Month: October 2014

The life of a traveling artist is a unique one. Travel is an old tradition for artists, and a common way for them to build a name for themselves. Musicians and other performers in particular often tour as part of their profession. Many artists thoroughly enjoy the travel aspect of their craft. It is an opportunity to see places and meet people that would otherwise remain undiscovered. However, there is a dark side to the travel world for artists as well. A lifestyle of travel can promote instability, something a number of artists already have in abundance. The instability of the travel lifestyle can lead an artist down a path of addiction and mental disorder due to weakened coping abilities, which can have devastating ramifications on their lives and careers.

A lifestyle of travel alone can spur a person toward addiction. Flight crew staff and pilots are known for falling into addictive behaviors more than other professions for this reason. To live in a constant state of travel is to live amid instability, which proves to be too much for some people. Traveling separates a person from their traditional support systems and puts them in unfamiliar environments with unfamiliar people. Some people with a particular taste for adventure thrive in this type of environment, while others suffer. This lifestyle can cause loneliness, depression, anxiety and a number of other mentally unhealthy qualities that lead to substance abuse and addiction in an attempt to cope.

The second part of the path to addiction for this lifestyle is that of being an artist. This is not to say that those who are artists are also addicts. Many artists have never taken an interest in addictive substances or behaviors. There is a trend among artists, however, to have more of an addictive personality than other professionals. This is common of many creative professions, as the high of pursuing a creative endeavor is similar to the high of indulging in an addiction, the difference being that one is healthy and one is not. Receiving addiction counseling and rehabilitation can be the best thing for this type of person.

Musicians have a long history with addiction that has frequently ended in tragedy. Musicians are unique people full of talent, creativity, curiosity, intelligence and sensitivity. Musicians naturally want to test the limits of their abilities by writing and perfecting complex pieces of music, and by pursuing musical visions. However, these same qualities that make them hunger for musical perfection can be the same qualities that lead them down a dark path of addiction. Addiction gives people a high in the same way the pursuit of their passion does, making addiction an attractive alternative to the grueling work of being recognized for artistic talent.

Most musicians do not intend to stray from their musical abilities because of addiction. Arguably, some never do. The Rolling Stones wrote a number of highly acclaimed songs while certain band members were grappling with addiction. However, most musician’s careers are negatively impacted by addiction, destroyed in some cases. As the addiction begins to affect the individual’s relationships, pursuits and health, the quality of their musical composition often takes a turn for the worse. They are heavily distracted by craving the object of their addiction and are not focusing their energy on their craft. Many musician’s artistic contributions have progressively gone down hill due to this problem.

Some musicians recover from their addictive behavior while others continue to spiral downward, wreaking havoc through their personal and professional lives while the media captures every moment of it and makes it public. Some musicians find themselves in rehab while others find themselves in the grave. A number of musicians have overdosed or poisoned themselves during a binge and were found dead. This tragic loss to the music world does not have to repeat itself time and time again. A number of musicians who struggled with addiction have been able to receive addiction treatment and turn their lives around, returning to their passion for music as their life’s priority. If you are a musician who is struggling with addiction, or someone you are close to it, reach out for help from a professional addiction treatment facility today.

There are a number of people for whom life on the road is a reality. A number of professions and vocations call people to travel for a variety of reasons. Whether they are traveling salesman or performers, the road becomes a way of life and becomes a type of home. Traveling professionals do not have lifestyle in common with the average person. So much of the routine and ritual of life is forgone for a more spontaneous, adventurous existence. Life on the road has both positive and negative effects on a person.

There are a number of good experiences and positive life lessons that a person can take from an existence of travel. There is an obvious attraction to a travel lifestyle for a number of people who have wanderlust, and often these people flourish in this type of existence. Traveling professionals are given the opportunity to sight see and become exposed to regions, environments and cultures that they may have otherwise never experienced. Traveling also means forming relationships with a great many people, and getting to know some of the most unique personalities there are. This greatly enhances a person’s perspective on the world and tends to leave people far more open minded and educated than they were before they began traveling.

However, a life of travel is not always a positive thing. There a number of drawbacks to the rootlessness of extended traveling that can have negative consequences on certain types of people. Loneliness is a common side effect of wandering. Unlike people who are settled into a community, travelers tend to have far more sporadic and unreliable relationships on the road. Save for the other people they are traveling with, if any, friends and acquaintances are always temporary and many people incorporate it into their lifestyle not to let people in deeply. Rootlessness itself can wear heavily on people who travel. Routines, social and support systems, familiarity and a number of personal goals go by the wayside for long term travellers. In sensitive people, this can lead to mental disorders due to health needs not being met, or addiction in an attempt to cope with the unreliability of a travel lifestyle.