So I know that a lot of Polycounters like to drink (who doesn't like their beer) but being in an industry were creativity is sparked by imagination, I was curious to see what....lets say percentage....do use drugs. I could elaborate a little more and will when getting off work. I know this is a touchy subject, first and foremost do not be involved in his thread if you're at "risk." I wouldn't want you to get fired over it (I would feel really guilty). What's your position on it? Do you think it's acceptable? Etc, etc.
This may seem a little rushed because I accidentally clicked Submit Thread so I could not use a good portion of time to logically write this out.
I don't do drugs, never have and never will. I am quite openly disgusted by addicts when I see them, it's a snobbish view but I have no sympathy for someone who has made the choice (yes, everybody has a choice) to ruin theirs/others lives for the sake of a chemically induced high.
There are plenty of ways to have fun, relax, or get a thrill, that don't involve smoking a plant that has been up someones ass on its way to you, or snorting powder thats mixed with the contents of those tubs in your garage with warning labels on.
I think drugs, smoking, alcohol AND caffeine to be a waste of time and money. But I don't go around calling everyone who does consume any of those things "retards", personally I don't care what people like to eat, drink or smoke.
When I was a teenager I used to smoke a lot of pots. I was generally a lazy and apathetic person, not very productive. At some point I started to get serious about doing game art, and I gave up the reefer, this was a pretty good choice and I've been much more productive and successful since. AND YOU CAN TO!
Really, a lot of people smoke pot in the games industry or whatever, and you'll hear the "If it doesn't affect your productivity it's not a problem" etc type arguments, and certainly there are a lot of really talented people that smoke drugs. However; I would be curious to see how productive these same people would be stone sober, because Its not like pot "makes you a good artist" or some sillyness like that.
Generally speaking I have a pretty liberal viewpoint when it comes to pot, I don't really think its much/any worse than alcohol for instance. Certainly overuse is a problem, just as it is with alcohol. I think it should be legalized, because I don't think it is really that big of a deal. Its pretty ridiculous when you consider how many people go to jail over smoking pot or whatever. Well we're starting to see progress on this front and its just a matter of time, if you look at California and Colorado. I think the solution is to legalize it, regulate it, and tax the fuck out of it, just like Tobacco and Alcohol.
However, I feel coke, crack, heroine, serious drugs etc, should have even harsher penalties by the law. I feel Legalizing pot would free up law enforcemen'ts already stretched resources into combating more serious drugs.
Most of the people I know who smoke weed are not at all creative. They are mostly interested in getting high, and so rarely create anything. When they do it is some tired rehash of hippie cliche bullshit. That sub-culture was pretty fresh 50 YEARS AGO.
Some people would like to believe that using drugs and drinking booze is somehow unnatural, but really this is just not the case-- even animals seek out drugs and alcohol:
I don't think there is any connection between the kind of creativity required to produce a commercial product and doing drugs. If you want to be usefully creative go experience real things, and do plenty of research on real people, places and things.
This is actually kinda surprising to me. I thought I was like one of two straight edge guys on here, but it seems I'm not alone at all. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do any drug but caffeine. I'm not too much of a snob about it, but I can't stand drunks, and I don't tolerate stoners well either. To clarify that, I don't care if you do it, just don't do it around me.
To quote Daniel Tosh, "Hey wanna get high?" "No" "Why not?" "Cause I'm not in the 7th grade, and I have things to do" Pretty much sums it up for me.
Pot has allot of other uses than "being creative" go look it up.
That being said you have control over your actions, so if you smoke some weed and go sit around, can't blame weed for enabling you do so something you want to do. Then again maybe people are just way more lazy then they think they are and it's allot easier to blame a plant than yourself!
Oh and there is just so many different types of weed, and their effects range widely.
Is this a question of using drugs at the work place? because I'm pretty sure that unilaterally it is unacceptable although maybe tolerated in some rare instances.
If you need external stimuli to be creative - e.g. drugs like weed etc - you're doing it wrong.
