Maybe We Need Our Sadness (and our Madness!) to Create Good Art
I think this is more than just a theory.
A musician friend texted me today. He said, “I just saw this video of Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse singing the duet Body and Soul. How the hell could Amy Winehouse kill herself? She was so talented…”
Check out the duet here. I love how Amy seems to be channeling Billie Holiday. And of course, I looove Tony looking on in his warm fatherly way.
It seemed like a weird question to me. I mean talented people have often killed themselves throughout history. Look at Sylvia Plath, Robin Williams, etc.
Some of the most intelligent creative people have also been the most malcontent, melancholy and ‘mad’.
Lately, I came to a new breakthrough awareness about this.
I realize that my madness (and my sadness) is just a part of me. I now choose to see it as fuel for my talents.
