I started using poser when i became ill and have noticed one or two people saying that they are too, so I wondered how many of you use this because you became ill or couldn't work (for whatever reason).
I'd like to think that other people use poser to take their mind off their problems, but at the same time I don't want to start a morbid thread.
Certain people on here really raise my spirits and I kinda wanted to hear how it had helped other people too...

Message edited on: 03/29/2006 05:54

Hi, I wasn't ill to start with, but now I have pressure sores, hypostatic pneumonia and deep venous thromboses from sitting for hours at my computer. hehe well not quite that bad. Yep it makes me happy. Love esther

I don't use poser as therapy, I'n not sick (at least not physically. My mind is another matter, I've been accused of having a sick mind on a regular basis ;-D). But Poser definitely raises my spirits. I love it.

I got Poser just before I got sick. Since then I've still not been able to return to my job and haven't been well enough to get out of the house much, so I have used Poser to help pass time. But while it helps me pass time, I also enjoy it. PLUS it's allowed me to find all of you guys here and I get some daily smiles from that too :)

Message edited on: 03/29/2006 06:26

I use digital art as therapy, but it's for stress. I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and also Anxiety Disorder. For me, pushing the pixels is extremely relaxing and stress-reliving. I call it Pixel Therapy. bonni

I've got several mobility and other medical problems. I love Poser and other graphics programs as they allow me to use some creative part of my mind (yep, there is a bit of it left). I used to be able to paint and draw, but my hands don't work too good, so being able to create pictures digitally is brilliant.

BTW, I meant "stress-relieving". Nobody wants to "relive" stress! LOL!! bonni

Yes and yes. I'm naturally melancholy and uptight, and the oldest and best cure for such conditions is complete absorption in a [nominally] useful task. Poser does that job far better than anything else I ever tried. Bonni: Actually, 'reliving' stress can help in some cases, so your typo wasn't entirely a typo! Set up a scene that resembles the stressful one, then play with it long enough that the pleasant experience overpowers the unpleasant associations.

Dawnryder - same goes for me as for you. 'Nuff said.

Message edited on: 03/29/2006 08:44

yeap...works when I am pissed off..I make a pissed off image and I feel better after...:-) Why..? I dont know...

I bought Poser and Bryce way back in like 1995 after falling head over heals in love with a PC game called Myst. I wanted to be able to replicate such detail. Since then, my use of it has evolved into a full blown addiction. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment when I complex scene falls into place ... and provides hours of cursing when my PC says "out of memory". LOL

I use it for play and I use when when I get inspired to express something. However I don't suffer from anything except a little dain bramage.

I was retired for medical reasons in September 2001. I don't know what I would have done without my computer, graphics programs and Internet. I started using Poser in March 2004 and yes, it helps tremendously. The pain is still there and it is still acute most of the times but when I play with Poser, PaintShopPro and now 3dsMax, I don't have time to think about it so it helps. To be honest though, I'd have to say I'm not sure it is the programs per se that help. I think the communication with all of you is at least 50% of the therapy. I feel less "rejected" from society.

More for aspirational reasons than therapeutic ones for me, I think. Like kathym, I got hooked on 3D by 'Myst' (even more so by its successor 'Riven'), and 3D graphics - adventure gaming - storytelling has come together as a satisfying combination over the last few years. So therapy, probably not; raising my spirits, yes.

poser is therapy for me:) since im depressed and have no friends (well i do have a few but not in my country).

Nah! couldn't use it for that, it drives me mad at the best of times [lol].

I have just finished reading a book called: The Revenge of Ghia" by James Lovelock. As the book cover says: "Lovelock is one of the giants of enviromental thinking and argues passionately about global warming." And in my honest opinion HE IS! Lovelock says that the new technology of mobile phones and computers connected to the internet are conservation energy saving systems, why? Because people don't travel so much in their cars etc. they stay in more and therefore do not burn fossil fuel and thus they use less carbon emissions which are largely responsible for our flaying planet and global warming. Poser keeps me locked into my computer for many many hours at a time. If I feel low and sometimes I do, I enjoy moving those digital pixels about and being creative - with other artists amazing characters and mat textures though!