Pretty much sums it up for me. Drugs do nothing but fuck up your life. And if you feel you need to fall into the a typical "artist" as presented by movies, then you're not much more than a sheep following a stereotype and trying to fit into it, a stereotype that isn't really true, yes there were some modernist artists who did drugs, and were messed out of of their skulls. Look how they ended up.
I avoid drugs. They are just a loss of time, money and most importantly health. I'm fine with alcohol though. It can make things easier at the end of the day and it's not that harmful if you don't over-drink.
And here's a quote by Dali: I don't do drugs. I am drugs.
I don't know much about Dali's personal life but we are working to induce emotions in the viewers' minds who are sober. So, I don't think drugs are required in the creation process either as you are the first one experiencing your own art as you create it.
As I teen I smoked weed quiet heavily. My friends' parents were dealers, so it made access to drugs rather easy. I also did mushrooms for a while and also meth (for about a year and a half). Noticed I was getting addicted to it, when we're chalking up lines on the drumheads in the bandroom at school, scared the shit out of me. I gave everything up not long after.
Been straight (aside from alcohol and cigs [which I quit 4.5yrs ago!]) since I was 18, though I DID make an exception to smoke a little weed at my friends wedding in 2001, down in South Beach, Miami. But, I WAS surounded by a room of gangsta cubans, so I kind of felt the need to, lol.
I don't agree with working under the influence of any drug in the workplace, save for prescribed meds. If it's a Friday afternoon then an office beer or two with the team is one thing (we do have an office keg afterall), but drinking all the time? No, not cool. Drug free is the way to be!
I avoid drugs. They are just a loss of time, money and most importantly health. I'm fine with alcohol though.
Ahahahahaahah, ahhhh.
This really all depends on the "drug" you're using. Crack? Meth? No... LSD? Yes. (Not at work... obviously. Don't want those judging eyes on you). Not all "drugs" are "bad".
Also, I don't think people who haven't tried any of these drugs properly should have any say in this matter.
"Drugs are bad!"
"Why?"
"Cause they're bad!".
"Good one sheep."
You don't need these drugs to be creative... you have an imagination... Close your eyes and you can PICTURE THINGS IN 3D. Now that's more powerful than almost any drug out there.
I have epilepsy, so I do 'do' anti-seizure drugs. If I didn't the amount of time I spend in front of the screen would definately have me flipping out left, right and centre.
In my case, my seizures have 9 times out of 10 been caused by stressful situations - around finals/graduation etc etc and the rest due to a lack of sleep or not enough food *nom*
So, obviously, doing drugs like E, lsd etc are obviously straight out of the window, I have never been interested in that anyway. However, I do occasionally smoke a joint as it completely de-stresses me and allows me to relax for a bit.
I very rarely drink alcohol - I just have a huge appetite for PG Tips and Earl Grey tea
no you don't need drugs to be creative, and you don't need alcohol to have a good time, but i see nothing wrong with a bit of augmentation to your life, just don't get stupid with anything. i have experimented with many drugs and substances in my life, some good some bad but that was college and this is now.
at a party i will still hit a joint with fellow devs, play games or go watch a movie. its pretty availible here in california, so my rule is i dont buy drugs, but in a social situation i will take the "when in rome" stance and do it just for kicks. i never mix work and drugs, but know many very talented people that do and its not a big deal, everyone knows, but as long as they do their job nobody really cares. i think its more of a california thing, the stance is very liberal here, even in the work place.
I wasn't going to post in here for fear of having my name forever bound to being a weed-head in this industry, but I`ve gotten to a point where I don't care anymore. This is actually something I feel needs to be discussed within the realm of game-dev.
If an employer is going to get butt hurt because they don't want their employees smoking pot in their late late hours while at the job, then I don't want anything to do with that company.
Its rough working 12-14 hr days 6-7 days a week where your key function is to bring creativity, funk, and flavor to a project. In the mornings, I don't need any stimuli of any kind. Around 6pm or so, I`ll usually make a super strong pot of coffee, and around 12am, if I need to keep going, Marijuana is perfect. It stimulates you brain, tones down your stress, and gets you into a creative mood in the wee hours of the morn. All without having to ride out a caffeine buzz while laying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
To not consider Coffee a drug, then lump Marijuana into some sort of a-moral thing that only drug addicts do- comes from ignorance, and ill-education on the matter.
