Does isolation foster creativity or hinder it?

Does isolation foster creativity or hinder it?
I have stepped outside perhaps 15 times since Christmas. I feel as though I should be miserable and jaded, but it's neutral. A bit bleak at times, but it's neutral. When I think about my agoraphobic situation, I become extremely depressed and realize how truly sad it is, but during these moments of anguish I realize that my reclusion allows me to develop an understanding of myself without interference of the perception of others. This is likely dangerous and it is definitely unhealthy.
When I force myself to go out, my writing and artwork becomes more lively and optimistic, but very plain. When I coddle my anxiety and choose to stay inside for a year straight, my writing is dark but much better and more dynamic than what I write when semi-active.

Are there any essential books about reclusive individuals that I should check out, maybe even written by recluses? I've been avoiding fiction for so long to focus on continental philosophy. I need a refreshing retreat. I just want to be able to relate to a book for once. Being so controlled by anxiety is hellish. It rules my life. I don't really want to read anything about slightly awkward guys who have social anxiety. Is there /any/ book about extreme, unrelenting anxiety and loneliness?

bump

This is a slow board, you don't need to bump it that often.

Why would you even bump it without checking how far down it's fallen? If you'd lurked for any time at all no doubt you'd have found an answer to your question without having to make a thread, even. Twat.

you're a faggot

i recommend ''un homme qui dort''

leave your house ffs. isolation for that long can cause brain damage. ive left the house twice since the start of the month and ive already found that i cant think straight

Isolation is good if you want to write self-indulgent emotionalist garbage. But the highest achievement of literature is not self-expression, but accurate and edifying views of other people. We admire Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Melville, and Flaubert because they enrich and enhance our understanding of humanity by providing us with true, accurate portrayals of human experience.

If you want to be a good writer, it's more important to observe than participate. You need to be inherently and deeply curious about people. This doesn't mean that you need to hang out with dumbasses. It doesn't mean that you need to party every weekend. Many people are surrounded by others every day, and yet never seem to recognize them as human beings. Don't be like them.

>Flaubert
Flaubert was an obsessive shut-in (when he wrote, at least), not a good example

Melville too was kind of a recluse.

I think everyone experiences some degree of brain damage throughout their life, the thing is that the brain is plastic, and can easily adapt to any organic damage by simply altering the neural circuitry. The damage can be felt at first, but after a while, you will not notice it anymore.

Whatever perception of damage you'd experience after prolonged isolation, would simply be an indicator of a reshaped neural network, but not actual damage.

Both Melville and Flaubert interacted with people a fair bit. They weren't celebrities, but very few people in the 19th century were as reclusive as an average 4channer (who, even if he never goes out, gets his daily fix of social interactions from nameless Internet Neo-Nazis and teenagers). It was simply not possible in a pre-Internet age.

No, but isolation + drugs, yes

These may be relevant to some degree.

Oblomov, A Rebours, Hunger by Knut Hamsun, The Book of Disquiet, No Longer Human, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, The Tartar Steppe, Journey to the End of the Night, The Elementary Particles, Walden, Essays in Idleness - Kenko and Chomei, Suicide - Edouard Leve, Notes from the Underground
The film version of "Un Homme Qui Dort" is great, never read the book though. I guess some films that also fall under this umbrella could be "All About Lily Chou-chou", "Eureka" - Shinji Aoyama, "Fallen Angels" by Wong kar-wai

I only leave my house to drive to my grandmother's. It's been like this for over a year now. Sad! And pathetic.

How does this even work? Do you stockpile food? Do people bring it to you?

I'm a pretty introverted and isolated person, but I still leave the house everyday (having a job definitely is part of that), but I can't imagine filling my kitchen with more than a week or two of groceries at a time.

Anyway, you guys are making me feel extroverted. I tend to measure this kind of thing with metrics like "I've only been to a bar 4 times this year' or 'I haven't spent time with a friend in 3 weeks'.

My hermit power level is not as extreme as I thought.

>I still leave the house everyday (having a job definitely is part of that)
>My hermit power level
reddit.

not op, the other guy. i live at home so my parents. ordinarily id leave the house everday for uni, but since exams are over and i dont have resits, i have nowhere to be until september

yeah you're a fucking normie desu

it's ok, it's a healthy thing

I'm OP. I didn't bump the thread. You'd know this if you looked at the 'number of posters' upon viewing the reply. I know Veeky Forums is slow so I tabbed over for a while. I would have understood if the thread had gotten absolutely no replies.

Since I'm legally disabled due to the various anxiety disorders, my mother brings me food every so often. It's pathetic, I know.

Thank you all, so much. I'll write all of this down and be sure to check it all out soon.

You're right. I need to be around people. I really miss it. I really, really miss it. It's just extremely difficult. I don't hate people at all. I love human beings. I just get overwhelmed and terrified. I love humans so much but, dear god, can they be scary.

15 times since Christmas? That's hardly isolation. I've stepped outside 15 times in the last five years. At first I was miserable but now I'm happier than I've ever been before (not that I would recommend this to any of you).