Just a little shift on your post but,,, It is addictive. It's a blast to do when things are behaving. Just as it's a tremendous hobby and therapy for a lot of people. It is taking over a lot of media and business practices. It will get much bigger... But, I'm not altogether sure if spending massive hours in front of a screen is healthy. It produces its own stresses. So long as you use it in small doses things should be fine. It's just that more and more life involves a pc. Email, shopping, reviews, info searches, even work. Better minds will decide what effect it has on creative people with its "no real tangible" materials pallette. Look at it this way... If you had a twin and you visually erased the pc from the desk he/she sat at, how long would you allow your twin(you) to sit in a frozen state staring straight ahead? I just don't think the human body was designed to do this for extended periods... Yeah,, stretch, jog if you can, change rooms once in a while. Maybe in a few years the "process" of rendering will speed up and even be more intuitive (voice commands). Till then, listen to that aching wrist. Now, I should read my own words...

Therapy? I hope not... I'm just drawing a BDSM comic so I hope this isn't a sign of my mental disorders ... ... but only a payed comission ;)

No. Yes. I'm an artist with 20-some years experience in commercial design. I like Poser because it's a fairly immediate medium - a couple of days to produce an image as opposed to a couple of months for a finished oil painting - and I love the idea of a virtual studio inside my computer. It's just another tool in the box, like sketching, painting, music and writing. I guess if any of the above are therapy, then yes but certainly not as a conscious effort.

What about using Poser as abuse? Do ya'll ever get things out of your system using it - maybe do a quick mock up of your boss, nekkid in a temple getting fried by a dragon or something?

Sort of, yes, and Bobasaur, YES! I have chronic back pain along with some other minor health problems, luckily I can still work and manage my pain fairly well, but I did first get into Poser when I was having a lot of time off work. I've also suffered with PTSD and depression in the past, as a result of my abuse-filled childhood. Poser for me can be a way of expressing my feelings, and in doing so, lessen them. Catharsis. When I'm really pissed off about something, I like to render a bald model and then paint hair. Using the pen seems to help me calm down. My only regret about being on staff here at R'osity is having less time to just play and explore Poser than I used to. I was never that prolific, but I used to produce at least 2 finished pictures a month. Now I'm lucky to finish 2 a year! I do, however, have a hard drive half-full of unfinished, abandoned projects :-p You have no idea how many times my boss (or other annoying people) have been eaten by dragons, set on fire, stabbed by a big-boobed Vicky, peed on by the Poser 4 Dog, etc :o)

I'm sure you're not referring to the Choates...

[grin]

It's too bad. if you were I'd dare you to post those pictures. Actually, my "Taming The Technology" picture was expressing frustration with fighting the computer to do art. My "The Production Team vs. The Big Heads" was expressing frustration at the stupidity of our Account Executives (and corporate execs) who kept doing stupid things we'd have to fix as we build web sites, interactive pieces and videos. It was quite therapeutic (even though I didn't draw blood).

Message edited on: 03/29/2006 13:59

I use Poser as a sort of self-therapy, as I seem to have used any form of creativity with which I've dabbled over the years. I'm loopy as a loon, and I have a list of issues and hangups longer than my arm. Alas. Poser can be and has been a way to raise my spirits, but it more often seems to help me become more inventive with my use of curse words. The darned bending of so many joints, the sudden lock-ups and crashes, the clothroom quirks. My "therapy" often seems to become a struggle in its own right. Again, alas. So I mainly end up creating and tweaking figures, rarely using them for anything. That seems to be the way to avoid fighting with Poser too much. That's not necessarily what I want to do with it, alas.

Hahaha. No, Bobasaur, not Tim and Tammy, I mean my "real job" boss(es). :o)

I wouldn't call it therapy as such, but I find it calming. Since I suffer from stress and dysthymia, calming things are goooooood. :) It also gives me an outlet for frustrated creative energies.

wow thanks everybody for such a fantastic response! it was lovely to read all that I wish I could say something that would make everything better or relieve some of the problems... this month's competition seems quite apt to this thread "Laughter is the best medicine" some made me sad but most made me smile, but this is a great community to be in where everyone is so helpful and friendly thanks cant tell you haw much i appreciate this x p.s. good to see photos too!!

It helps me to be creative cause I work at a job which is totally not.