Oscar Wilde, Irish writer and poet of the mid-to-late1800’s, expressed the artist’s influence upon the world–the province of the artist. He wrote, “The past is of no importance. The present is of no importance. It is with the future that we have to deal. For the past is what man should not have been. The present is what man ought not to be. The future is what artists are.” ~Oscar Wilde
As seen by the number of artists lost with addiction, art can go by the wayside when it comes to drugs. That’s why promotion of art and creating during the drug treatment process is extremely important.
The Importance of Artists in a Culture
Poet Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy, an English poet who also lived and wrote in the mid-to-late 1800s, in his poem We Are the Music-Makers, wrote in the first stanza:
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers,
Upon whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers,
Of the world forever, it seems.
Both poets knew and understood the vital importance and role of the artist in the cultures of the world, and knew and understood their influence and role in the creation of the future and in the making of the world a better place for all.
And one of the most famous artists of all time, William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet who lived and wrote in the mid-to-late 1500s, wrote: The object of Art is to give life a shape.”
A brief look at history demonstrates the importance of art and artists in all cultures of the world, and in all centuries, past and present. It also demonstrates the artist’s innate awareness of the importance of his or her role in society, no matter the medium of artistic expression.
Art in Drug Treatment
In stark contrast to art, its purpose and the effects it creates on the people who experience it, and its important influence upon the future of a society–are drugs. Drugs and addiction are the antithesis (the exact opposite of something) to the creation of a better future, the antithesis to the purpose and role of the artist, and very likely the single most destructive element to both the artist and his or her creativity. Drugs and addiction are the source of paintings never painted, stories never written, music never played, songs never sung, leaving an empty place in all our lives.
But there is hope. The non-profit organization, Addiction and Art, was created to forward the message to all people that artwork created as an expression of addiction and recovery can teach, can open discussion, and can help support research for “our world’s well-being”. Their website features a section for artists to donate and download their art related to addiction and recovery, at no charge to the artist. It also features a section on addiction art exhibitions, with information on both past and future exhibitions. The art on the website is truly a worthy contribution to a better world in the making. And for the artist recovering from addiction, it surely contributes to the rehabilitation of creative ability.
As an addict artist travels the road of workable and effective drug rehabilitation treatment, such as Narconon Arrowhead delivers to those artists seeking sobriety, the innate desire of the artist to once again create, manifests. One graduate of the Narconon Arrowhead program, George Niamonitos, wrote and performed his original song, Another Day in Paradise, accompanying himself on guitar. He played it live onstage in the Narconon Arrowhead auditorium, to the delight and enthusiasm of all the students in recovery. His performance and the beneficial effects it created on all who experienced it, is a living testament that art in any of its many forms is truly “food for the soul.”
See video here:
And in the words of L. Ron Hubbard; the man whose technology has formed the Narconon program: “Capturing my own dreams in words, paint or music and then seeing them live is the highest kind of excitement.”
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