I regret quitting

[creativedepression]

Hi. I'm 18 years old and recently got caught smoking marijuana. Quitting wasn't my choice and I'm having a hard time adjusting to my new life pot free, but not for the reason that most people struggle to adjust.

You see, I would consider myself an artist. My work is not groundbreaking mind you, but I've dedicated an art blog to it and I want to maybe pursue a career of fine arts in the future. Smoking played a big part in my art process. It would help me relax and let go and actually make something decent without being worried of mistakes and messing up. Now that I can't smoke anymore, my Art feels extremely mediocre and I'm struggling to get out of bed to draw. Everything I make now just feels... Bad. Like it's not as good as it used to be. And I understand that making art while high gives you a false sense of superiority when it turns out that your art is actually trash and all that but this is different. I've looked at the art I've made while I was high compared to art that I make now and I've noticed a significant downgrade. It just isn't as fluid and dynamic as it used to be. It's come to the point where I haven't updated anything on my art blog for weeks now because I'm embarrassed of what I make and I feel like it's not good enough anymore. I know this is a cannabis help forum and not an art help forum but I don't know where else to turn.

I've tried talking to my parents about how I've been feeling with my art and how cannabis relates to it in the hopes that maybe they would see my point of view and let me light up again but to no avail--not that I can blame them. What should I do? I don't want to give up art but right now it feels so tedious and awful that I dread to even pick up a pencil.

Thank you

[Hyzer29]

Hi. I'm 18 years old and recently got caught smoking marijuana. Quitting wasn't my choice and I'm having a hard time adjusting to my new life pot free, but not for the reason that most people struggle to adjust.

You see, I would consider myself an artist. My work is not groundbreaking mind you, but I've dedicated an art blog to it and I want to maybe pursue a career of fine arts in the future. Smoking played a big part in my art process. It would help me relax and let go and actually make something decent without being worried of mistakes and messing up. Now that I can't smoke anymore, my Art feels extremely mediocre and I'm struggling to get out of bed to draw. Everything I make now just feels... Bad. Like it's not as good as it used to be. And I understand that making art while high gives you a false sense of superiority when it turns out that your art is actually trash and all that but this is different. I've looked at the art I've made while I was high compared to art that I make now and I've noticed a significant downgrade. It just isn't as fluid and dynamic as it used to be. It's come to the point where I haven't updated anything on my art blog for weeks now because I'm embarrassed of what I make and I feel like it's not good enough anymore. I know this is a cannabis help forum and not an art help forum but I don't know where else to turn.

I've tried talking to my parents about how I've been feeling with my art and how cannabis relates to it in the hopes that maybe they would see my point of view and let me light up again but to no avail--not that I can blame them. What should I do? I don't want to give up art but right now it feels so tedious and awful that I dread to even pick up a pencil.

Thank you

You express yourself well. I am very glad to hear that you are not having the general symptoms of cannabis withdrawal but I am sorry to hear that you are struggling in the artistic manner you described. Maybe give it a bit more time and see if things improve. I think they will. If your art was fluid and dynamic on weed then it can be the same off weed. It was you, not the weed doing the work.

As art goes, with or without cannabis, there are periods when creativity and production slump mixed with highly creative/productive periods. Perhaps that's the case right now and some top notch production is just around the corner.

Another thought, setup a blind test with a friend or two whom you trust (no worry about embarrassment). Show them samples of your art while you were on pot and samples since you have been off pot, but do not let them know when you created the pieces. You might be surprised that they choose some of your non-pot created pieces over your pot-created pieces. Be fair and don't pick your absolute best pot-created items and worst non-pot pieces.

We'd all like to see how all this turns out. Good luck.

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

Hi Creative Depression,

The only thing I would say is that for some people it can sometimes take a number of months before they truly feel the benefit of quitting, especailly in terms of the ahedonia lifting and their creative spark returning, if it's only been weeks since you quit then you may still have to wait a little longer before you start to feel your old self again.

So in order to get a real idea for what life will be like without pot you often have to wait quite a bit longer after the intitial withdrawal or PAWS subsides before your brain chewmistry fully readjusts.

All the best,