roomsforall

Hi Dee and LDT!

Plenny

Rooms,
That's a big accomplishment indeed. Was it difficult to start up again?
It is complete torture for me if I break momentum. I have trouble stopping and starting. I get hyper-focused it seems, then afraid of stopping, because then I'm afraid to start! I'm a visual artist by the way in case anyone didn't already know that!

Olive1

I used to think I was so creative when I had had a couple of drinks. In fact, I was crap.
After I got sober, I was too sad to do any painting. After about a year, I finally started again.
I understand about the stopping and starting. I have trouble getting started a lot of the time, but once I do, I don't want to stop.

Plenny

roomsforall

No, it's not hard to start up again. The key is not over-thinking it.

I know what you mean about the fear of stops and starts, though. Alcoholics fear change, as the conventional wisdom says.

Plenny

I always need a reminder to not over-think
I am the great over-thinker
I used to drink for that
Haha

Bebetter

I'm not even close to being an artist, but love the idea of this thread, because I always thought "if I get sober, I'll never be an artist!" Which I now find absolutely hilarious, since I was never an artist while drinking either.

I think there is a strong cultural association between art and mind-enhancing substances, but most of the serious artists I know aren't users.

Plenny

Stop in any time Bebetter!
I happen to think art is so diverse that anyone CAN be an artist. As long as you find something you like to make and do over and over again, and cultivate your voice (literal and figurative). Sobriety means starting new things for a lot of people right? Why not try coming over to the dark side hehehe

Olive1

This is true!
Anyone can be an artist!

Plenny

I always need a reminder
Not to over think
For this is for what I am famous
And why I used to drink

Sobersunshine

Hi! I used to write a lot. I was a journalist for a time and I love creative writing. Im also an amateur photographer and like to draw, do things with clay, etc. anything creative. That has all fallen to the wayside as my alcoholism progressed. Noe I'm sober and I want to be artsy again!

Threshold

I'm an artist.

Drinking and using made me far to muzzy headed to work, so I am way more productive over all when I am consistantly sober.

Never felt that drugs or booze enhanced my muse at all. Sobriety has only helped my art by giving me more sober opportunities to turn my ideas into reality.

Visual artist, collage and mixed media.

RiverFriend

Hi Plenny,
Musician/writer here struggling with the booze......and often the art

DoubleBarrel

I'm an artist also.

Used to be that drugs and alcohol seemed to be part of the artist thing, but it turned into a crutch.

Getting better ideas than ever now, and the execution of things is much better and less sloppy technically.

Plenny

It's interesting to see the resounding report that booze squashed the muse. I really felt that way towards the end there. It was really down to the booze or the art. I knew I couldn't live without creating, and something in me suspected I could live better without drinking

roomsforall

It's great so many artists are here. And sober!

zhaverzky

I'm a musician. Been sober for two weeks. Practicing has been ok but I'm a little terrified of upcoming gigs. Played last Friday, as soon as I got off stage I shook a few hands and then split. Everyone was holding a drink. Playing a dry event tomorrow but they're pretty few and far between. Going to ease up on performing until I get as good handle on being sober. Never drank much while writing or recording so hopefully I can get back into that fairly soon. But always drank after, work for six-eight hours and then eat dinner and drink till bed time. Maybe I'll try going back to work after dinner instead

Dee74

I took time off, because most of the gigs I did were bars.When I went back I knew I wanted to be sober - I also let everyone know in the band I was sober.

Playing sober was really great - I never felt more connected with an audience ever

Took me a long time to wind down, but I found I just came home and played and wrote some more

D

zhaverzky

Since I've started driving a couple of years ago I've played a few cover-band bar gigs stone-cold sober. Was surprised by how much fun I had. Always though I would need the booze to be able to enjoy hammering out Stones covers for four hours. All the original music stuff I do I learned to do sober years ago. My drinking was always after the show, to help me come down from the crazy high of performing. I wonder how I'm going to deal with that.

For the visual artists, I wonder how they deal with opening etc. After solo shows I have to do a lot of what I call "shaking babies and kissing hands" y'know working the room, selling cds, trying to book other shows. I don't know how I'm going to do that without a drink in my hand. Might be time to hire a manager

Plenny

It's going to be tough... sort of. I bet there will be a few really rough spots but then after that first night it will get easier. I feel that way about most things I do for the first time sober...
I'm about to have my first sober opening though, still a few weeks away.

When I was in a band, I drank SO much. I wrote, practiced, performed drunk. My last show was an embarrassment. I am still not over that and it was years ago. I did not think I could play again because I felt I had to drink. I gave away my piano,
I sold my keyboard. I thought if I stayed in the band it would kill me.
Now I'd really love to buy a keyboard again. I don't feel like I need to drink to play anymore. But I sure used to get nervous and drunk before a show! I gotta say I admire the sober musicians out there.
The drummer in my husband's band used to drink too much, so when she quit the whole band went dry for a pretty long tour to support her and get her through her first run. Very cool. And this was a pretty hard partying band for like 14 years. So many songs about drinking! Fans just dying to do drugs with you. All of it. It CAN be done!