…more than 90% of my backcatalog was written/performed/recorded/produced with a long slimlined insideout rolled joint made of 90% blonde virginia tobacco and 10% of damned decent hi quality hash between my lips or in my hand…
and one of those would last me at least 3 hours of working until it was time for an optional next one to roll…
any other substances did NOT do any trick for any better, when it comes to riding along on a creative mindset…
and most basic rules were always…
if i don’t hit the play or record button at least once before hi noon, that day i will not see any sorts of satisfaction of any achieved real results…
AND…
start always fresh and sober…then and only then, once u’ve defined some first litttle prefixed edges / sonic basic cornerstones, get a first feel of where it’s going, slowly start lifting urself into some funky tunnelvision…aaaand after quite a while of vibing, finally into the zone…
AND…
there are working days, where u want to just get shit done…sober is better…
there are creative days, where u want to let it flow…thc gives u always a good hint…
AND…
make sure, ur SAVE procedure is an ingraved fixed habit, no matter what…
AND…
since the dose makes always the poison…misuse of substances can happen pretty easily…
BUT…there is no such thing like misuse of synth…
Interesting, but I think I cannot drop any wisdom regarding that here. Not sure if there is any correlation there, but never used any substance at all. No smoking, no weed, nothing. Only guilty pleasure would be alcohol, but still…yeah, a few times too much drinks with friends in our twenties resulting in holding the porcelain steering wheel at night, but that’s it. Nowadays my body tells me fast enough that ‘those few drinks were enough if you want to enjoy the rest of the evening’. Dunno, never missed it, never felt the need to experiment, never felt the need for it in any way.
I used to think about this all the time! Coming up on 4 years sober and the obsessive feeling when waiting for a new synth/module in the mail (or for someone to respond on Craigslist) can be eerily similar to when I was craving booze/drugs. I definitely think the same dopamine is getting fired now.
I think it’s all about intentionality and being conscious about spending obsessively. Is the joy coming from the rush of always buying something new or is it from creating music?
It’s kinda funny how I only now realized that gas played a huge role in the process of me straightening out. Most credit goes to my wife, but I wanted to have all these toys, so I basically stopped doing any drugs, got myself a good job and even quit smoking. Btw, people really told us we shouldn’t get married and actively tried to talk us out of it. We we’re both addicts at that time basically, even some of the social workers we had to see once a months told us to not get married. Anyway, we moved to a different city to get away from all the trouble and started to straighten our lifes. We’re married eleven years now and I got more toys than I ever had. I’m still a bit sad, because I sold my first synth (Korg MS2000) and my first guitar to buy drugs. The rest of my gear got stolen when someone (probably someone I knew) broke into my appartment. But it’s ok. If I really wanted to, I could buy that synth again.
Great thread. In my 20s I worked as an actor in Chicago theater. I became addicted to adderall (helped me perform) and booze (turned me down post-shows).
That life was slowly killing me. I was backstage in Louisville , loaded on addys and nursing the perpetual hangover, when I heard that Philip Seymour Hoffman died. Something changed for me in that moment, and I slowly began to transition into my current life as a therapist.
The arts, specifically performance arts, really activated the latent addict in me.
Synths may hurt the wallet, but I’m not afraid of dying in my sleep anymore.
I had to think about this one a bit. Feels like there’s a line to draw between the two points and I think maybe it’s that we’re all looking for a bit of an escape, and they both provide us with a bit of an escape.
I think that perhaps the mixing of the two or the overlap between them is because as humans we have a problem; we have spent so much time overstimulated, that these experiences of music or substance use which once had such an impact, we are now a bit dulled to, therefore because those of us who have in the past gravitated towards both may in fact be looking for a way to supplement the shortcomings of both individually, with each other in symphony.
I would say that this has to do with something similar to the eye of the beholder, where the model of behavior is contextual to the proclivities of the user, but because you do find this same behavior outside of just music or synths, then this is simply what is relevant to us here, specifically, and that’s why it appears as such.
