I discovered marijuana when I was a teenager. Shortly thereafter, I discovered my own ability to draw. Coincidence? It’s hard to say, but I did create an entire Led Zeppelin tarot deck drawn with marker on cardstock and then laminated it with scotch tape. It looked pretty awesome.
Since marijuana was discovered, people have been getting stoned and making art. I’d be willing to bet money that many a hieroglyphic was created while buzzed (after all, they are called “higher-o-glyphics”), as well as some of those primitive bowls, spoons, arrowheads, and other items which dance on the fuzzy line between tools and art. The mediums of art used while stoned span a vast array of styles and methods. Wiz Khalifa admitted in a recent interview to using cannabis for bonding with creative pals, and also in his own creative process. I can’t say for sure if we’d have some of the incredible ballads of Willie Nelson without help from our favorite herb.
In a recent Harvard study, marijuana was linked to improving brain function—and we obviously need our brains to create art. A report from McLean Hospital, where the study took place, stated, “After three months of medical marijuana treatment, patients actually performed better, in terms of their ability to perform certain cognitive tasks, specifically those mediated by the frontal cortex…” According to Arne Dietrich, the author of How Creativity Happens in The Brain, the brain’s prefrontal cortex is central to creativity. This area is associated with handling emotions, concentrating, and higher brain functions, such as thought and action.
When you think of a stoner artist, you may think of a teenager locked in her bedroom, drawing a set of Led Zeppelin tarot cards. However, there are many successful