Do Stars Really Need Darkness to Shine?
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Hey hey everyone! It’s Alma again, yes, I know, back to bother you with another blog (but at this point, y’all expect it, right? right). Today I want to talk about a quote we see everywhere: “Stars need darkness to shine.”
Cute and poetic, but is it actually TRUE? Do artists really NEED pain to create their brightest art?
Let’s break it down with a mix of psychology, emotion, and my usual chaos.
Let's start with Psychology 101 with Alma! Psychology has a concept called the tragic genius trope: the belief that artists create better work when they’re suffering.
But the truth is:
Pain does not create talent. Pain only creates intensity. The ART comes from processing that intensity.
Studies show that:
Strong emotions activate creativity-related areas in the brain.
Sadness increases introspection.
Anxiety increases environmental awareness.
Emotional music activates autobiographical memory.
But the ability to turn pain into art? That’s a SKILL. A gift. A form of emotional intelligence.
Darkness doesn’t make them shine, but transformation does. Artists don’t shine because they suffer. They shine because they transform suffering into something meaningful.
Psychology calls this:
meaning-making
emotional alchemy
resilience storytelling
We’ve seen this in everyone:
- Billie → depression into cinematic sound
- Demi → trauma into empowerment
- J Balvin → anxiety into color and emotion
It’s not darkness. It’s courage. So, do artists need pain? No. They need freedom.
Modern creativity studies show artists thrive with:
emotional freedom
time to reflect
mental safety
support
authenticity
Artists shine MORE when they are healing, not falling apart. Burnout kills creativity. Healing fuels it.
So why exactly do fans connect so deeply with “dark” songs? Psychologically:
Sad lyrics trigger empathy
Vulnerable lyrics trigger emotional validation
Emotional songs release dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin
We think the artist is “shining” because they put words to emotions we can’t express. So… do stars need darkness to shine?
Astronomically: yes. Artistically: no, no they don’t.
Light comes from:
✨ honesty
✨ sensitivity
✨ storytelling
✨ vulnerability
✨ emotional transformation
Darkness may be present, but the shine comes from THEM. If you're going through something hard, remember: you don’t need suffering to be meaningful. You don’t need pain to be artistic. You don’t need darkness to shine.
You shine because you exist. Because you feel. Because you’re human. And if you need help, asking for it is strength.
See you in the next blog, where I will absolutely bother you again with another existential deep dive nobody asked for. Love y’all.