If you have family to care for, and the place where you live carries harsh ramifications towards marijuana use- Then I understand your stance, but please understand mine:
To keep pushing long hours, raising expected quality standards, and driving your employees into the ground, and NOT see that weed can alleviate stress, AND aid creative thought process, (in a similar way that coffee does) -then your a retard.
I don't care what people do or don't do with their own time. Conversely, I don't think it's appropriate to do anything that would impair your functions at work and prohibit you from doing your job.
Our company's job application form specifically states to exclude any drug related crimes on the 'have you been arrested' portion or whatever, and we don't drug test, both of which I think are good ideas for a creative company.
I don't think doing drugs 'unlocks' any creativity or provides any sort of objective benefit (outside of relaxation). It's a vice, and like anything else in life, know your own limits and keep it in moderation. But I don't see a problem with people using a substance (be it alcohol or tobacco or something illicit), it's only a problem when they're abusing it.
As for the legality of marijuana and other drugs, I'm all for legalizing them, taxing it like any other vice, and in general creating a society where treatment and rehabilitation rather than punishment and retribution are the answers to drug use. Regardless as to how damaging drugs are, our current drug laws create a feedback loop of problems and despair that do not help people easily break out of addiction.
I love seeing people try to explain why they think alcohol is ok and weed is not. GG rational humans.
I have friends who smoke pot and do other drugs, and are far more successful, happy and motivated than some of my straight edge friends. Shit affects everyone differently. But I don't know anyone who claims drugs make them more creative. I'd be a sorry sack if I thought I needed magic beans to make art.
Its not that weed makes you magically more awesome- but it does cause you to think differently- so as a result you approach things differently. I find that seeing something under a new light helps me to be excited about what I'm doing. Usually I get this new, objective point of view by going home, and coming back fresh in the morning. However, when that's not an option, and deadlines NEED to be met, weed sure can lend a hand - again, similar to coffee-
I can honestly say that 'drugs' have had both a positive and negative influence on my work as a 3d artist. At times, they've given me the sense of mind needed to approach problems and aesthetics from a different angle, but they've also caused me to waste a lot of time. (Intentionally vague with that last bit.)
Personally, I don't care what drugs you are on at work, so long as you do your work. I'll let the guy with a silly hat worry about the moral implications of that, I just want to make video games.
I've dabbled in a few things back in the day, purely recreational and never for art purposes. The reason i'm posting is I used to fantasize about this notion too as a kid, that drugs would make you more "creative". A lot of that stemmed from my parents hailing from the hippy generation and I heard Jimi Hendrix talked up one too many times for his woodstock performance on various documentries, or hear about how totally ripped the beatles were when they made their most mind blowing records. But music is a totally different medium and possibly the only one that could reasonably be argued to be decisively "better" because the makers used drugs.
Fact of the matter is drugs will NOT make you a better artist, they can help you "appreciate" art at some level, in the sense that if you're "off your ass" anything you see or do will seem great because at the time you'll have the mentality of a 5 year old. I think this is where the confusion comes in. Yes drugs make things awesome, no they do not make you make things more awesome as a technical artist. Hallucinagens have had tremendous and possibly positive effects on many artists in the past, but deconstruction was the big thing back then, not any more.
Drugs could open some weird random idea but 999 times out of 1000 it's going to be a dumb and ill formed. You'll scribble some mind blowing idea on a napkin trip over yourself and wake up sober, read it again and realize you went full retard.
All that said it is easy to get burned out on making games and game art, whatever helps you relax in your spare time i think is your own deal and helps you get back "in the zone" when you're done relaxing. But don't try to fool yourself into thinking it's going to make you a better artist.
I'm a beer guy myself. 2 beers and i can't art for sh*t.
Edit: Drugs are bad M'kay. Some are pretty tame, but don't get into the hard shit, not worth it.
The problem is though if you do loads of drugs, going to the shop to buy sweets and rizlas becomes a terrifying experience bit intense.
