The concept of the sober artist is historically something of an oxymoron. Thinking of some of the world’s most famous artists, such as the widely celebrated and recognized Vincent Van Gogh, lived a life of substance use disorders or mental health issues that went untreated and unaddressed for so long that it played a part in their suffering or passing. Thinking similarly to Frida Kahlo and her struggle with alcohol and drug abuse, and F. Scott Fitzgerald with alcoholism. You may also know the more modern celebrities and various kinds of artists. Chris Farley, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Marilyn Monroe, Robin Williams, and tragically so many more.

A life led without a focus on the alcohol and drugs and unhinged mania does bring a present calm and sweet stillness to the air. Suddenly when I look up, the clouds in the sky are puffy and white and greet me with a smile. Existence moves at a pace that is simple and painfully slow but soft like woven wool. The monotony of drunken stupor and hazy forgotten memories is not where time has led me.

Lucid life these days is exciting all on its own. It is its own kind of wonderful, kind, sweet, and inviting in a way that substances and a lack of present awareness are not.

That scary shadow from a raging cumulonimbus cloud no longer looms above my head but under my feet. It is something that holds little power over me. Two steps ahead instead of ten steps behind. It is here I have found peace. The power of the sober artist is something delicate and beautiful.