Talk to any brilliant creative about their life leading up to their success and you’ll discover some messy stuff. The role of conflict — conflict with others and conflict within — is especially evident when you examine the inflection points in creative careers.
Consider the inner conflict of depression for a famous painter like Vincent van Gogh, or the role of a devastating break-up that inspires a career-making album like Alanis Morisette’s breakthrough Jagged Little Pill. Look anywhere and you’ll see it, from Woody Allen’s finest films developed during bouts of his depression to Janet Jackson’s triple-platinum album The Velvet Rope — widely attributed to a battle with anxiety from a failed marriage and a difficult childhood.
Creativity is nourished by conflict.
Another example hits home this year, and especially this week.