Probably also if you leave the house, someone might be back at the house messing with your wacom( replacing the nibs with bits of spagetthi) and looking through your drawers.
I dont think drugs make you more creative....neither I think people that have apple computers are better at design.... smoke a joint if you want to chill out once in a while.. but not to make yourself more creative thats stupid imo...
As blaizer says eat well, sleep, move and your brain'll be ready to go...
I suppose the LSD debate is completely different that the weed debate.
I went to a ConceptArt.Org workshop a few years back in Seattle. The opening keynote speech was by a guy named Lorne Lanning, Aka the dude that cooked up the Odd-world series. He gave a HUGE speech about inspiration, and how it needed to come from within, and deal greatly with personnel life experience etc etc etc. He then went on to talk about the third eye and how it allowed you to see into another realm of reality. Then went on to cite artist after artist that did so, (one of which being Andrew Jones. SHOCKer I know). It got to be a little ridiculous and I kind of stopped paying attention.
I`ve yet to have an LSD experience, but Id be lying if I wasn't curious because that wasn't the first time I heard reference toward a third eye reality. Its kind of one of those "experience all that life has to offer" things. maybe it`ll be terrible and I`ll never do it again, or maybe it`ll actually be some pretty heavy life changing shit. Either way i`ll know, and won`t be making empty claims that somehow "being high on life is all you need bro!"
I'm straight edge now, but I wasn't before. I've done a LOT of weed, and a LOT of drinking. I've had the stoner friends, and been the stoner friend. But I gave it up, cause everyone I knew who was a stoner, was a complete retard. They'd spout these grand ideas about what they're gonna do, and never do it. Or talk about how they need it to deal with a long day, but that's obviously a lazy mans crutch excuse. Everyone has hard or long days, and everyone handles it different. But using drugs or alcohol to "chill out" or relax or whatever is just an excuse to do it, especially when it's everyday. When it's on occasion, maybe once a month, then it's something else entirely.
I've seen the effects drugs, that's ALL kinds, not just weed here, have on the lives of people who use them. Most of my extended family are junkies, and drunks.
That tired bit about "you have to take them to know" doesn't hold water. There's plenty of examples of things you don't have DO, or taste, or ingest to know it's bad for you, or will kill you, or will taste awful. Sorry, I just don't buy it. It really sounds like just another excuse to do whatever drug, or retarded thing you're about to do anyway. It's like the "we all gotta die someday" excuse stupid people use for acting stupid.
I went to a ConceptArt.Org workshop a few years back in Seattle. The opening keynote speech was by a guy named Lorne Lanning, Aka the dude that cooked up the Odd-world series. He gave a HUGE speech about inspiration, and how it needed to come from within, and deal greatly with personnel life experience etc etc etc. He then went on to talk about the third eye and how it allowed you to see into another realm of reality. Then went on to cite artist after artist that did so, (one of which being Andrew Jones. SHOCKer I know). It got to be a little ridiculous and I kind of stopped paying attention.
Funnily enough Andrew jones's talk at the wellington one also seemed to be about drugs.
The problem is though if you do loads of drugs, going to the shop to buy sweets and rizlas becomes a terrifying experience bit intense.
Probably also if you leave the house, someone might be back at the house messing with your wacom( replacing the nibs with bits of spagetthi) and looking through your drawers.
Never been one for drugs/alcohol. Never tried anything, I've never really been curious or felt the need. Guess I've probably always had more important things to worry about, and I felt like I wanted to handle them on my own with as little outside influence as possible.
I don't have a huge problem if people want to smoke pot. I knew some guys in high school who were pretty big into it, and being around them gave me migraines from time to time. But certain perfumes, tea, and various other things do the same thing. And that's about the extent of my experience with it.
-Fair nuff Jeremy. drugs definitely do a number on people and advising that people play with them is certainly not cool, -Especially for the young-uns.
Developing minds, young or old should stay away!-
Adam- I'm glad another poly counter was there and can vouch :P It was such a weird presentation sometimes I feel I made it all up in my head.
Drugs affect everyone differently, and do so differently at different times.