Bull. Shit. Post a picture from your room

What for? I still clean my room. I have very few possessions. Helps keep the mind clear.

>Does isolation foster creativity or hinder it?

depends on your situation

>I feel as though I should be miserable and jaded, but it's neutral. A bit bleak at times, but it's neutral.

I'm probably more isolated than you are and I'm fine, but then again, I'm a modern day tank man. I'm isolated for a reason, its a civil protest. Ive got that going for me. I'm also a musician so I'm not entirely limited to literature.

>When I think about my agoraphobic situation, I become extremely depressed and realize how truly sad it is, but during these moments of anguish I realize that my reclusion allows me to develop an understanding of myself without interference of the perception of others. This is likely dangerous and it is definitely unhealthy.

Dude, get a grip. I've been alone for two years, working my ass off a la Great Expectations. Stop being a pussy. If you have anxiety get some pills.

> Is there /any/ book about extreme, unrelenting anxiety and loneliness?

plenty, look for them you lazy bastard

God I hate this projecting /r9k/ pity party shit. I know. I fucking know that you have cut me off from society- grats! I also don't care, because I know what the future ramifications of your actions will be. There is no way to hide this. Its too big already.

Its like you've all walked by the Elephant's Foot for a few seconds. You're already dead, but you'll be walking around for a while longer. Class action is right around the corner.

No problem. I forgot to mention 100 years of solitude by marquez, there's a few characters in that book that are recluses. Steppenwolf. Some stuff by Beckett, Kafka. Frankenstein. Lanark. Young Torless by Musil. The Loser by Bernhard. Some stuff by Mishima maybe too and Soseki. Krasznahorkai and Cioran. And all the books I previously mentioned you can check out other books the authors wrote like Hamsun, Houellebecq, Murakami, Dazai, Pessoa. If you just want something written by a recluse then there's J.D. Salinger, Emily Dickinson, Marcel Proust, Edgar Allen Poe, Pynchon, Montaigne, Borges, Lautreamont, Lovecraft was literally a NEET for like 10 years. Proust in particular was extremely reclusive during the last years of his life. If you want some recommendations for some other artists that were disconnected from the world then there's Unica Zurn, Henry Darger, Frank Jones, Forest Bess, Charles Dellschau, Jandek. Sorry I'm rambling now, I hope you get better OP. Or at least achieve whatever it is that you want to do, isolating yourself and doing art or getting back out into the world. Reading is a good step though, I think electronics tend to feed into anxiety.

Personally, I love isolation, but it has made me a big mess. When my phone or the doorbell rings I get a panic attack and hide.

When I go out in public I tend to throw up because of stress.

Being a hermit is great but not being able to go full hermit is torture. I live in constant fear and/or disgust of humanity.

I recommend keeping your humanity tolerance up so you don't kys.

Is this /isolation/ general? I am schizoid and I rarely go outside. I have been inside in my room more or less (not strictly) since I was 11. I leave my house 3-4 times a month at most, not counting checking mail or going to the corner store. I mean a day out sort of day.Usually I don't leave as I have no plans or people to make plans with.

Read "The Burrow" by Kafka

Not OP but I can relate. The few times a year I'm forced to interact with people I panic, shake, sweat, become deathly pale, throw up, and sometimes faint. It's been this way for so long now that I can't imagine ever reintegrating back into society.

Hey you're right man. I've just got to man up and do what needs to be done, regardless of who says what and who they think they are. It is true bravery to not falter in the face of certain defeat.

OP here. I'm not schizoid, but I am autistic (clinically/literally/actually) and have various anxiety disorders which led me to develop agoraphobia. I'm terrified that if I go outside I'll become extremely ill and die. I'm terrified of others harming me, of being harmed by others. I'm constantly in fear, essentially. I can empathize with being schizoid, however, due to the similarities between ASD and schizoid personality disorder. In fact, the disorders are so similar that they cannot be comorbid. One is either autistic or schizoid.
I relate to all of you in that I become extremely physically sick when outside. The anxiety makes me sweat, I can't stop looking around. The voices of those around me blend together and collapse onto each other, the lights go through my eyes and pierce my brain. It's enough to make me want to kill myself on the spot. But if I even see a knife I begin to panic due to my fear that I'll impulsively take the knife and stab someone, or myself. Everything has the potential to induce anxiety.
When I said that I've been outside about 15 times since Christmas, I meant literally outside, counting the times I've checked mail and stepped onto the porch. The amount of times I've been genuinely away from home since Christmas is likely.. three times. I had to go to a couple of appointments, and at one point went to a supermarket.

I think people often equate reclusion with a disdain for humanity. Don't get me wrong, people can be disgusting and cruel, but I don't hate the human race. I don't find them (or, rather, 'us') to be hopeless or lousy. I have a lot of hope, for some reason. That hope may only serve to depress me further, though.
I hope we all get even slightly better one day.

Thanks--I've only read The Metamorphosis and The Trial. Will do.

And, to Veeky Forums, I'm sorry for polluting the board with my /r9k/-tier wimpy complaining.

