It’s easy to see why marijuana and other drugs have been associated with artistic people. Artists and other creative types are natural rebels and are more inclined to seek new experiences and disregard society’s mores. So, while it’s a given that some artists do use cannabis, the question is can cannabis increase the creativity of your average smoker or hurt it?
Decreased Inhibitions
Cannabis, like many other drugs, can decrease inhibitions and make those that take them feel more relaxed and more impulsive about expressing their thoughts and emotions. In some cases, it can even bring to the surface thoughts and feelings that even the user didn’t know existed.
This can be a rich area for the user to explore and dive into to help them create works that reverberate with their audience. So much of what makes art great is the expression of emotions and thoughts that many of us are either too busy or too scared to explore in our daily lives.
These decreased inhibitions can also leave the mind free to roam and play and make novel connections that a more uptight, straight brain would never allow to happen. Again, part of what makes great art is helping the audience experience the familiar, i.e. emotions or situations in ways that they haven’t before.
Decreased inhibitions can also help those that feel anxiety about beginning a work of art or performing. Getting over the hurdle of starting can be an enormous help in getting artistic momentum going.
How Cannabis can Kill Creativity
The main dangers in using cannabis to enhance your creativity are:
● That you’ll use cannabis as a crutch and be unable to create anything at all without it.
● A loss of discrimination or a critical eye to insure that your work stays high quality and you are constantly improving and refining your technique.
● Spending too much time smoking and partying and not enough getting inspiration from other sources.
If you aren’t creative, Cannabis won’t turn you into a great artist, however, used responsibly, it can help you get over your inhibitions and see the world in a new way.
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