atrocityland

About how much weed do you smoke and do you get inspiration for your concepts while stoned?

This is something I don’t talk about publicly very much because I know a lot of people have negative feelings on drug use; so, first off: I know that I am responsible with my smoking habits, don’t irresponsibly spend money on marijuana & smoking paraphernalia, and take breaks when I find myself smoking more frequently than I’d like or when I notice myself smoking habitually (i.e out of boredom/just as ‘something to do’). If people are going to judge me for that, it’s disappointing, but at that point, they’re not really judging me- they’re judging the use of marijuana itself regardless of the personal responsibility of the user, and there isn’t anything I can do about that.

Second- I don’t think that marijuana is some magical cure-all to life’s problems; Personally, however, I’ve had extremely favorable experiences with it, and do believe that it has medicinal and therapeutic value for some individuals. The symptoms of my own anxiety and depression are considerably lessened by regular marijuana use. Regular marijuana use has helped far more than prescription antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication, which have not been as effective and which have caused a number of side-effects, including appetite loss, sleep issues, sexual dysfunction, and loss of motivation and creative drive.

Marijuana has different effects on everyone, however, and can definitely exacerbate anxiety, depression, and other issues for some people. I am staunchly in favor of personal responsibility when it comes to drug use (and pretty much everything, really) and believe that it’s beneficial for all individuals to educate themselves about drug effects and why marijuana is illegal before they form their own opinions on marijuana and/or other drugs. There is a documentary called The Union: The Business Behind Getting High which- although it takes an admittedly anti-prohibition stance- highlights many of the current legal and medical issues surrounding the prohibition of marijuana. I think that regardless of one’s personal stance on the drug itself, most people can agree that the prohibition of marijuana in the United States is a vastly misguided effort and an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars.

Anyway, with all that out of the way- I’ve been smoking regularly for around a year now (with a few breaks here and there); I don’t engage in any other drug use (aside from an occasional beer; I have a pretty adverse physical reaction to alcohol however). When I’m high, I like to do the same sorts of things I enjoy doing sober- this includes writing, drawing, watching movies, and listening to music. Also, sometimes when I smoke I like to pretend I’m a levitating robotic cat head that speaks through text messages, so there’s that. Marijuana use (for me) generally increases focus and promotes creative thinking & motivation, so it’s conducive for brainstorming; I’ve definitely smoked & then come up with new ways of approaching problems. But I certainly don’t “need” to smoke marijuana to be creative and I think it’s incredibly offensive when people see my writing/visual designs and make comments like “what drugs were you on when you came up with that?” (which this anon wasn’t doing or anything). 70-90% of my creative work is done while entirely sober.

I hope that answers your questions; if you have any other questions I’m more than happy to answer, either through tumblr or through email/AIM.