Blog #10

On page 119, Hughes makes the claim that “inner conflict is often seen as the cause of creativity.” This quote is very interesting to me not only because it’s related to what I want to research for my second paper, but it’s also interesting because I’m not sure it’s correct. Is conflict really the cause of creativity, or does it just appear this way since conflict is an inherent fact of human existence?

Hughes offers much evidence which seems to say yes to the question. The Bronte sisters and their TB, Beethoven and deafness, and Dostoyevsky with his epilepsy all seem to validate the fact that there’s a link between creativity and conflict. Anyone who has listened to one of Beethoven’s symphonies or read Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre will attest that these individuals certainly were creative. And also, considering the physical trials each one faced, it’s also easily acknowledged that each one faced conflict. Another example comes through Frida Kahlo’s painting on page 119. It’s a rather poignant image of suffering, with the tears falling down her face, the nails poking into her skin, the shattered column in her back, and the restraints wrapped around her body. It’s obvious that Kahlo’s a talented painter, but without the suffering she faced through a car accident, I’m not sure she would have been able to paint such a striking picture.

However, despite the myriad examples Hughes gives of individuals who faced conflict and were also creative, I’m still not 100% convinced there’s a correlation (or at least not one as strong as he has implied). Indeed, many of our best creatives faced conflict, but who hasn’t? With the exception of the very young—and even they have faced the trial of birth—I can think of no human who has escaped conflict. Given, some face much greater conflict than others, but it is undoubtedly something which every human faces.

Understanding this idea that everyone faces conflict, I’m now going to go a little scientific. If we were going to do an experiment in which we attempted to prove whether or not conflict is the cause of creativity we would need to place our subjects into groups. First would be our “conflict” group and second would be our “non-conflict” group. We would then observe each group and see which one came up with more creativity. If the conflict group was significantly more creative than our control, the non-conflict group, then we would have proof that creativity is caused by conflict. However, this is an experiment we can never complete because there is no conflict free person, hence there is no control.

I don’t mean to assert that there is no connection between creativity and conflict. After all, Hughes presents an impressive list of people who were both creative and conflicted. Yet, there’s also the fact that, even though it appears there’s a connection, we can’t be entirely sure there is. Whatever the answer is, I think the possible connection between creativity and conflict is a really interesting idea. Additionally, I’m excited to see what I find out when I research this idea further for my second paper.