Recently, though, I ran across a couple of thoughts on creativity which, at first, seem contradictory, and so thought I'd throw them out on the blog, a tidbit for bored readers, friends and checkers-in.
First, from Einstein, the pithier of the two: "Creativity is the residue of wasted time."
Second, from Nietzsche: "The greatest creators are the hardest workers."
I should note that I'm paraphrasing Nietzsche there, but the point, in any case, is that of course the two notions are really not contradictory at all; rather, they're complementary. This is a distinction too often overlooked these days by rushed undergrads, indignant super-advocates and unctuous pontificators of all sorts. Right? But it's fun nonetheless, to think about. The sickly, desperate Nietzsche urging maniacal devotion from his cold bedchamber, and the zany, incandescent Einstein riding a bus, goofing off, dreaming of light.