A big part of the marijuana issue is people saying "Well I knew this guy and he smoked all the time and he was a total retard who didn't get anything done and was annoying as shit." and hey, that's fine, but it's not everyone. There's a huge chance that guy was an annoying retard to begin with, and that's why he smoked weed all the time. People with nothing better to do generally fill their time with stupid shit. Or maybe he was a great guy and the weed really did mess him up? Ok, that's sad, but it's not everyone.
I've met people who get really sick when smoking and I've met people who can smoke tons without being affected at all. I've seen people become really creative and I've seen others become totally blank. I've seen it help productivity and seriously hamper productivity.
Like alchohol, or any drug, it's important to:
a) understand what it does to you
b) have the self-control to only use it appropriately
If (a) is mostly positive and you can handle (b) then marijuana can be used for very beneficial purposes. Here are some of the benefits I've had over the years:
- Helped me get to sleep about 10x faster (this is mostly what I use it for now)
- Helped me get excited about a long-running project by letting me see it with fresh eyes again and remember why it was cool in the first place (highly valuable)
- Helped deal with sudden stressful events (can give you a 'cooling off' period so you can think more clearly later)
- Helped deal with pain and discomfort from illnesses
People tend to go overboard with the advocacy. It's not for everyone, but it's not necessarily going to destroy someone or hinder them either. In general, it's far safer and more beneficial than alcohol, and gets a bad rap from stupid people using it because they have nothing better to do.
But if you do anything harder than weed you're a fucking moron
Like many I used to smoke a ton of weed when I was younger, but over the course of 10 years I'm at a point where I partake once or twice year. Usually with a bunch of art nerds, and I would say 90% of the time nothing creative comes from it, usually it's just discussions about how Firefly wouldn't have been canceled had Fox aired the episodes in the correct order. The other 10% is the previously stated comment about how while your high you don't think any idea is bad. So it does happen to kill self-doubt, I think there are a lot of creative ideas out there that are stifled by personal doubt.
I'm a beer guy myself. 2 beers and i can't art for sh*t.
I'm the same way now, but a year ago I used to be able to go to a bar have 3 or 4 beers, stop at a store and pick up a six pack then go back to my studio and continue drinking and working throughout the night effortlessly. Now If I drink more than one beer I can pretty much assure myself that my night will now be about drinking more or going back home and sitting at my computer and looking at message boards for 3 hours. I also used to be able to drink 3 shots of whiskey in a row without a single flinch, and then go on to have a series of whiskey cocktails and still be sentient. Now I cringe at more than one shot of whiskey, and generally if I include whiskey into my night I will be cartoonishly drunk. But I was also something like 60 pounds heavier when I used to pound whiskey like that.
I can however drink copious amounts of wine while working by myself, the "by myself" part is integral, It's like there is a drunken apathy on hold that will only be activated once company is present.
Replies
How high are you right now?
pot has yet to have any affect on me.
big cat facepalm for you Nemlet.
big cat.
Ah...sod it! post a picture instead.
re-re-read this and then re-re-re-read it again.
then let it digest.
I don't do drugs, never have and never will. I am quite openly disgusted by addicts when I see them, it's a snobbish view but I have no sympathy for someone who has made the choice (yes, everybody has a choice) to ruin theirs/others lives for the sake of a chemically induced high.
There are plenty of ways to have fun, relax, or get a thrill, that don't involve smoking a plant that has been up someones ass on its way to you, or snorting powder thats mixed with the contents of those tubs in your garage with warning labels on.
I dunno, maybe I'm just a square...
Me.
I think drugs, smoking, alcohol AND caffeine to be a waste of time and money. But I don't go around calling everyone who does consume any of those things "retards", personally I don't care what people like to eat, drink or smoke.
Really, a lot of people smoke pot in the games industry or whatever, and you'll hear the "If it doesn't affect your productivity it's not a problem" etc type arguments, and certainly there are a lot of really talented people that smoke drugs. However; I would be curious to see how productive these same people would be stone sober, because Its not like pot "makes you a good artist" or some sillyness like that.
