Does this ever happen to you?

[Awesome B. Rockinsocks]

Right now where I am it is fast approaching 2 in the morning, and I am wide awake. I am physically exhausted but my mind is wide awake, and I'm suddenly feeling very creative. It seems every artist I've ever known gets the most creative late at night or in the early hours before dawn. Is this like a genneral experience or just an old wives tale?

[Juan]

Happens to me too. Especially after a long day of work, then I can't sleep until I get my ideas out or pass out. Whichever comes first (usually the second). Dunno why though, cause when I wake up the next morning I'll look at what I had done the night before and it turns out to be total crap and I have to end up redoing it anyway.

:(

[Mase]

I don't start drawing till after 11 or so. Sleep is for suckers.

[Popninja]

I USED to be like this, when I was younger.

Later on in life, I found I was most creative when something was preventing me from being so. Like at work, or at a party, or something like that.

[bushiboy]

It only happens for me when I poop.

[MC Fumunda]

i'm a clinical insomniac...so this happens to me ALL the time.

i go through life just like ed norton in fight club, 'cept i don't get a cool tyler durden to hang out with. during the day i'm kinda zombie-ish, but then at night, the juices start flowing.

btw, if you ever wanna kill the juices, waste time on AOL instant messager or play video games....heh.

...not that anyone would wanna kill the juices.

[Exiter]

i think Ive done my best stuff between 2 - 5 am

[Pep]

I've experienced it as well but I've learned to repress it because otherwise I wouldn't function at work. I need at least 8 hrs of sleep or else I turn into a pesky monster. I wish I could work more flexible hours but unfortunatly I don't have that luxury. :(

[XTRVGNZ]

All the time, pal, all the time.

[whibbage]

I get my weirdest ideas when I feel socially rejected and when I get that creative warm glow late at night.. unfortunately I'm wide awake too and it's 4am but I do NOT feel creative... maybe I should sleep >_< but Im chatting with my boyfriend! oh decisions decisions~

[Inkthinker]

I've had that happen... some of my best ideas come up when I really NEED to get some sleep, but I get some spectacular idea and I can't just put it off, I've got to deal with it, get it out and onto paper or I cannot sleep.

Price of creativity. Most of the ideas that have come up at moments like this are my best ones, so I guess it's worth it.

[Beastie]

Its difficult for me.

My girlfriend goes to bed at about 11 and then lies there going 'Dean, I want to go to sleep! - when are you going to stop drawing and come to bed? Dean, I want to go to sleep! I want to turn the light off! - etc etc etc etc etc etc............................'

So I usually go to bed at about 12 - after shes been shouting for an hour.

I'm usually at my most creative between 7-10 anyway. A nice evening time-scale to fit in with my working life............

[xadrian]

I'm with Beastie, I have between 4-6 to draw or do whatever before the wife and kid get home, then after she goes to sleep between about 9-11 I have time too. I get up at 5 so I usually try to get about 5-6 hours of sleep.

What's funny is when I do have problems sleeping, thinking creatively (about a pic I'm working on or a story I'm writing) helps me fall asleep. I've never actually stayed up late, forcing myself to finish something or drawing until I pass out.

But yes, I don't require much sleep (I used to) but now I could try to go to bed but end up back at my table from 2-5 am.

Brains are weird.

[Krosis]

I'm personally most creative when I dream.. especially "waking dreams" in the morning when you're slowly waking up and thus more in control of the dream..but usually it's only in terms of story ideas. problem is.. I dream really cool potential plot lines.. wake up.. think,"wow that was cool..." but then it dissipates if I don't have a pencil and paper handy.

I can't wait for the DreamCorder to be invented. ;)

-cheers

[Vendetta]

I often produce my best work LATE at night... but when I an not tired. If my body is tired but I cant sleep (which happens a lot to me) then I am all but worthless. But, If I get creative and those juices start flowing, it get the adrenaline going as well and I am wide awake and writing/drawing like a mad man... though I dont draw much anymore

[MrDowntown]

when I try drawin in the day it turns out like this
http://www.mrdowntown.com/crapwolvie.jpg

[dfbovey]

I've had several nights where I would start to draw and next thing I knew the sun was coming up. It does put a strain on the 9-5 job. But I kinda just roll with it. Those kind of spurts need to be taken advantage of.

[Bobby Day]

This happens to me all the time, I usualy draw from 1am- 6am. i have been an insomniac for a while though and I think thats part of it. I usualy find I draw better in the day time but draw longer at night, its wierd.
-Bobby

[Carter]

No wonder I haven't drawn in a year... Work is for chumps.

--Carter--

[Spidey]

Originally posted by tweeter
Does this ever happen to you?

All the time. Or sometimes when I dont have time to actually draw my ideas, I write'em down so I could draw them later.
I think thats why I always did so bad in artclass in high school. the classes were from 8-10am and I was just never inspired.

[Kaligula]

i generally do my best work after midnite. Less distractions and all that.

[Juan]

Originally posted by Kaligula
i generally do my best work after midnite. Less distractions and all that.

You actually work? WTF? When did this happen?

:D

[in4pain]

long ago when i had no kids i did this all the time! now when ten comes around im a zombie. hell if i can get myself up to take a piss im happy!

[Rey de las Cabras]

Generally speaking I am a walking zombie, at least in my mind until about 1 am, then it gets going, but I have a overly full load of college art classes and two jobs, so its rough...I stay up all night at least once a week and later in the semester I will be pulling 70 + hours without sleep on average...such is the way of things.

[inkslinger]

No, it's not just you.
It seems most of us who pull the poison from our brains while away at it in the dead of night.
Yee gods......
That sounded so $#^#*&% goth I could just poop.
Really though, I don't know why but it seems some of the best work that hits my table top comes out in the early mornin' hours.

So NO you're not alone!


;dvl;