Why are artists crazy?

It’s not much of an observation to say that a lot of artists are crazy, but it’s interesting to observe that few successful ones are.

That is contrary to commonly held myths about artists. That’s what makes it interesting.

It was my recent experience on Whidbey Island that prompts me to say this. I met a lot of successful artists there. They were successful on every count. They were doing exactly the art they wanted, and they were making decent money.

By “decent money” I mean over fifty thousand a year. Of course, that’s not a lot of money in terms of what it takes to own a home and raise a family in many parts of the US, but if you’re able to live where the real estate is not too expensive and you’re reasonably thrifty on top of that, it can be done. Many people manage on less. Most of the pro artists I met on Whidbey were doing much better than that.

But what struck me about that Washington group is something I’ve noticed again and again in other places with other publicly successful artists. They were not just calm and friendly people, they were genuine social adepts. These people were all highly tuned to their audiences; indeed, what was singularly remarkable was not their ferocious independence but their sense of community with the human race.

I don’t know if we can thank Freud for the notion that neurosis is helpful to an artist, but that notion does not accord with my own experiences with artists.

I look at the crazy ones with their messes and incomplete projects compared to the order of the power studios; I look at the nervous smiles of poor sellers compared completely natural engagement of the big sellers, and I know.

I’m on to something.

So to complete the list of why artists don’t make it we have:

1. The art is technically inferior.

2. The message is either boring or disagreeable.

3. The artist does not even try to sell.

4. The artist does not produce enough.

5. The artist wants too much money.

6. The artist is crazy.

The last undercuts them all.

Freud was wrong. Success in the arts is directly proportional to sanity.

The best and most successful artists are some of the sanest people you will ever meet.

Of course, one might ask, how is it, exactly, that craziness reduces one’s chance for success?

I can think of a recent example from my own life in which I tried to help an excellent artist but was rebuffed by insane suspicions about my intentions and unprovoked attacks on my character.

A guy can only take so much.

But that’s something crazy people do. They live life like it’s a script for suicide, and so they always make wrong choices at critical junctures — like ruining friendships by failing to understand social boundaries.

How does one handle such people? I genuinely want to learn because it’s obvious to me that a lot of artists are troubled beings, and if they could just get it together socially, they’d have so many more chances to win.

Why are artists crazy?

Some artists, whether painters, writers or musicians, suffer from being labeled crazy artists. There is compelling evidence that some of the best artists do deserve the title, except the term "crazy" is generally more politely replaced with "mentally ill." There are numerous examples of “crazy artists” however, which do point to a large share of artists suffering from some form of mental illness.

Mental illness in "crazy artists" may create a number of factors that contribute to their artistic tendencies. The first of these is the polarizing effect on the artist. The artist who sees him or herself as "outside" of the general public because of a mental illness is likely to have a take on humanity quite different from the "inside" man or woman. In fact, being outside allows one to observe society as one might observe a society of birds for example. Core truths of the society can be exposed and thus resonate with, or irritate the public.

Additionally "crazy artists" have access, probably that they don’t want, to the excessive emotional content of their lives. This is very true of those with bipolar disorder or depression. Some cannot filter out the deep and foreboding emotions, causing great mental disturbance. Exposure to consistent emotional content can as well touch others listening to, observing or reading the art.

A few writers who could be termed "crazy artists" include Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, Leo Tolstoy, John Keats, Sylvia Plath, and Tennessee Williams. Many of these "crazy artists" fought tremendous battles with depression. Some like Plath committed suicide. Others who are potential candidates as "crazy artists" include the alcoholics and drug addicts, since it is now shown that many who have drug dependence are medicating to mask a mental disorder. These include writers like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allan Poe.

Several visual artists have been surmised to have depression. This is certainly the case with Vincent Van Gogh, the poster child of "crazy artists." However, Michelangelo may also have been suffering from deep depression. Paul Gauguin can certainly be said to have been one of the "crazy artists" suffering a mid-life crisis, battling alcoholism and relocating to Tahiti to paint during the last few years of his life.

Great filmmakers have also been considered crazy artists, battling various forms of mental illnesses. Their ranks include Francis Ford Coppola and Rod Steiger. Further, actors and actresses have recently "come out" in proclaiming their status as "crazy artists." Patty Duke has been particularly effective in her advocacy for those with depression and bipolar disorder. Actresses like Vivien Leigh and Marilyn Monroe battled mental illness as well.

Music would not be the same without its contributing crazy artists. These names include: Mozart, Schubert, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven. Modern musicians like James Taylor have been relatively public about battling mental illness and drug addiction.

Perhaps the most illuminating work on the subject is the book The Dynamics of Creation by Anthony Storr. He refutes the idea that art springs from insanity but is instead a force of consolation to the artist. Another interesting take on the subject of "crazy artists" is the book The Key to Genius: Manic Depression and the Creative Life written by D. Jablow Hershman and Julian Lieb. This work analyzes how the manic depressive artist may achieve more recognition because in his/her manic states, production level increases dramatically.

Some worry, however, that insanity is a prerequisite of great art. This is clearly not the case, and there are many fabulous artists who were quite sane. Further, insanity does not translate to great art. However, interesting analyses have been made of art produced by people who are institutionalized.