Hallucinogen Impact On Art Essay

Hallucinogen Impacts on Art
Hallucinogens are also used to inspire artists. According to a peer-reviewed journal by Taylor & Francis, artists have used hallucinogens to change their perceptions by exploring “their influence on human life in general and particularly on the creative process” (Radenkova-Saeva 657). Artists are using hallucinogens as a way to motivate themselves and forge new creative art.

Fig. 2.“LSD” (Saunders) Fig 3. “Psilocybin Mushrooms” (Saunders)
Artist Bryan Lewis Saunders took ninety-one drugs and created corresponding self-portraits out of curiosity to experiment how drugs could change his perception of reality. CNN, an American news channel, claims “[t]he idea came to him in August 2001 when he swallowed a Valium, then Butalbital, a barbiturate, the following day. Over one period Saunders took 18 drugs in 11 days” (Page). In Fig. 2, Lewis had taken LSD, and in Fig. 3, he had taken Psilocybin

Hallucinogens also prove an unnecessary treatment for medicinal purposes because there are less harmful alternatives, such as antidepressants. Furthermore, people are abusing the use of hallucinogens for cultural and religious reasons, resulting in people suffering long term biological consequences, such as Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, that will prohibit their ability to do even mundane activities later in life, and possibly endangering themselves and others. Moreover, while hallucinogens are inspiring creativity in artists and stimulating sensory perception in the observers, the negative effects of hallucinogens can take a toll on artists’ health. Hallucinogens can also control someone’s life and force them to make irrational decisions because their perception of reality is skewed. Ultimately, hallucinogens cause detrimental effects to people by drastically changing their perceptions of