Why Creative People Need to Be Eccentric

I love these two posts by Mark McGuiness on the 99% on why eccentricity and how daily routine helps trigger creativity.

He points out three characteristics of a hypnotic trigger:

1. Uniqueness - it should be something (or a combination of things) you don't associate with other activities, otherwise the effect will be diluted.


2. Emotional intensity - the kind you experience when you're really immersed in creative work.


3. Repetition - the more times you experience the unique trigger in association with the emotions, the stronger the association becomes.

I live by daily routines, but I also associate that with my need to feel balanced and in control of my time and the living and working space around me. I also have a tendency to be impulsive or to dive very deeply into activities, so routine acts both as clock and trigger.

There are some excellent anecdotes about the routines of famous creatives. I find myself really intrigued by the more eccentric ones, like those of Victor Hugo and especially that of Orhan Pamuk. Pamuk's act of re-creating his "walk to work" trigger is pretty ingenious. Read more...

http://the99percent.com/tips/7021/Why-Creative-People-Need-to-Be-Eccentric