Eccentricity

Eccentric. A word commonly viewed with a negative connotation, is now my new favorite word and one I prefer to think of as fabulous. I have been hearing the word continually over the past few days, and decided it was going to be my next topic and give it a bit more research. Let’s Dive. According to dictionary.com, eccentric means ‘unusual, peculiar or odd personality, set of beliefs or behavior pattern.’ It’s antonyms include: normal, regular, ordinary, conventional. Let’s face it. Who wants to be ‘ordinary’ or ‘conventional'? No one famous (or notorious) ever got to that place by being a regular person. Diving deeper, let’s Wiki it. Eccentricity comes from the Greek word ‘ekkentros’ which means ‘out of the center.’ I knew I loved this word. One of the most common phrases that comes out of my mouth, is ‘think outside the box,’ and ‘eccentric’ definitely means just that.

One of my favorite parts, yet biggest challenges, as a designer and marketer is coming up with new and interesting ideas. When the mood strikes me and I feel inspired, it’s amazing what can happen. And the things that inspire me the most are the eccentric and bold subjects all around us. Here are a few examples of exactly what I’m talking about.

Dr. Seuss

His ability to think in rhymes (yet make sense) shows his ‘eccentric’ and out of the box thinking. In my public speaking class in college, I was assigned Dr. Seuss as a topic for my very first speech. I spoke in all rhymes for 5 minutes.

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly was one of the most eccentric people of her time, and even of today. Did you know: when she first started making shift dresses and stores would place orders for them, they could not choose sizes or colors, but merely checked a box for ‘Wild’ or ‘Mild.’

Van Gogh

His passion for art and love is unparalleled to anything else I have encountered. I mean, he cut off his own ear for the woman that he loved, following an old bull fighting tradition where the matador cuts off the ear of the bull upon winning and gives it to his love.

Elizabeth Taylor

In honor and remembrance of her death, how could we not mention Elizabeth Taylor? She was not afraid to be herself and never pretended to be anyone else; a true icon of many generations. Even her perfume was named ‘Passion.’ RIP Elizabeth Taylor: your legend will live on.