and isn't it ironic?

One of my friends is going through an unbelievably difficult time in her life. And through all of this, she has become the funniest writer. The situation is so sureal that she says she just has to laugh, and the way that she writes about it makes you laugh too, even though you know you probably shouldn't be laughing. She was reading me something over the phone yesterday, and I'm sitting there thinking, this is so awful, and yet it's so funny! Her sarcasm has reached a new level, and her ability to see the ironies of life has been heightened. Maybe it's just a coping mechanism (although, personally I think she's entitled to a few coping mechanisms right now!), but it's had some interesting results.

Do you think a lot of good art (including music, writing, etc.) is produced/created through struggles and in hard times? Why might that be?