Rain

dubdisciple
Hmmmm..maybe we should steer this convo to include music. Are there any people of the school of thought  that drugs helps them create? I'm not. The only thing that woukd get finished if i went into the  studio on weed is lots of Doritos. Yet, I know guys who will get high and the will write and record amazing songs.

In terms of recreational use, whatever people want to do...
 
As for the rest, I don't believe that something that slows you down, messes up your perceptions and affects your intellect negatively is of any benefit in terms of creativity. 
 
IMO, absorbing mind-altering substances to access creative potential is like cheating oneself out of an opportunity to know oneself, to access and express one's full potential and to be self-reliant. 
 
Whenever I think of music,  I can't help but draw parallels w/ Bruce Lee's teachings in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do - it's about reaching your full potential and expressing yourself, facing challenges and seeing them as opportunities to improve yourself. 
 
 

I agree with everything you said....for me.  Whether it is a placebo affect or simply a lowering of creativity blocking inhibitions, some people seem to get their desired results in a psycho-actively induced state of mind.  I would much rather be able to get to that place on my own, but can't knowck for those who take what for them is a more instant gratification.

I used to use drugs a long time ago.
 
pot, cocaine, speed, crystal meth (we called it "crank"), did acid a few times but didn't like it.  I never got into the needle scene, for me it was either injested, smoked or snorted.  but did a lot of it back in the 80's.
 
that was a long time ago and far, far away.

I grew up in a 70's household where both parents smoked pot, did the occasional trip etc. I have lots of great memories of fantastic days out in the country with my family, their friends and kids, and I've since been told "oh yeah, everyone was on acid that day." Of course this sounds shocking now, the kind of thing the newspapers would have a field day with, but I guess things were different back then.
 
Funny story - my dad once made some very strong hash cookies and put them in a tin on a high shelf. He also made my brother and I a batch of the same cookies but without the hash, so we wouldn't feel hard done by due to the smell of freshly baked treats wafting through the apartment. I was about 5, my brother 7. Well we ate through our batch quickly enough and located the "forbidden" tin. Wasn't that hard to climb up and get it. We ate 3 or 4 each before my dad stopped us.
 
My dad panicked when he realized we'd eaten them. He stayed up all night with us and kept us off school the next day. Apparently we were just really drowsy and laughed a lot. I wouldn't stop asking questions about the sky and my brother slept most of the time. I honestly think that because we were kids and walking around with tripped out minds anyway, we took it in our stride. In the end we came down off our little cookie trip and were fine. Back to school the next day.

Beagle
I used to use drugs a long time ago.
 
pot, cocaine, speed, crystal meth (we called it "crank"), did acid a few times but didn't like it.  I never got into the needle scene, for me it was either injested, smoked or snorted.  but did a lot of it back in the 80's.
 
that was a long time ago and far, far away.

 

Bad doggie!

craigb

Beagle
I used to use drugs a long time ago.
 
pot, cocaine, speed, crystal meth (we called it "crank"), did acid a few times but didn't like it.  I never got into the needle scene, for me it was either injested, smoked or snorted.  but did a lot of it back in the 80's.
 
that was a long time ago and far, far away.

 

Bad doggie!

yes, I was.
 
whimper.

Not a fan of acid. Had a roommate give me acid without me knowing. When I moved out he gave me a candy bar. Thought it was an odd parting gift. I should have known something was up because this was the roommate that would do things like huff Scotchguard. One day as I was settling into my new place, I decide to eat the candy bar. For the next 14 hours I discovered every secret the universe had along with the  answers to EVERYTHING. I created a song about 20 minutes long. Pretty sure I figured out the cure to cancer and got on a first name basis with God. I even jotted it all down in case I forgot. Unfortunately when I crashed and woke up my "brilliant" manifesto was many pages of pure scribble.  My fiancee found my behavior and ramblings the previous night odd but harmless and the song decent. At that time I had NO idea what happened and questioned my sanity. One day I bumped into old roommate and he asked how I liked the acid he gave me. Still not connecting the dots, I asked what he was talking about. He then explained the acid was in the candy bar and I finally connected by "magical trance" with plain ol hallucine induced delusions of granduer. I was pissed but still found humor in it. I really should have known better than to consume anything from him.

" 
Whenever I think of music,  I can't help but draw parallels w/ Bruce Lee's teachings in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do - it's about reaching your full potential and expressing yourself, facing challenges and seeing them as opportunities to improve yourself. "
 
interesting parallel considering the autopsy into his death
"also showed that there were trace amounts of cannabis in his system, which the doctor originally tried to blame for the death. However, upon further investigation, the ignorant doctor was shown to be incorrect as cannabis cannot realistically kill anyone."
not having a go at you but references to his frequent use of hashish abound and folklore posits he used hashish to slow down his movements as the camera could not keep up.
I agree with most that,pot especially with it`s ability to distort psychomotor co-ordination is a hindrance to learning but once you have mastered your instrument and established muscle memory it can be liberating and creative for some-as the saying goes-one mans meat is another mans mouthful

I took acid like candy in the summer of '95. Lots of mushrooms too. I've been on some pretty heavy Jim Morrisonesque trips and enjoyed them thoroughly, although it's not for everyone. I think the key to getting through a strong hallucinogenic experience is to retain your sense of reason and never lose sight of the fact that it's just a wacky chemical coursing through your brain wreaking havoc. As soon as you start perceiving it as a mystical experience, that's when the potential for terror arises IMO.

I think when it gets to the point where you don't recognize any of your friends (partly because they all have monkey faces) and you can't remember any of their names, that's when you've had too much acid.

I really think it can alter your brain permanently though and wouldn't seriously recommend it to anyone.

webbs hill studio
 
interesting parallel considering the autopsy into his death
"also showed that there were trace amounts of cannabis in his system, which the doctor originally tried to blame for the death. However, upon further investigation, the ignorant doctor was shown to be incorrect as cannabis cannot realistically kill anyone."
not having a go at you but references to his frequent use of hashish abound and folklore posits he used hashish to slow down his movements as the camera could not keep up.

I get that. :)  
 
But I'm interested in his teachings, not the biographic details, the wisdom, not the man. Principle, not form. Which really is the Tao of Jeet Kune Do at work, if you think about it - distilling the essence. :P
 

sharke
 
acid.

I really think it can alter your brain permanently though and wouldn't seriously recommend it to anyone.

 
I saw Peter Green on a 'comeback' tour sometime in the early '90's. It was one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed, he could barely play.