A recent article in the NY TIMES magazine section by Wyatt Mason begins: “A prevailing notion of the lives of artists holds that hedonism is a meaningful part of production,” and goes on to assert that artists may wish to consider an ascetic approach to creativity instead.
I found it unconvincing and felt compelled to respond in a letter to the editor which included these thoughts:
Though it’s true that mind-altering substances are used by many in pursuit of pleasure, I’d suggest that the reason artists typically turn to these substances is utilitarian: to overcome the rational mind - the intellect - which often acts as a barrier to new ways of seeing and thinking. Aldous Huxley’s “Doors of Perception” comes to mind in this regard.
The author somehow fails to see that asceticism and so-called hedonism are merely two sides to the same coin - one in which the creative person seeks alternate paths to the same end: revealing and expressing a latent, but insistent, artistic impulse.
It’s unfortunate that Mr. Mason perpetuates this myth of the hedonistic artist, providing a convenient excuse for society at large to view the artist pursuing their muse with the help of alcohol or drugs as weak and pitiable and, ultimately, deserving of whatever bad ends they may come to.