What's all this fuss about Insanity?

We do not actually believe in insanity. Of course, some people are born with mental handicaps of various kinds, but this has nothing to do with insanity.

Prior to the 1970s, homosexuals were routinely classified by psychologists as insane, before there was a shift in people's attitudes towards them. In our eyes, insanity is a label of prejudice, just as it was for homosexuals.

Throughout history, people who have transgressed society's mores have been labeled as insane or mentally disturbed, and often kept isolated from the general population.

This isolation was supposedly for the protection of the public, but another way of looking at it is that they were locked away simply because they saw the world differently. Acknowledging and accepting their existence would force the majorities to re-consider their approach to the world - a very challenging activity in psychological terms, and something society tends to avoid if it can.

So we say no: insanity is not a mental health problem. It is, rather, a symptom of discomfort. People go "mad" because they are asked to deny their own true nature. They are forced take up a standard role defined by society rather than learning to live with their own unique talents, feelings and needs. This is something that no human being can do for their entire lives - and sooner or later they will crack.

Since insanity is a symptom, treating the insanity will not work, just as treating homosexuality does not work. Suppressing symptoms rather than curing problems will cause problems to become more severe and possibly untreatable.

If every human being were to just be accepted for what they are, and respectfully encouraged to contribute to society in their own way, there would be no need for labels like "insane". As a species, we have long benefitted from the presence of visionaries, artists and geniuses, an unusually high proportion of which suffered from "insanity". These people are valuable to us all, we should not be locking them away.

Recommended literature:
"Living, Loving and Learning" by Leo Buscaglia

Why "Insanity Streak"?

Our motto is: "Art is an Insanity Streak".

For centuries madness and genius have been linked in most people's minds, and this has been scientifically proven in recent times.

( For example: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10154775.stm )

We all know that our brains function work through selective perception. Some people perceive more, other perceive less. Education as well as genetic predisposition lead us to filter our perceptions of the external world in different ways. Those who have a lower built-in degree of signal filtering may have the ability to see unusual connections that other people miss, which can help with anything that requires an imaginative or unusual approach, such as art, problem-solving or many other tasks.

In our eyes, this is a talent to be cherished rather than a handicap. Hence, we choose to encourage expression of "insanity" freely in the form of art.