janani on August 30, 2011 at 10:24 AM
Well i dont know if this discussion is 'legit' & allowed in here but i thought i wud be really interested to discuss this with fellow photographers & free minded ppl.
What are your thoughts on Intoxication & it's effect on ur photography? do you like it? do u think it helps you see different paradigms of possibilities or does it distort you?
I personally like to make conscious choices! This requires a clear mind.
Yeah, me, too. I was 13 in 1960 so spent all of my teenage years in the '60s and what Sandy said is pretty much how I felt then and how I feel now. Also, I really like to remember the beauty that I see.
Posted by Anne K. Rusk on August 30, 2011 at 2:41 PM
In the field, I am clumsy enough as it is, so I don't need any assitance with that! In processing, I do enjoy a glass of wine (since that is typically done after a long day at my "real" job) to help me relax into the creative process, but I can't say I get drunk and mess with the photos. Interesting thought, though!
Posted by Bill Chambers on August 30, 2011 at 3:17 PM
For photography - clearminded, thank you. For sitting around a campfire in the evening, a little glass of wine (or 2) never hurt anything.
Posted by Ramamohan Pai on August 30, 2011 at 4:06 PM
Krunal, Were you sober when you posted this topic ?
Posted by Krunal Janani on August 31, 2011 at 10:27 AM
Hmmmm... well i was pointing to something else so instead of beating the bush i'll say it directly
I for instance enjoy studying my mind & how it functions differently with just something like alcohol & how it's completely opp when you have Cannibals (Bhang as it's called in my country), & that applies to my photographic thinking as well (i've to say that alcohol has never helped though)
I for one think photography as more of an art form then just plain technicals & i think most of you are in the same boat & most artists take some form of intoxication or the other (well it's not necessary but surely insightful) & so sometimes i do have some spice before going on a shoot & tell you what it has given me some of my favorite shots (not that i m advocating for it but i m just stating some facts which have to applied to me)
@ Ram
yes i was sober but how i wish i wasn't
Posted by Ramamohan Pai on August 31, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Cannibals (Bhang as it's called in my country),
I am getting serious doubts now. It is Cannabis and not Cannibals.
Krunal, with your subject of "Flower Power" I was pretty sure it wasn't alcohol you were talking about. ;)
Posted by Pat Sampson on August 31, 2011 at 11:14 AM
Krunal,
I find that my favorite images have very little of me in them and that I rarely create a "concept" image that I like. Making an image for me is a form of play. After years of practice at playing I don't really need alcohol or anything else to do it but that only happened about five years ago. Interestingly to me, that's also the time I took up photography.
pat
Posted by Krunal Janani on August 31, 2011 at 12:08 PM
@ Ram
yea my bad sorry for the typo :p
@Barbara
well everyone started to talk about alcohol so i thought i need to clarify
@ Pat
that's too diplomatic an answer for a dumb like me to crack so pls be more blunt
Posted by Charlie Baugh on August 31, 2011 at 12:09 PM
Krunal, I doubt it can be proven either way. That intoxication helps creativity or that intoxication deminishes creativity. Our minds at the time of creating, may somtimes be stimulated by it and I'm pretty sure at times is hinders it.
No magic pill.
Charlie
Posted by Pat Sampson on August 31, 2011 at 4:23 PM
Krunal,
For me beer was always a way to relax and turn off the mental analytics. I probably do my best creative work, (systems, math, admin problems, algorithm design, photography, processing...) when I'm not trying to think about it, frequently in my sleep. If that's true for you, then an intoxicant of some kind, may help your process. Either as a function of aging or from having played with meditation off and on for years, I finally got to a point where I can sometimes shut down analytically without the assist from the intoxicant. Whether it's a conscious attempt or it just happens - that's when I tend to do work that I like the best afterwards.
Of course, I don't sleep anymore. (smile)
pat
Posted by Mia McPherson on August 31, 2011 at 5:40 PM
Considering how much my gear costs as a bird photographer with long lenses, etc., I would never consider using it intoxicated or medicated for fear of damaging it in a stupor. I'm really not into tossing thousands of dollars down a toilet. As far as creativity goes, I like my mind clear not fogged up for my creative processing.
