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| Photo by Miss Karen |
Whenever I’m in a dry spell of inspiration, also known as writer’s (blogger’s?) block, a bottle of red wine will re-ignite the spark of inspiration in me. As helpful as this may be, it also puzzles me. What is it about red wine that makes me creative, when without it creativity comes to a grinding halt?
Red wine, or more likely the alcohol that’s included in the package, has mysterious effects when it comes down to human behavior. It affects feelings, creativity, conscious thought, rationality and, when consumed in too large quantities, even motor skills and control of stomach and esophagus (don’t click!).
Back to the original question
What is the effect of red wine that makes me creative again? I think it comes down to two things:
- It shuts down rationality
- It takes away inhibitions
These effects make each other stronger. If rationality is not important, inhibitions have no (rational) basis anymore. And with the inhibitions gone, irrationality is not stupid anymore. Creativity is often a spark of the unexpected. And that, down to the core is irrational; otherwise it was to be expected (or not?).
I, for one, never thought I would ever write about red wine and the effects on human behavior (or my behavior anyway) on a blog about self improvement and achieving authentic success. But it makes sense anyway.
Why do we need inhibitions in the first place? They only make sure we are ‘normal’ and ‘fit in’. You are an original, no matter what you do. If it is what everyone else is doing, that fine! And if it’s ‘different’, that’s fine too!
I think I’m different…how different are you?
This post was written right at the end of a dry spell by the way…time for a refill.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I am different. If only by thinking I am.
I’m different too. But on the subject of red wine, I’m right on the same page as you.
The ideas do indeed flow with a glass of wine. But they dry up, just as fast, when you have too much of the stuff. It’s hard to find that middle ground but I’m putting in some extensive field research
Amen to that! And if the ideas don’t stop, they don’t look quite as brilliant in the morning
I like what you said about the mutual effects of rationality and inhibitions, especially that “with the inhibitions gone, irrationality is not stupid anymore.” I found that insightful.
That’s so interesting, because I feel the same about red wine, but no other alcohol. Other alcohol makes me drunk. Red wine makes me creative and loving and friendly. Who knew?
I actually have a little system in place, though. When I’m drinking red, I have been known to get a little too creative. After one glass is empty, everything goes in drafts. I send NOTHING. I figure if it’s good, it’ll still be good in the morning.
That’s a good system Naomi. It may not seem such a good idea in the morning as it seemed when you wrote it. The same goes for situations that are emotionally charged (very sad, very angry and so on).
I did publish this post just after I wrote it though…it seemed like that would be the right thing to do. And it turned out to be alright
I think the answer to the question of why we need inhibitions lies in the fact that there are many different kinds of inhibitions. Basically any restriction on any behaviour in an inhibition. You might be inhibited from running around town naked. Or you might be inhibited from expressing your creativity. The former is still stupid and most people would recognise that, even if after a bottle of red wine. It’s an inhibition created by strong social norms, whereas the creative inhibitions are probably created by lack of self-confidence. The former is an inhibition we want (if only so we don’t get arrested), the latter isn’t.
So there’s a balance between good and bad in inhibitions, as there is in most things. Inhibitions aid hugely in our development and are a requirement for social cohesion. Without inhibitions at best we’d hate each other, at worst none of us would have been born.
That’s not to say we need *all* the inhibitions we adopted as we grew up. So yeah, drink up, or better yet remove those inhibitions completely, and let your creativity shine through without the wine! (but leave your pants on)
Mark! Your comment made me laugh
Sure there are inhibitions that are desirable. Yet I don’t feel a need to run around naked, so I never get to that inhibition in the first place!
Inhibitions are a funny thing. Why do people dance easier when they’ve had a drink? Why do they tell how they feel about each other after a drink or two? What is it in our system that holds us back in doing what we know is the right thing to do? The best chance for a better future, if only because of the lack of remorse of actions not taken…