CRAZINESS AND CREATIVITY

To me, the unconscious mind and its inner reality is a fascinating
creative, dynamic and exciting place. It has been said that the
unconscious process is similar to that of the schizophrenic process. I
believe, however, that the so-called schizophrenic process, directed
toward the solving of problems and the discovery of that which is new, is
the creative process. This same process, turned toward building
limitations and fears, can be called "craziness." To paraphrase George
Santayana: Creativity is merely craziness put to good use.
Another personal story might make the point even more clear. Many
years ago, we lived on the second floor of a two-story apartment
building. My daughter, who was three at the time, had developed the
habit of jumping off her bed over and over, playing some private game
that only she understood. One night, our downstairs neighbor came up to
complain about the noise. My wife went into our daughter's room and
said, "Don't do that anymore. The man downstairs is getting very angry."
Later that night our daughter became very upset. When we tried to calm
her down, she told us that the man who lived in the rug was mad at her
and was going to hurt her. We attempted to explain the concept of
upstairs/downstairs, but she was too young to understand. We even took
her downstairs to show her where the man "down below" lived. All she
could or would understand was that the man in the carpeting was mad at
her for jumping on him.
Now, we adults know that's ridiculous. We adults, we who think
logically, know that a man can't live in the carpet. We logical adults who
throw salt over our shoulder, who knock on wood when we have good
fortune, who step around ladders and step over cracks, know that those
little childish beliefs have nothing to do with us.

Steven Heller- Monsters and Magical Sticks p.122