ABSTRACT
Already in the Classical Era, observations were made of creative individuals’ often peculiar behaviour, not unusually bordering towards madness, and sometimes even crossing that border. Then as now, it was hard to pin down the source and mechanism behind the sudden ingenious sparks that triggered the creation of artistic masterpieces by these eccentric individuals. It came, perhaps as a lack of better explanations, to be associated with divine forces, as it was simply too irrational to be possible to define in rational terms. In a sense, we have not advanced that much further today, this out-of-a-blue serendipitous insight, a revelation and elevation of understanding of sorts remain something of an enigma. What are the current hypotheses on the origin and advent of this sudden enlightenment, and can we distinguish any common red threads throughout history when seeking to explain the source of creativity?
