Art is a way for people to express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and some creators turn that expression into truly fascinating trippy experiences. From drug‑induced experiments to the vivid visions of those battling mental illness, each work below offers a peek inside an unusual mind.
Fascinating Trippy Artistry
1 Brian Lewis Saunders
Much like Brian Pollett, Brian Lewis Saunders took his curiosity beyond conventional limits. Known as a performance artist from Tennessee, he embarked on a marathon of daily self‑portraits. By early 2016 he had amassed over 8,700 sketches, but the real experiment began when he committed to drawing himself for 50 consecutive days under the influence of a different drug each day.
He sourced the substances from a patchwork of doctors, acquaintances, and even a stint in a mental hospital—remarkably, all for free. From cocaine to the terrifying realm of bath salts, each drug left its mark on his self‑perception. The resulting portraits serve as stark reminders of how substances can warp one’s view of self.
Saunders admits the regimen left him lethargic and caused mild brain damage, yet his drive to see how each drug altered his self‑image kept him sketching. The series stands as a vivid illustration of the perils and curiosities of drug‑influenced creativity.
2 Louis Wain
Louis Wain, the English illustrator famed for anthropomorphic cats, began his career with charming, realistic feline sketches—his first cat debuting in 1886’s Illustrated London News. A prolific talent, he churned out over 100 cat drawings a year, delighting magazines and postcards alike.
Later in life, Wain displayed signs of schizophrenia, possibly triggered by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite that thrives in cat feces. Committed to Springfield Mental Hospital in 1924, his art did not falter; instead, his cats grew increasingly abstract, vibrant, and experimental.
His most renowned series comprises eight paintings that chart his “deterioration,” showcasing brighter colors and intricate, almost psychedelic designs. Some scholars argue that instead of diminishing his skill, his mental health challenges amplified his artistic daring, perhaps even hinting at Asperger’s syndrome rather than pure schizophrenia.
3 Missy Douglas
While many keep diaries, Missy Douglas chose canvas to chronicle her inner world. Over a full year, the 37‑year‑old artist, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, painted a picture each day, deliberately stopping her medication to let her unfiltered emotions flow onto the canvas.
Having lived with bipolar disorder since age 19, she finally understood the extreme highs and lows that defined her experience. The project, later compiled into her book 2:365, aims to show others with bipolar disorder that they are not alone.
Her abstract pieces, though varied in style, convey a consistent theme through shapes, textures, and colors, offering viewers a vivid glimpse into the daily mind of someone navigating bipolar extremes.
4 Karen May Sorensen
Karen May Sorensen has wrestled with schizoaffective disorder for two decades. Early in life, the demands of work and school overwhelmed her, and by age 19 her mental abilities shifted dramatically, leading to reclusiveness and periods of staring into space.
Following a two‑year hospitalization, she received her diagnosis. A self‑taught artist, Karen now maintains a blog where she posts daily paintings alongside candid reflections about each piece.
She believes her brain operates at a lower baseline due to the disorder, yet she functions at a high level when creating art. Her paintings act as a therapeutic outlet, capturing her evolving mood as medication changes. By juxtaposing her work with her brother’s—who does not share the disorder—she highlights the artistic evolution tied to her mental journey.
5 David Feingold
David Feingold’s life took a dramatic turn after a hit‑and‑run accident left him with a traumatic brain injury. Later, he developed bipolar disorder, temporal lobe epilepsy, and other cognitive challenges.
Art became his sanctuary. In an interview on healing‑power‑of‑art.org, Feingold described how his bipolar condition subjects him to fear, avoidance, and marginalization, even from close friends and family. His artwork channels feelings of helplessness, despair, and anger stemming from this stigma.
Initially sparked during a manic episode, his creative output now serves as advocacy, offering a window into the mind of someone coping with psychiatric impairments. Feingold hopes his pieces diminish the stigma surrounding bipolar disorder and help others understand the internal battles he faces.
6 Oscar Janigar Experiment
Oscar Janigar, an experimental psychiatrist at the University of California, was a pioneer in LSD research from 1954 to 1962. Though he personally sampled LSD only about 13 times before it was outlawed, he was fascinated by its potential to unlock creativity.
