The mechanics of creativity

From notoriously creative people, here are some insights into how they (do not) conjure up the muses:

Which of your two homes [n.b. rural Burgundy vs. urban Paris] do you find most inspirational?

Neither. No place has any inspirational importance. Ideas come in the train, during a boring dinner, watching some ridiculous television program. The mechanism of inspiration is abhorrent. One thing's for sure - I cannot find inspiration in my workshop at 9 o'clock in the morning. It will come when it comes, which is what Picasso meant when he said "je ne cherche pas, je trouve," [n.b. I don't seek, I find]. Bertrand Lavier



Whenever a design solution emerges from given peculiarities, there's a sense of inevitability about the solution. If the observation is so obvious, we feel the artist is taking a "cheap shot." In cases where the relationship between question and answer is more penetrating, the results can be very satisfying. Milton Glaser: Graphic Design