Generally speaking I have a pretty liberal viewpoint when it comes to pot, I don't really think its much/any worse than alcohol for instance. Certainly overuse is a problem, just as it is with alcohol. I think it should be legalized, because I don't think it is really that big of a deal. Its pretty ridiculous when you consider how many people go to jail over smoking pot or whatever. Well we're starting to see progress on this front and its just a matter of time, if you look at California and Colorado. I think the solution is to legalize it, regulate it, and tax the fuck out of it, just like Tobacco and Alcohol.
However, I feel coke, crack, heroine, serious drugs etc, should have even harsher penalties by the law. I feel Legalizing pot would free up law enforcemen'ts already stretched resources into combating more serious drugs.
Some people would like to believe that using drugs and drinking booze is somehow unnatural, but really this is just not the case-- even animals seek out drugs and alcohol:
http://www.berggorilla.org/english/gjournal/texte/25cousins.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1134/is_10_113/ai_n8640726/
I don't think there is any connection between the kind of creativity required to produce a commercial product and doing drugs. If you want to be usefully creative go experience real things, and do plenty of research on real people, places and things.
To quote Daniel Tosh, "Hey wanna get high?" "No" "Why not?" "Cause I'm not in the 7th grade, and I have things to do" Pretty much sums it up for me.
Pot has allot of other uses than "being creative" go look it up.
That being said you have control over your actions, so if you smoke some weed and go sit around, can't blame weed for enabling you do so something you want to do. Then again maybe people are just way more lazy then they think they are and it's allot easier to blame a plant than yourself!
Oh and there is just so many different types of weed, and their effects range widely.
Is this a question of using drugs at the work place? because I'm pretty sure that unilaterally it is unacceptable although maybe tolerated in some rare instances.
But hey whatever you do in your free time...
Winning!
Pretty much sums it up for me. Drugs do nothing but fuck up your life. And if you feel you need to fall into the a typical "artist" as presented by movies, then you're not much more than a sheep following a stereotype and trying to fit into it, a stereotype that isn't really true, yes there were some modernist artists who did drugs, and were messed out of of their skulls. Look how they ended up.
And here's a quote by Dali: I don't do drugs. I am drugs.
I don't know much about Dali's personal life but we are working to induce emotions in the viewers' minds who are sober. So, I don't think drugs are required in the creation process either as you are the first one experiencing your own art as you create it.
Been straight (aside from alcohol and cigs [which I quit 4.5yrs ago!]) since I was 18, though I DID make an exception to smoke a little weed at my friends wedding in 2001, down in South Beach, Miami. But, I WAS surounded by a room of gangsta cubans, so I kind of felt the need to, lol.
I don't agree with working under the influence of any drug in the workplace, save for prescribed meds. If it's a Friday afternoon then an office beer or two with the team is one thing (we do have an office keg afterall), but drinking all the time? No, not cool. Drug free is the way to be!
Ahahahahaahah, ahhhh.
This really all depends on the "drug" you're using. Crack? Meth? No... LSD? Yes. (Not at work... obviously. Don't want those judging eyes on you). Not all "drugs" are "bad".
Also, I don't think people who haven't tried any of these drugs properly should have any say in this matter.
"Drugs are bad!"
"Why?"
"Cause they're bad!".
"Good one sheep."
You don't need these drugs to be creative... you have an imagination... Close your eyes and you can PICTURE THINGS IN 3D. Now that's more powerful than almost any drug out there.
In my case, my seizures have 9 times out of 10 been caused by stressful situations - around finals/graduation etc etc and the rest due to a lack of sleep or not enough food *nom*
So, obviously, doing drugs like E, lsd etc are obviously straight out of the window, I have never been interested in that anyway. However, I do occasionally smoke a joint as it completely de-stresses me and allows me to relax for a bit.
I very rarely drink alcohol - I just have a huge appetite for PG Tips and Earl Grey tea
at a party i will still hit a joint with fellow devs, play games or go watch a movie. its pretty availible here in california, so my rule is i dont buy drugs, but in a social situation i will take the "when in rome" stance and do it just for kicks. i never mix work and drugs, but know many very talented people that do and its not a big deal, everyone knows, but as long as they do their job nobody really cares. i think its more of a california thing, the stance is very liberal here, even in the work place.