Possibly in the sense that true substance abuse seeks out greater and more dangerous highs and therefore risks, and this is a compensative behavior because neither of the aforementioned is doing it for you on it’s own anymore, OP. Or perhaps the desire to reclaim that lost sensitivity to being moved by these things is subconsciously sought out from drawing your own line between the two points.
Still not sure if that’s 100% where this leads, but that’s what I’ve come up with.
According to the psychologist Carl Jung
Midlife crisis comes when there is a hickup in the individuation process. Often this development probelem is avoided, consumption of synths might help avoid facing life, just like drug abuse
Idk. All I can say is that I’m a huge fan of mfs who can handle their shit. This bud is for you.
If by some chance at the end of my days, someone says I consumed too much weed and fingered too many sound boxes—I hope somebody who really knew and loved me is around to give their face a good smack.
…at second glance here, i just realize once more, how lucky i always was and how that’s such a great gift from life itself, not too many can also be thankful for…
sure bottomline is always hormons…whatever is driving us, dopamin and adrennalinn is the big reward…
and i never crossed any of the many red lines, we’re all sourrounded by to find us tempted, teased and tickled, to end up on roads leading to addictions, just to feel rewarded…
the most common most sneaky and therefor most dangerous one,is, was and always will be alcohol…but was never of any real intrest to me…
apart from dmt (keep that ticket untouched for my final train of thoughts behind the final curtain call) i have seen them all…
and was always easily capable to control each of them, never let them have control over me…always enjoyed the fun ride, got never lost on the dark side…
only one that got me loosing that balance for a little while was bloody blow…
what a hell of a bitch of a drug…egopowder is the last thing u need in the age of ego…
as said, the only thing that was really useful for any creative work was thc…
i also was lucky enough, to get my hands on finest sonic tools pretty early on and never felt the need and greed for more gear here, more gear there, since i always had the perfect tools for another next mission to just come around the corner…
while each mission paid easily the bills and left enough for investments, the next mission might need to get realized…
plus the instinct and the idea always upfront what it needs and what it does not…
…gosh…priveledged lucky bastard…that’s me…can’t be thankful enough…
the only drug that once almost killed me, though…was…well, never would have guessed it…sugar…THE misuse substance of modern civilization…the fastest undercover habit pleaser of them all…
especially if u suffer from a full blown thc afterburner munchie…experienced way too much of those guilty pleasures for sure…
Is the question asking about those who might use substances while using their synths? Or some kind of addiction to using their synths? If it’s the later, then I think it’s a odd question. I’ve never heard concerns about someone practising piano for many hours each day. In fact, that would be viewed quite positively.
There was hilarious Tiktok or Youtube video of a German guy with half-shaved head with long hair who is first gathering some mushroom in a forest and then jamming and literally crying over most obnoxious pattern on analog synth. Anyone remembers it? Would fit the thread perfectly…
Great question! I’m a psychologist rather than an Occupational Therapist, so I can’t speak to occupational therapy specifically.
That said, I believe psychotherapy is extremely valuable for artists. I started going to therapy towards the end of my acting career and still go weekly. I have never felt more in touch with my inner artist.
I work with lots of artist clients, and it’s such an honor and a joy to walk with them on their journey.
I’m deeply biased, but therapy and the arts are like chocolate and peanut butter. Great on their own, even yummier together.
It’s a bit funny. For all of the years I was a polysubstance addict (weed, pills and alcohol mostly) I found myself playing music less and less often. It didn’t make me love music less, but it destroyed my motivation to create (and therefore, my creativity). In fact, it destroyed a lot of nice things, but I pulled myself back out.
After my teenage years, I didn’t renew my interest in electronic music until I got sober and started caring about making things again. Now I have plenty of fulfilling hobbies and never run out of things to be doing. I’m happy with my sobriety too.