The intoxication of creativity
Life is a delicate balance. Work and play, family and friends, south and north, potholes and traffic, biryani and diet plan. What a task indeed, to navigate through them all! For a certain lot, the balance between brilliance and madness is a thin line. Artists easily fall into this category. No surprises there, for the world has already created this stereotypical image of an artist — hair ignored, thoughtlessly dressed, bearded (for portrayals are all male), and of course, with eyes bloodshot with intoxication — the epitome of eccentricity. The typecast may be unfair, as most artists are as normal as any banker or engineer could be. Yet, it is also true that sometimes, artistic brilliance and its expression find their inspiration in the call of drugs.
Today is the International Day against Drug Abuse, observed by the United Nations to achieve a world that is liberated from drug abuse. It is also the perfect time to talk about creative geniuses whose lives were cut short at the peak of their careers, when alcohol and substance abuse extinguished the fire that produced their haunting masterpieces.
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