Krunal:
There are other ways of getting the mind into the right frame or groove beside mood changing drugs. Going to a remote place and enjoying the solitude and soaking in the beauty of nature, one can sometimes just loose oneself and be at one with the nature. Many here have experienced this and expressed them this forum. I find I do my best work when I am completely absorbed in what I am doing. There is no thinking and no self (Pat's switching off analytically). I have a calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hahn on my wall which says "Be still and know".
Posted by Krunal Janani on September 1, 2011 at 1:00 AM
hmmm i think i've not been able to convey my thoughts here
well let me put it this way
'The language of nature is subtle, drugs are the translators, once you understand the language you don't need the translators.
Posted by Krunal Janani on September 1, 2011 at 1:00 AM
ohh & yea pls dont start taking me as a junkie
Posted by Pat Sampson on September 1, 2011 at 8:36 AM
Krunal,
Here's where I'm at on the "language of nature". To the extent that nature has a language, it's mathematics. Fundamentally though, nature isn't knowable but that's OK because Man and nature aren't separate. It's our false sense of self (an illusion) that causes us to feel separate. My guess, is that the intoxicants diminish the sense of self for you some, (they did for me) but that's only a guess. Meditation, with practice, should do the same thing for you as well as provide other benefits.
Although I don't recall you asking for alternatives. (smile)
pat
Posted by Anil Rao on September 1, 2011 at 11:40 AM
...most artists take some form of intoxication or the other...
I am not sure how or why you formed such an opinion. I believe that most artists are not intoxicated while practicing their respective art forms. Of course, there are folks who do what you suggest, but surely they are in the minority. Some of them have become famous and so there is this general perception that intoxication is necessary to get into a particular state of mind that enables one to make good art. There is one thing I cannot stand about certain artists -- and that is all this hoopla about self-pity, how hard their lives are, how they are so different from the rest of society, etc. Being able to make their art while under the influence falls into that category.
There are countless folks creating wonderful art everyday -- ordinary people who don't seek out attention and who lead regular lives like everyone else. They do so simply because they enjoy the process. No intoxication is required. They have my deepest respect and admiration.
Posted by Bill Chambers on September 1, 2011 at 1:51 PM
Well said Anil!
Posted by RL Potts on September 1, 2011 at 5:57 PM
Get high on photography and leave your brain cells alone. When you get to be my age, you will need them. Trust me.
Posted by Krunal Janani on September 2, 2011 at 1:39 AM
@ Pat
yes i've been involved in some meditations from many yrs (although they have ceased now due to many other reasons)
& u've hit the nail in the head with the illusion thing, i dont know what has happened to the collective consciousness in the past 200 yrs coz we've just started to believe that we can sustain ourselves without nature & believe me or not but 'OIL' is the major push that we got & i think the only reason y we jumped 7 times in pop. in the last 120 yrs where as it took us some million years to hit the first billion
@Anil
well most of the musicians, painters, writers & actors of the world have indulged in some form of intoxication or the other & have openly admitted to it playing a part in their creative thinking & so has human psychosocial studies done esp. with marijuana
i dont want to press on this issue but i thought it was worth having a discussion about it
@RL
i get ur drift there
Posted by Bill Fach on September 2, 2011 at 12:47 PM
OK, I'm late to the party (as usual ) but from my medical background and significant psychological studies my thoughts align with Anil about 100%. The self absorbed tend to be very un-self aware and I've found many "artists" completely self absorbed and self aggrandizing. Perhaps mind altering substances allow them to eschew responsibility for interacting with society normally. Many have a very patronizing attitude toward us poor mere mortals. I kind of like keeping my mind clear and eyes open. >=))>
Posted by Harry Harris on October 4, 2011 at 10:53 AM
This a subject that hits home a bit, but I will put my two cents in anyway. I am not an artist and do not pretend to be. When it became apparent that I had to lead a alcohol free life, avian photography saved me. My feelings are that nature is the artist and I have to maintain a clear head to be ready when nature presents its works of art for me to capture. Even if I do not capture the event, with a clear mind I see it. Not only nature but also everything else is more vivid to me now.
Discussion
23 repliesWhat are your thoughts on Intoxication & it's effect on ur photography? do you like it? do u think it helps you see different paradigms of possibilities or does it distort you?
