Where is the line between insanity and creativity?

[Reza 11,141]

Discuss

[Muhammed Ali 3,800]

Between delusion and reality.

[notme 20,627]

I don't think there is one. It's more of a smudge. Insanity can and does exist without creativity, but I'm not sure creativity can survive without a touch of insanity. 

Both are defined by society. 

[Pearl178 1,610]

Is there a medical definition of insanity? 

[LinkZelda 301]

I don't think there is any relationship between the two.

[Hameedeh 19,969]

2 hours ago, magma said:

Discuss

Wikipedia has a page on creativity and mental illness. Who knew? 

[Pearl178 1,610]

On 10/28/2016 at 11:40 AM, notme said:

I don't think there is one. It's more of a smudge. Insanity can and does exist without creativity, but I'm not sure creativity can survive without a touch of insanity. 

Both are defined by society. 

An individual in a conservative society who possess is somewhat daring, eccentric, rebellious, and adventurous will be categorized  as insane. A less conservative and open minded society will view him as creative. 

[al-Fasi 2]

On 28 באוקטובר 2016 at 9:50 AM, LinkZelda said:

I don't think there is any relationship between the two.

I believe you are correct.  The idea of the artist as an eccentric is a modern idea that mainly has it's origins in the Renaissance and has become more and more exagerrated since that time.  Nowadays people pretty much expect, even demand, of their artists a certain level of eccentricity and a kind of "forced originality", an originality for the sake of originality, to the point where they practically conflate eccentricity with creativity whereas the two are distinct.  In the more "traditional civilizations" of the premodern world creativity was closely associated to a system of guild artisanship, calm mastery and experience, and anonymity as opposed to eccentric and grossly exagerrated "individualism".

[lola20 49]

The only connection between the arts and mental illness is individuals with mental illness gravitate towards creative pastimes because it's therapeutic. Other than that, you don't need to have a mental illness to be creative.