Jessica Dawson: OUIL501 Essay

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Does the psychedelic substance LSD enhance creativity and how have social stigmas influenced the critical acceptance of drug use in creative culture? By Jessica Dawson, Ba (Hons) Illustration – L5 Context of Practice 2

Psychedelic, a term which holds much historical stigma and taboo, broken down into its traditional Greek translation means literally “soul-manifesting” (Wikipedia, 2016a) or “mind –revealing” (Wikipedia, 2016b). “Part of a wider class of psychoactive drugs known as hallucinogens” (Wikipedia, 2016a), well known psychedelic substances such as LSD and Psilocybin (the active chemical found in magic mushrooms) are categorised by the “profound sense of intensified sensory perception, sometimes accompanied by severe perceptual distortion and hallucinations” (Dictionary.com, 2016), experienced once consumed. As the word itself, first “coined in 1956 by British psychiatrist, Humphry Osmond” suggests, psychedelics are thought to “access the soul and develop unused potentials of the human mind” (Wikipedia, 2016a). Many researchers and scientists have been intrigued by the potential uses for these substances, both medically and socially - yet since the 1960’s and the start to the “War on drugs”, much progression in understanding psychedelics and their true potential has been limited, until now. With “scientific research into the benefits of psychedelic drugs” now “experiencing a global renaissance” (Brown, 2016), how are these important changes affecting the well-engrained stigmas running deep throughout western culture? What will this mean for psychedelic substance use in the future and how will the associated stigmas surrounding the Psychedelia “hippie” subculture and views of Psychedelic art change? Experimentation with mind-altering drugs within creative culture is not uncommon, with artists including many of who are considered “masters”, having had profound mind-altering experiences with psychoactive substances, supposedly said to be the muse behind many famed pieces. The use of drugs seemed to fall within the stereotypical flamboyant lifestyle perceived of an artist and creative figureheads such as Van Gogh, Picasso and Pollack it would seem, never needed to be shy about their vices and influences. The impact of these substances within pop-culture doesn’t stop at painting, “many musicians, scientists, and media icons have been sharing their psychedelically-inspired creations with us for years” and “If you know where to look…references appear just about everywhere--in film, music, television, comedy, advertising, comic books, fashion, toys, video games, and other multimedia art forms” (Brown, 2016). So why in recent history has the aesthetic value of artwork influenced by drug-induced experiences and the authenticity of such pieces from the psychedelic 1960’s era come under scrutiny by art critics? What is it that causes the lack in merit and appeal, in comparison to acclaimed creative work made sober and are the stigmas surrounding psychedelic art so engrained within society - fuelled by the drug-prohibition propaganda since the 1960’s, that there is no hope for a psychedelic “artistic renaissance” (Brown, 2016) also? Social stigma can be seen as dating back to 1960’s post World War II USA, which proved to be a time of revolution and change within science, society and major cultural movements. The discovery of LSD “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide” in 1943 by Swiss Chemist Dr Albert Hofmann made its way onto the scene, which “along with marijuana, become a popular recreational drug for the anti-Vietnam war, counter-culture and flower power movements” (Patterson, 2013), seeing a “shift in the connection between psychedelics and artistic expression” (White, 2015). Commonly known as ’acid’, the effects of which first described by Hofmann as “an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colours” (Wikipedia, 2016c),

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Jessica Dawson: OUIL501 Essay by Jessica Dawson - Issuu