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Good Side Effects Of Migraine |
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Migraine pain is something that anyone who has ever
experienced it wouldn’t wish on anybody else except her worst enemy. And
yet, one can argue that that very same migraine pain has been the
genesis of some truly amazing feats of artistic accomplishment. The
conventional wisdom is that only great suffering spurs great art. In the
case of art created by migraine sufferers, that conventional wisdom may
be very wise indeed.
Painters especially have
been very effective in taking their pain and translating into great art.
The visual disturbances associated with migraine aura lends itself to
artistic expression in a wide variety of disciplines, from watercolors
to oils and from surrealism to expressionism. The first pictorial
evidence of migraine aura symptoms may very well be reflected in the
drawings of a medieval mystic known as Hildegard of Bilgen. Hildegard
not only translated her visions into art, but also wrote extensively
about the disease.
Surrealism especially seems to have been an
outlet for painters suffering the effects of migraines. The surrealist
painter Georgia de Chirico is on record as having been a migraine
sufferer. Salvador Dali is also suspected of having created much of his
bizarre images out of visual hallucinations associated with migraine
aura.
There are various webs site devoted to what is known as
“migraine art” and there have even been migraine art exhibitions. In
fact, there have been migraine art competitions in which paintings were
judged based on how well the painters translated the following the
guidelines from inside their head onto the canvas. They had to
successfully paint their own singular impressions of any form of visual
disturbance which heralds a classical migraine attack, the pain
associated with a migraine attack, as well as the effect that migraine
headaches has had on their lives.
If you’re looking for art that
may have been inspired by migraines, be sure to check out the following
artists:
Georgia O’Keefe
William Blake
Vincent
Van Gogh
Peggy Hoffman
Neel Kar
Angela Butt
Gill
Knox
Sofia Greene
Molly Barr
Mark Fitzgerald
Lewis
Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland books are well-known examples of
literature inspired by migraines, and probably the most famous. But they
are hardly the only books written by migraine suffferers.
Joan
Didion’s essay “In Bed” is an achingly honest—no pun intended—account of
her battle with migraines. Anyone who has ever suffered through the
misery of migraines can commiserate with Didion. It’s probably one of
the most honest and sincere works of literature about any kind of
debilitating ailment ever written.
Karla J. Dorman’s poem “Lady
of the Lights” is a fantastic recreation of the bizarre visual
disturbances associated with migraine aura. All of those who have seen
flashing lights, shooting stars and zigzagging lines dance before their
eyes during the throes of a migraine only to be told that there is no
such things as a migraine and it’s all in their head will appreciate
this honest representation of what Dorman describes as a circus.
H.G.
Wells’ “The Remarkable Case of Davidson’s Eyes” is often thought to have
been inspired by migraines.
And then there’s music. Generally,
music isn’t terribly conducive to migraines. After all, sensitivity to
noise is a hallmark of migraines and one of its triggers. Of course, one
doesn’t necessarily have to create music during the midst of a migraine
episode. The memory lingers on, as they say. Several really big names in
music suffered from migraine headaches, including Gustav Mahler and
Elvis Presley. Jeff Tweedy of the group Wilco is well known-documented
migraine sufferer who has expressed his pain through music. In addition,
some specific music and songs owe their genesis at least in part to
migraines.
“Migraine” from the album Abrasive by Puddle of Mudd
“Migraine”
from the album Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker by The Coral
“Migraine”
from the album Broken Airplanes by Troubled Hubble
“Migraine”
from the album Sleep No More by DJ Signify
“Migraine Induced
Madness” by Brad Preston. This one was allegedly written by Preston
while in the midst of a migraine episode.
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