From “The Discipline of Inspiration: The Mysterious Encounter with God at the Heart of Creativity” by Carey Wallace
It’s clear that too much constraint, especially in the form of poverty and stress, can crush an artist. And the removal of those difficulties can lead to profound flowering of important work. When patrons made it possible for Zora Neale Hurston to devote her time exclusively to writing, she produced her most substantial books.
But the removal of all difficulty frequently results in worse work, not better. Many artists, freed from constraint, begin to flounder, undone by ease and comfort: the fierce film star who descends into caricatures of his early performances, the incendiary pop singer defanged by fame, the writer so well-respected no one dares edit him, who has therefore ceased to put out books that matter.