Why Creative People Are Often Considered Odd
Attention is a finite resource, and as such, creative people don’t have too much to spare. Here’s why this can be a problem
When Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist and author, contacted management consultant Peter Drucker in the mid-90s requesting his participation in a study of creativity, he received a decline from Drucker delivered as follows;
“I am greatly honoured and flattered by your kind letter of February 14th for I have admired you and your work for many years, and I have learned much from it. But my dear professor Csikszentmihalyi, I am afraid I have to disappoint you. I could not possibly answer your questions. I am told I am creative — I don’t know what that means…I just keep on plodding. I hope you will not think me presumptuous or rude if I say that one of the secrets of productivity (in which I believe, whereas I do not believe in creativity) is to have a VERY BIG waste paper basket to take care of ALL invitations such as yours. Productivity in my experience consists of NOT doing anything that helps the work of other people but to spend all one’s time on the work the Good Lord has fitted one to do, and to do well.”
Attention appears to be a finite resource, at least in our current stage of evolution. Peter Drucker…