Sandy
Yeah, me, too. I was 13 in 1960 so spent all of my teenage years in the '60s and what Sandy said is pretty much how I felt then and how I feel now. Also, I really like to remember the beauty that I see.
I for instance enjoy studying my mind & how it functions differently with just something like alcohol & how it's completely opp when you have Cannibals (Bhang as it's called in my country), & that applies to my photographic thinking as well (i've to say that alcohol has never helped though)
I for one think photography as more of an art form then just plain technicals & i think most of you are in the same boat & most artists take some form of intoxication or the other (well it's not necessary but surely insightful) & so sometimes i do have some spice before going on a shoot & tell you what it has given me some of my favorite shots (not that i m advocating for it but i m just stating some facts which have to applied to me)
@ Ram
yes i was sober but how i wish i wasn't
I am getting serious doubts now. It is Cannabis and not Cannibals.
I find that my favorite images have very little of me in them and that I rarely create a "concept" image that I like. Making an image for me is a form of play. After years of practice at playing I don't really need alcohol or anything else to do it but that only happened about five years ago. Interestingly to me, that's also the time I took up photography.
pat
yea my bad sorry for the typo :p
@Barbara
well everyone started to talk about alcohol so i thought i need to clarify
@ Pat
that's too diplomatic an answer for a dumb like me to crack
No magic pill.
Charlie
For me beer was always a way to relax and turn off the mental analytics. I probably do my best creative work, (systems, math, admin problems, algorithm design, photography, processing...) when I'm not trying to think about it, frequently in my sleep. If that's true for you, then an intoxicant of some kind, may help your process. Either as a function of aging or from having played with meditation off and on for years, I finally got to a point where I can sometimes shut down analytically without the assist from the intoxicant. Whether it's a conscious attempt or it just happens - that's when I tend to do work that I like the best afterwards.
Of course, I don't sleep anymore. (smile)
pat
There are other ways of getting the mind into the right frame or groove beside mood changing drugs. Going to a remote place and enjoying the solitude and soaking in the beauty of nature, one can sometimes just loose oneself and be at one with the nature. Many here have experienced this and expressed them this forum. I find I do my best work when I am completely absorbed in what I am doing. There is no thinking and no self (Pat's switching off analytically). I have a calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hahn on my wall which says "Be still and know".
well let me put it this way
'The language of nature is subtle, drugs are the translators, once you understand the language you don't need the translators.
Here's where I'm at on the "language of nature". To the extent that nature has a language, it's mathematics. Fundamentally though, nature isn't knowable but that's OK because Man and nature aren't separate. It's our false sense of self (an illusion) that causes us to feel separate. My guess, is that the intoxicants diminish the sense of self for you some, (they did for me) but that's only a guess. Meditation, with practice, should do the same thing for you as well as provide other benefits.
Although I don't recall you asking for alternatives. (smile)
pat
I am not sure how or why you formed such an opinion. I believe that most artists are not intoxicated while practicing their respective art forms. Of course, there are folks who do what you suggest, but surely they are in the minority. Some of them have become famous and so there is this general perception that intoxication is necessary to get into a particular state of mind that enables one to make good art. There is one thing I cannot stand about certain artists -- and that is all this hoopla about self-pity, how hard their lives are, how they are so different from the rest of society, etc. Being able to make their art while under the influence falls into that category.
There are countless folks creating wonderful art everyday -- ordinary people who don't seek out attention and who lead regular lives like everyone else. They do so simply because they enjoy the process. No intoxication is required. They have my deepest respect and admiration.
yes i've been involved in some meditations from many yrs (although they have ceased now due to many other reasons)
& u've hit the nail in the head with the illusion thing, i dont know what has happened to the collective consciousness in the past 200 yrs coz we've just started to believe that we can sustain ourselves without nature & believe me or not but 'OIL' is the major push that we got & i think the only reason y we jumped 7 times in pop. in the last 120 yrs where as it took us some million years to hit the first billion
@Anil
well most of the musicians, painters, writers & actors of the world have indulged in some form of intoxication or the other & have openly admitted to it playing a part in their creative thinking & so has human psychosocial studies done esp. with marijuana
i dont want to press on this issue but i thought it was worth having a discussion about it
@RL
i get ur drift there
Skip Harris