In one notable study, Janigar administered 200 micrograms of LSD to 900 participants, documenting their experiences. Among them, 100 patients were asked to paint during their trips.
The resulting artworks were notably brighter and more abstract than typical pieces. Early drawings began with realistic charcoal renderings, but soon devolved into nearly unrecognizable forms as participants struggled to control their implements.
Emotions shifted from neutral to euphoric and back, culminating in a final remark from a participant: “I have nothing to say about this last drawing. It is bad and uninteresting. I want to go home now.” The experiment underscores how psychedelics can dramatically alter artistic perception.
7 Arthur Ellis
When most envision blindness, darkness comes to mind. Yet 66‑year‑old painter Arthur Ellis, who lost his sight to meningitis at 59, experiences vivid visual hallucinations instead, a condition known as Charles Bonnet syndrome.
This syndrome, often linked to dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or macular degeneration, fills the visual void with vivid images drawn from the patient’s memories. After a severe ear infection and a near‑fatal bout of meningitis, Ellis awoke terrified on the edge of a massive cliff—a hallucination, not reality.
Initially, his sons moved him between rooms to escape these visions. Once formally diagnosed, Ellis began to harness the hallucinations, returning to painting to make sense of the images.
Relying on others to describe his work, he continues to create, offering viewers a glimpse into a mind that paints what it cannot see.
8 Anonymous LSD
Reddit user whatafinethrowaway orchestrated a daring artistic experiment with a friend who took 200 µg of LSD and sketched self‑portraits over nine hours. Each drawing spanned 15–45 minutes, gradually morphing from recognizable to increasingly abstract.
About 45 minutes in, a noticeable shift in color usage emerged, even though the artist claimed no perceptual change. At one point, she stopped drawing eyes, saying she didn’t want them “looking at her.” By four hours and 45 minutes, she declared, “I’m violet,” rendering herself in purple before the next series erupted into flames.
Later, the artist expanded beyond her face, producing arbitrary lines that hinted at a dissolving sense of self. By the nine‑hour‑thirty‑minute mark, she was asked to draw a “normal” picture, which, while less trippy, still bore the imprint of the lingering high.
9 Edmund Monsiel
Edmund Monsiel spent his early years in Poland until the Nazi invasion forced him into hiding in his brother’s loft. After the war, he remained a recluse, living in that loft until his death in 1962.
Suffering from both visual and auditory hallucinations due to schizophrenia, Monsiel left behind over 500 intricate lead‑pencil drawings. Many depict Christ or the Devil, reflecting a deepening religiosity during his isolation.
His artwork often features a kaleidoscope of faces—some pieces contain up to 3,000 individual visages—representing his inner struggles and the hallucinations he transcribed in 1943.
Despite the modest surroundings of his loft, his drawings teem with life, pattern, and endless variation, offering a haunting window into a mind shaped by both faith and disorder.
10 Brian Pollett
Brian Pollett, a 20‑year‑old graphic designer known as Pixel‑Pusha, embarked on a 20‑day drug binge, crafting a fresh design each day. He meticulously tested each substance for purity before diving into his studio, accompanied by his favorite tunes.
The lineup spanned alcohol, cocaine, and a host of other compounds—though he steered clear of GHB, psilocybin, poppers, ether, 25i, and MDMA. Pollett risked both finances and reputation for the project, claiming the psychedelic experience made him “more open, honest, empathetic, forgiving, and courageous.”
He describes love as the final “drug” influencing his art, defining it as a dedication to uplifting a person or idea toward its highest potential—not limited to romance.
11 Spiders On Drugs
NASA’s curiosity isn’t limited to rockets; they once turned their gaze to arachnids. Researchers aimed to see if common house spiders could serve as drug‑toxicity testers by observing changes in their webs.
Spiders exposed to marijuana attempted to spin webs but abandoned them halfway, leaving noticeable gaps. Those given sleeping pills didn’t spin at all, while those on speed spun enthusiastically yet haphazardly, producing webs riddled with holes.These patterns mirrored the effects seen in humans under similar substances, offering a quirky yet insightful glimpse into how drugs alter behavior—even in eight‑legged creatures.