If an employer is going to get butt hurt because they don't want their employees smoking pot in their late late hours while at the job, then I don't want anything to do with that company.
Its rough working 12-14 hr days 6-7 days a week where your key function is to bring creativity, funk, and flavor to a project. In the mornings, I don't need any stimuli of any kind. Around 6pm or so, I`ll usually make a super strong pot of coffee, and around 12am, if I need to keep going, Marijuana is perfect. It stimulates you brain, tones down your stress, and gets you into a creative mood in the wee hours of the morn. All without having to ride out a caffeine buzz while laying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
To not consider Coffee a drug, then lump Marijuana into some sort of a-moral thing that only drug addicts do- comes from ignorance, and ill-education on the matter.
If you have family to care for, and the place where you live carries harsh ramifications towards marijuana use- Then I understand your stance, but please understand mine:
To keep pushing long hours, raising expected quality standards, and driving your employees into the ground, and NOT see that weed can alleviate stress, AND aid creative thought process, (in a similar way that coffee does) -then your a retard.
Our company's job application form specifically states to exclude any drug related crimes on the 'have you been arrested' portion or whatever, and we don't drug test, both of which I think are good ideas for a creative company.
I don't think doing drugs 'unlocks' any creativity or provides any sort of objective benefit (outside of relaxation). It's a vice, and like anything else in life, know your own limits and keep it in moderation. But I don't see a problem with people using a substance (be it alcohol or tobacco or something illicit), it's only a problem when they're abusing it.
As for the legality of marijuana and other drugs, I'm all for legalizing them, taxing it like any other vice, and in general creating a society where treatment and rehabilitation rather than punishment and retribution are the answers to drug use. Regardless as to how damaging drugs are, our current drug laws create a feedback loop of problems and despair that do not help people easily break out of addiction.
heheheheheeeeeeeee
or are they....?? hehehe
[ame]
[ame]
I have friends who smoke pot and do other drugs, and are far more successful, happy and motivated than some of my straight edge friends. Shit affects everyone differently. But I don't know anyone who claims drugs make them more creative. I'd be a sorry sack if I thought I needed magic beans to make art.
That being said, I do think it's inappropriate to mix drugs with work, and I don't think you should have to use them in order to be creative.
Personally, I don't care what drugs you are on at work, so long as you do your work. I'll let the guy with a silly hat worry about the moral implications of that, I just want to make video games.
Fact of the matter is drugs will NOT make you a better artist, they can help you "appreciate" art at some level, in the sense that if you're "off your ass" anything you see or do will seem great because at the time you'll have the mentality of a 5 year old. I think this is where the confusion comes in. Yes drugs make things awesome, no they do not make you make things more awesome as a technical artist. Hallucinagens have had tremendous and possibly positive effects on many artists in the past, but deconstruction was the big thing back then, not any more.
Drugs could open some weird random idea but 999 times out of 1000 it's going to be a dumb and ill formed. You'll scribble some mind blowing idea on a napkin trip over yourself and wake up sober, read it again and realize you went full retard.
All that said it is easy to get burned out on making games and game art, whatever helps you relax in your spare time i think is your own deal and helps you get back "in the zone" when you're done relaxing. But don't try to fool yourself into thinking it's going to make you a better artist.
I'm a beer guy myself. 2 beers and i can't art for sh*t.
Edit: Drugs are bad M'kay. Some are pretty tame, but don't get into the hard shit, not worth it.
Probably also if you leave the house, someone might be back at the house messing with your wacom( replacing the nibs with bits of spagetthi) and looking through your drawers.
As blaizer says eat well, sleep, move and your brain'll be ready to go...
I went to a ConceptArt.Org workshop a few years back in Seattle. The opening keynote speech was by a guy named Lorne Lanning, Aka the dude that cooked up the Odd-world series. He gave a HUGE speech about inspiration, and how it needed to come from within, and deal greatly with personnel life experience etc etc etc. He then went on to talk about the third eye and how it allowed you to see into another realm of reality. Then went on to cite artist after artist that did so, (one of which being Andrew Jones. SHOCKer I know). It got to be a little ridiculous and I kind of stopped paying attention.
