Balzac on an empty stomach: how famous creators were looking for inspiration

A well-known legend says that the law of universal gravitation was discovered by Isaac Newton while observing an apple falling from a tree branch. But not everyone just contemplating the phenomena and embellishment of nature is enough to find inspiration, catch an idea or make a discovery. History knows many examples when creative minds burned their talent for the use of legal and prohibited poisons. And all because inspiration is akin to a capricious lady: there is no end to her nagging and it is hard for her to please. But how to get out of the brain stupor? Where to get ideas? In this article, you will learn about the unusual ways in which famous creative personalities grabbed the muse by the hem.

Salvador Dali

The famous Spanish painter was the slumber champion! But he loved to fall asleep for a reason. Dali sat in a chair with a heavy key in his hands, and put a metal plate under his feet. As he fell asleep, his hands weakened, and the key fell down. The resounding noise of the blow woke the artist up. Short seconds of loss of consciousness gave the master new ideas.

This trick has a completely scientific explanation. Hypnagogia is a borderline state between sleep and reality, in which a person's consciousness gives out vivid images, unexpected pictures and thoughts. The person has auditory and visual hallucinations. The boundaries of the subconscious expand, directing streams of associations, visions and ideas to the brain.

Over the centuries, many creative people have drawn inspiration in this way, balancing on the verge of wakefulness and sleep.

Igor Stravinsky

One of the greatest representatives of the world's musical culture said that his day began with physical exercise, which he learned from a Hungarian gymnast. The apotheosis of the action was the headstand.

It turns out that the inverted position helps improve circulation and detoxify the adrenal glands. According to Igor Fedorovich, the practiced load helped him clear his brain for new ideas.

Honore de Balzac

A well-known French writer preached the "brutal" method of drinking coffee by "real men" - an extremely strong drink on an empty stomach.

They say that Balzac himself drank up to 50 servings of coffee a day, with two or three cups at a time. And if this was not enough, then ground grains were used.

It is not known for certain whether the thick black liquid contained any additives, but after pouring it into the creator's head, “ideas began to march like battalions of a huge army on a legendary battlefield. Memories flew like flags skyward, the cavalry of metaphors went into a gallop, the artillery of logic rushed forward like bullets …"

An abnormal amount of coffee helped the master of the ink pen to tune in to work and start putting thoughts on paper.

Yoshiro Nakamatsu

Google credits the ultra-productive Japanese inventor with the creation of the floppy disk, although several other sources suggest otherwise. Be that as it may, Yoshiro's portfolio contains more than 3,000 patents, which speaks of the enormous talent of this Asian.

What is feeding his brain with new ideas? The proximity of death. According to Nakamatsu, he practices diving and waiting for oxygen deprivation. A brilliant spark can come to him in just half a second before death.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone

The creators of one of the longest running, successful and in-demand adult cartoons, South park, don't see their work without an element of panic. Unlike other shows that write scripts, animate, voice and edit months and weeks before airtime, South Park episodes are broadcast hours before their scheduled release time. Only in this way are the authors of the series able to keep at gunpoint all world news and events and make fun of them in hot pursuit.

"Panic is an integral part of the creative process, leading to spontaneous brainstorming and the birth of actual jokes."

Conclusion

Of course, you should not practice yourself and offer others the described methods of finding ideas. Some of them are fraught with at least a disruption to the deadline, and at most - with a premature departure to another world. Even the "harmless" drinking of coffee led to a deterioration in the health of Honore de Balzac, and the great writer was forced to give it up.

How do you get inspired and find new thoughts?