Inspiration inspiration: "Pain! And lots of it." Misery loves company . . . but generally, company does not love misery back. I mean, when a person is suffering... experiencing strong emotions and such, it can be a catalyst to expression and there fore, inspiration. It gives you something to say and a strong desire to say it. Pain can clarify things like nothing else. However, most people don't appreciate being dragged down by someone's misery, so you can get alienated. This is a good thing! Nature always finds a way. Pain gets internalized. That's why so many artists are introverts. We meditate on things that we're not permitted to discuss out loud. We have internalized conversations that give us a very clear and unique perspective on something with which we are intimately familiar and passionate about (we tend to become "passionate" when we are emotional). Creative expression is the natural consequence, as the mind reels to find comprehension through metaphor.