Migraine pain is something that anyone who has ever experienced it wouldn’t wish on anybody else except her worst enemy. And yet, one can argue that that very same migraine pain has been the genesis of some truly amazing feats of artistic accomplishment. The conventional wisdom is that only great suffering spurs great art. In the case of art created by migraine sufferers, that conventional wisdom may be very wise indeed.

Painters especially have been very effective in taking their pain and translating into great art. The visual disturbances associated with migraine aura lends itself to artistic expression in a wide variety of disciplines, from watercolors to oils and from surrealism to expressionism. The first pictorial evidence of migraine aura symptoms may very well be reflected in the drawings of a medieval mystic known as Hildegard of Bilgen. Hildegard not only translated her visions into art, but also wrote extensively about the disease.

Surrealism especially seems to have been an outlet for painters suffering the effects of migraines. The surrealist painter Georgia de Chirico is on record as having been a migraine sufferer. Salvador Dali is also suspected of having created much of his bizarre images out of visual hallucinations associated with migraine aura.

There are various webs site devoted to what is known as “migraine art” and there have even been migraine art exhibitions. In fact, there have been migraine art competitions in which paintings were judged based on how well the painters translated the following the guidelines from inside their head onto the canvas. They had to successfully paint their own singular impressions of any form of visual disturbance which heralds a classical migraine attack, the pain associated with a migraine attack, as well as the effect that migraine headaches has had on their lives.

If you’re looking for art that may have been inspired by migraines, be sure to check out the following artists:

Georgia O’Keefe

William Blake

Vincent Van Gogh

Peggy Hoffman

Neel Kar

Angela Butt

Gill Knox

Sofia Greene

Molly Barr

Mark Fitzgerald

Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland books are well-known examples of literature inspired by migraines, and probably the most famous. But they are hardly the only books written by migraine suffferers.

Joan Didion’s essay “In Bed” is an achingly honest—no pun intended—account of her battle with migraines. Anyone who has ever suffered through the misery of migraines can commiserate with Didion. It’s probably one of the most honest and sincere works of literature about any kind of debilitating ailment ever written.

Karla J. Dorman’s poem “Lady of the Lights” is a fantastic recreation of the bizarre visual disturbances associated with migraine aura. All of those who have seen flashing lights, shooting stars and zigzagging lines dance before their eyes during the throes of a migraine only to be told that there is no such things as a migraine and it’s all in their head will appreciate this honest representation of what Dorman describes as a circus.

H.G. Wells’ “The Remarkable Case of Davidson’s Eyes” is often thought to have been inspired by migraines.

And then there’s music. Generally, music isn’t terribly conducive to migraines. After all, sensitivity to noise is a hallmark of migraines and one of its triggers. Of course, one doesn’t necessarily have to create music during the midst of a migraine episode. The memory lingers on, as they say. Several really big names in music suffered from migraine headaches, including Gustav Mahler and Elvis Presley. Jeff Tweedy of the group Wilco is well known-documented migraine sufferer who has expressed his pain through music. In addition, some specific music and songs owe their genesis at least in part to migraines.

“Migraine” from the album Abrasive by Puddle of Mudd

“Migraine” from the album Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker by The Coral

“Migraine” from the album Broken Airplanes by Troubled Hubble

“Migraine” from the album Sleep No More by DJ Signify

“Migraine Induced Madness” by Brad Preston. This one was allegedly written by Preston while in the midst of a migraine episode.

One thing common to all great communicators is that when they speak, everybody listens. However, communicating to people is one of the greatest fears for most of the human beings, and especially when it comes to public speaking. Most people dread public speaking more than death! Do you ever wonder why you don’t seem to get listened to by others even though you too have many ideas to share? Then read on, this article is just for you.

Confident communication however, is more than what you speak. It takes into account your body language as well.

What’s inside the mind of a Successful Communicator?

Confident communicators aren’t a know all

Of course, you need to have good knowledge about the subject you are talking about, but what actually matters is not what you say, but how you say it. Successful people don’t do different things, they do things differently. The first step is to believe in what you say. You must be fully convinced in the idea and only then will there be conviction in the tone of your voice. Your voice now is equipped with the power to hold people’s attention. Once you have conviction in your voice, and what you speak is useful for the other people and it actually helps them or gives some credible information, you get appreciation. This certainly peps up your self-confidence!

Confident communicators don’t let people make them nervous

Most people suffer from fearing catastrophes that never happen. Most people tend to make a very high imaginary impression of other people in their minds.
So much so that their mind starts believing that other people are perfect. This creates an unfair comparison between their own personality and the imaginary personality of other people that they create. This thinking breeds a fear of meeting and talking to other people. It lowers their confidence and they fear what it will be to meet and talk to these “perfect” people. However, in real life nobody is perfect and you must realize this. Everybody has their own set of faults and weaknesses. It’s important for you to realize that every human being is essentially imperfect. This will give you greater confidence to go out and face people.

Take it or leave it. You snooze, you lose

Ideally you must be the best of your moods and carry a pleasant demeanor when you go out and meet people. However, it might not always be possible and it may so happen that you are not fully prepared to communicate, or you are a little tense over some other matter. A confident communicator, though, develops an ability to keep control of his emotions. This quality helps the communicator to keep control of the situation. You may still not be in a good moodb but you must make sure that you keep indecisiveness at bay. Your indecision will fritter away your focus and energy and you fail to make any impact. If you decide to communicate. Be yourself, have faith in yourself and go ahead.

Mind your body language

Your gesture, postures and eye contact probably talk louder than your words. Body language cuts across all barriers of communication such as language, time, place, knowledge and so on. Your body language starts getting interpreted unconsciously by everyone around. People start forming impressions about you the moment you make an eye contact and body language certainly contributes a considerably large part of the impression you make.

A few facts you must know

 You may have a sad expression on your face because of some other matter, but the person you are talking to may feel that you don’t approve what he says, leading to misunderstanding.

 A steady gaze may convey intensity, anger, aggression or strong interest. Little eye contact may imply lack of confidence or shyness.

 Open hands may convey honesty and openness; however, making a lot of hand gestures might mean that you are being nervous.

Confident communication, including words and gestures, is something that you do not perfect in a day. You must grab every opportunity to communicate. Try to check your communication skills, your strong points and the mistakes you make along with the overall affect on the other person. Try to learn from your experiences and there is no reason why you can’t make it. Get going. Good luck!