Mania and the Artistic Genius!

"And Something's odd - within -That person that I was - And this One - do not feel the same - Could it be Madness - this?"-Emily Dickinson

Those of us who enjoy the arts, either as participants or avid fans of the creative process, are very much aware of the so-called "myth of the artist" and other similar stereotypical sketches that link the artistic genius to an inner, emotional world of tumultuous highs, lows, and sheer "madness". Mental illness, particularly manic depression, has somehow become an inseparable part of the successful artist's experience in the romanticized biographies of famous poets, painters, and musicians of our time. In her book, Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison lends some evidence to this widely-recognized cultural myth, and exposes a very convincing relationship between the mood cycles involved with manic depression and the creative process. To read more click here http://serendip.brymaur.edu/bb/neuro01/web2/applegate.html