Depends. I've lived alone for a year in the suburbs very close to work. As a single dude in his late 20s with everyone nearby married with kids and working at a company with most people 15 years my senior, I'm socially isolated in a way I've never been, even though Seattle is 40 minutes away.

It's made me far more appreciative of people, and able to recognize and respond to pain, pleasure, and the human experience in general. I love people more than I ever have, and am truly grateful for the time I get to spend with those I care about. I've become very sensitive to people around me, and highly tuned in to see some of the negative effects of our over-reliance on technology, and always being connected.

Was depressed for a while. Was suicidal. Have gone through all kinds of different transformations, until now I'm happy and comfortable with myself in a way I've never been.

It's all about perception. Sure, you can be a shut-in. I think I needed this year alone. My lease is up now and I'm moving into the city, where the people are amazing, and wonderful to be around. Because that's what I choose to see. If you're stuck with social anxiety, try pushing your comfort zone for once in your life and realize that everything comes from you.

I highly recommend any of you who are seriously isolated and it being due to anxiety get into the gym. And Im not one of those dumb chads saying this, I was in your position for two years, Im an insider. Do whatever it takes for you to get in there, even if it is an hour to closing time. It will make your life much better.

ive got a barbell and some weights behind the shed, will that do or is it important to be in a gym?

I haven't gone outside willingly since I was 12, I've forgotten most of my native language and I can barely speak the ones I use without sounding like a retard.
Theres no 'better understanding of yourself', you will just become more confused and if prolonged for long enough, your sense of self will become blurry.

not him but exercise releases a lotta feel-good chemicals in the brain which is good in itself but the environment of a gym could provide much needed exposure to the "outside world" and help a lot

If you have internet, it's not isolation.

exercise is important, but I also think getting out to the gym and exposing yourself is important. It also may seem strange to hear this, but the gym is a very safe place for people with anxiety. You have no speaking commitments and are constantly involved in activity, not to mention the consoling fact (not that this is easy to accept for someone with anxiety) that most people at the gym are so self absorbed that no one there will pay more than a few seconds of attention to you after they process their perceived superiority over you.

No, he wasn't. Flaubert was a very social person, especially after the trial, when he earned reputation and entered high society milieu.

I want to go out but I don't know where
Nothing outside from books and music interests me
Outside there is only ugly stuff, nothing worth looking at aside from trees and the little nature that it is in some parks

isolation hinders inspiration but fosters the creating.

jesus christ seriously?

it definitely hinders it

people motivate you. its why most writers who lived shit isolated lives dont actually become productive until later in life when not struggling

The Lime Works is exactly what you're looking for

It can help if you're already disciplined but otherwise its a very, very easy way to fuck around. There's no accountability aside from what you place on yourself.

This bitch ass has actually given himself Stockholm syndrome.

Bait, user. user, bait. I'm glad you finally met each other.

just watched that film based on your recommendation, it was great. summed my life up in 77 minutes while criticizing it harshly.

especially liked the dark ambient / droney soundtrack

You'll gain some insight from being an anxiety-ridden hermit. You'll also gain insight from being around people everyday. However, depressed people don't put the work in. You should try and stay relatively healthy if you actually want to be able to create anything

depends on your style of prose and the subject matter.

If you're writing for others, then you must explore the world outside your room; however, if you're writing for yourself, there's no need. Art is merely a mirror of the artist. Isolation will focus what you feel.

You don't need to change who you are to appease societal standards. And when others read your work, they might see themselves in your authenticity. Just be real

Flaubert received friends and family members every sunday at his house/castle. He was just a hard worker.

Since you liked it you should try "The Devil, Probably" by Robert Bresson.

You need both isolation and interaction.

have you tried MDMA? Meditation, yoga? There are more decisive and extreme ways of tackling extreme anxiety than reading books. It sounds like you are at the point that you should be exploring all possible options.

because honestly it probably doesn't matter how much and what kind of literature you read. Good books that you can relate to might take a bit of the edge off, but thats about the most you should hope for.

Your point being...?

Read Emil Cioran's work

>haven't spent time with a friend in 3 weeks
How many people here actually have friends?
I have 7 people in my phone, all of them are family.
My only friends are on Veeky Forums and in my fantasies.
The last time I actually saw a "friend" was when 2 old high school buddies I hadn't seen in a couple years stopped by unexpectedly. That was 2 years ago.

I can't even use spoiler tags correctly. No wonder I don't have any friends.

I haven't written it yet but I have several experiences of sublime isolation both voluntary and otherwise that I think are worth writing about

Jesus
No offense but any tips on how not to end up like you?

That 2nd post was sarcasm, but, I'll say something on the matter.
I had no very close friends, and when personal and physical problems made it easy to withdraw, I did, and surprisingly quickly everyone just stopped trying to contact me.
If you are introverted its very easy to enjoy things in solitude, to the exclusion of everything else. If you do this for long enough, it will be the only option before you realize.
Any situation can be made comfortable by time. Anything that seems like the end is only another layer to sink into, and be made comfortable.

Thanks for the warning
Best of luck