The misleading myth of the mad genius

Van Gogh was an artist par excellence

But suffered from mental illness, hence

Giving rise to the myth of a mad genius

Which is a misconception dangerous

And wildly misleading as well-

Mental illness and creativity do not dwell

Together, Van Gogh succeeded despite

His illness, not because of it, he had to fight

All his demons- illness, poverty, isolation

It was far from a conducive situation

For the generation of art that great

Few people could accomplish much in that state..

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Most people are actually at their creative best

When their inner monsters lie dormant, at rest

To create something beautiful requires one to be

Centered, focused, contented actually

Romanticizing the notion of mad genius is

To artists and people with mental illness, a disservice