I was recently watching a Dr.K clip on Youtube from a stream where he talks about weed and I had a few thoughts, as a professional creative that has been around many of the people he describes, and being one myself. At around the 37 min mark he goes into Creatives using weed- and there's a few things I think those creatives may have been leaving out of their convos with Dr.K -unintentionally or not.

Now, to preface, I understand weed works differently in everyone and there is no "this is how this works in people" - it's more an average of effects that are likely to happen but based on my experience as a "creative" and others I know - there is one common factor that is detrimental to any artist or creative that smokes - and Dr.K briefly mentions it- the Non - longevity of productivity under the influence of weed.

For those of you who dont consider yourself "creatives" or arent a professional artist allow me to explain why as an artist this is detrimental.

There are many reasons why weed can seem helpful for an artist - it makes colors seem more full , it makes tastes explode in your mouth, it can make digital media seem like visual magic, it can also lead you to concepts that you maybe wouldn't have allowed yourself to arrive at sober. But very rarely is it talked, the extremely subtle long term effects on someones practice as an artist. These are common in EVERY artist smoker I know.

For a person that may have a low baseline for productivity (as referenced in the clip) weed may temporarily help their productivity - the common tasks seem fun and the fun tasks seem like childs-play. This can be common in creatives as we typically dream about the fun stuff more than the production-line tasks like going to the grocery store or writing out a budget. This instant boost in vigor from smoking can propel creatives in their own "fun" tasks but.. the problem is the longevity (or lack thereof) and the effects of its digestion in the body as time goes on. While weed can boost someones creativity, especially if that task is boring/monotonous it only lasts for a short amount of time. I must emphasize this.

When working as a professional artist or creative, we work long hours and for some like VFX artists they can work 12-15 hrs a day for Months depending on the production studio's crunch demands. This is where weed fails. For the first hour, you get great ideas and everything's light-hearted (and tbh in this time you may not even be ready to work because looking at a 3D program's Ui when blasted is a real mind-fuck and ur gonna feel like a 50yr mom trying to figure out how to "AirDrop"a photo).

After this first hour passes, ultra creativity hits and the hyper focus sets in- this hour will be the smoker's most productive and attentive period. THIS is when the awesome ideas and work happens.

Then, at around the 2.5hrs post-smoke mark, hits, the "Stares" . This is where you talk to someone and their eyes look empty and they're just "eh" about doing those "production lines tasks" again. For artists this is when the danger sets in and you realize the deep shit ur in-- if ur a professional artist who actually works (drawing on procreate in ur apartment for ur 200 IG followers of family and friends doesnt count im sorry). By this point the creative-mind will slow to an almost halt while the body and mind still feel relaxed. This is the problem- Its like laying down to read a book after a 3 mile run. Reading a book may cause ur mind to explode with images and ideas when first smoking, but once you laydown after that sprint, your eyes are gonna feel like Looney Toons anvils- thus ending the creative run for the artist for atelast the next few hours he/she/they will be creatively incapacitated. The only time Ive seen artists get through this is when theres either a big final exam project the next day, theres a huge client on the line, or theyre at their studio's actual office and they cant walk away from the work, so they take a bunch of breaks to not fall asleep on their keyboard

Now, I must make it clear again that I'm referencing habitual smoking creatives.

What i have seen is that overtime, this will overtake your creative process, and if this overtakes your personal process and incapacitates you from your creative process unless you smoke -then the art will quickly become shortsighted- work/art that can be done in that time while you're "high" or you will work on large projects, rushing each part as you do it.

In conclusion, the problem with the Creative Smoker is not that it caps your ability to be creative, sometimes it may expand that. But its definitely caps your ability to be creative consistently for long periods of time from your being rather than from a substance. Your personal style becomes a loan from a drug and That personal trust in your own creative abilities, that allowed you to create from thin air before, slowly dissipates. until your art becomes those production lines tasks you at first set out to avoid.

This may not be every creative that habitually smokes but its every one that I've met.