This article aims to explore the creative processes in the pictorial work of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). Considered as one of the greatest modern artists, Basquiat's partly tragic trajectory raises questions about his capacity for sublimation of not only Eros drives but also Thanatos drives. Based on interviews, testimonies, and writings, our method consists firstly of analyzing Basquiat's biography which, through his subjective experience, questions the difference between creativity and creation. Secondly, an aesthetic analysis of his works will reveal how Basquiat was able to rely on infantile style. Our results show how a triple trauma Basquiat suffered in his childhood fueled his sublimatory dynamics. These traumatizing events - the death of his older brother, his own almost fatal accident, and his mother's mental illness - forced Basquiat to create new solutions in his outstanding art to articulate the creative and destructive impulses. An in-depth analysis of his pictorial style provides strong evidence for this assumption. It appears that Basquiat's complex cultural lineage, family dynamics, and addiction to hard drugs are inseparable from his creation. His art is characterized by non finito, the deliberate use of forms and techniques. In conclusion, we discuss the relevance of psychoanalysis in exploring creative processes.