I`ve yet to have an LSD experience, but Id be lying if I wasn't curious because that wasn't the first time I heard reference toward a third eye reality. Its kind of one of those "experience all that life has to offer" things. maybe it`ll be terrible and I`ll never do it again, or maybe it`ll actually be some pretty heavy life changing shit. Either way i`ll know, and won`t be making empty claims that somehow "being high on life is all you need bro!"
I've seen the effects drugs, that's ALL kinds, not just weed here, have on the lives of people who use them. Most of my extended family are junkies, and drunks.
That tired bit about "you have to take them to know" doesn't hold water. There's plenty of examples of things you don't have DO, or taste, or ingest to know it's bad for you, or will kill you, or will taste awful. Sorry, I just don't buy it. It really sounds like just another excuse to do whatever drug, or retarded thing you're about to do anyway. It's like the "we all gotta die someday" excuse stupid people use for acting stupid.
Funnily enough Andrew jones's talk at the wellington one also seemed to be about drugs.
Classic
I don't have a huge problem if people want to smoke pot. I knew some guys in high school who were pretty big into it, and being around them gave me migraines from time to time. But certain perfumes, tea, and various other things do the same thing. And that's about the extent of my experience with it.
Developing minds, young or old should stay away!-
Adam- I'm glad another poly counter was there and can vouch :P It was such a weird presentation sometimes I feel I made it all up in my head.
A big part of the marijuana issue is people saying "Well I knew this guy and he smoked all the time and he was a total retard who didn't get anything done and was annoying as shit." and hey, that's fine, but it's not everyone. There's a huge chance that guy was an annoying retard to begin with, and that's why he smoked weed all the time. People with nothing better to do generally fill their time with stupid shit. Or maybe he was a great guy and the weed really did mess him up? Ok, that's sad, but it's not everyone.
I've met people who get really sick when smoking and I've met people who can smoke tons without being affected at all. I've seen people become really creative and I've seen others become totally blank. I've seen it help productivity and seriously hamper productivity.
Like alchohol, or any drug, it's important to:
a) understand what it does to you
b) have the self-control to only use it appropriately
If (a) is mostly positive and you can handle (b) then marijuana can be used for very beneficial purposes. Here are some of the benefits I've had over the years:
- Helped me get to sleep about 10x faster (this is mostly what I use it for now)
- Helped me get excited about a long-running project by letting me see it with fresh eyes again and remember why it was cool in the first place (highly valuable)
- Helped deal with sudden stressful events (can give you a 'cooling off' period so you can think more clearly later)
- Helped deal with pain and discomfort from illnesses
People tend to go overboard with the advocacy. It's not for everyone, but it's not necessarily going to destroy someone or hinder them either. In general, it's far safer and more beneficial than alcohol, and gets a bad rap from stupid people using it because they have nothing better to do.
But if you do anything harder than weed you're a fucking moron
I'm the same way now, but a year ago I used to be able to go to a bar have 3 or 4 beers, stop at a store and pick up a six pack then go back to my studio and continue drinking and working throughout the night effortlessly. Now If I drink more than one beer I can pretty much assure myself that my night will now be about drinking more or going back home and sitting at my computer and looking at message boards for 3 hours. I also used to be able to drink 3 shots of whiskey in a row without a single flinch, and then go on to have a series of whiskey cocktails and still be sentient. Now I cringe at more than one shot of whiskey, and generally if I include whiskey into my night I will be cartoonishly drunk. But I was also something like 60 pounds heavier when I used to pound whiskey like that.
I can however drink copious amounts of wine while working by myself, the "by myself" part is integral, It's like there is a drunken apathy on hold that will only be activated once company is present.
omg, time to blame Mario!
I wanted to add that a good meal in the morning is very important. Better than a coffee, i have this drug instead:
http://www.nestle.es/web/marcasyprods_marcas_marca.asp?product_id=4
I'm sure you have something similar in your country, eko ekooo.