Still Crazy After All These Years.

Why Creative People Are Eccentric:

It isn’t just average Joes who perceive highly creative individuals as eccentric. These individuals often see themselves as different and unable to fit in. The latest findings in brain imaging, creativity research and molecular biology suggest that these perceptions are not just based on a few anecdotal accounts of “weird” scientists and artists. In fact, creativity and eccentricity often go hand in hand, and researchers now believe that both traits may be a result of how the brain filters incoming information.

UPDATE: A friend reminded me today of an incident that shows, first hand, how some folks look at eccentric/creative folks. An employee (they found out later) was so scared of a (mildly) eccentric colleague, that when he left she followed him around with a pistol as he packed up, worried he would go postal. I may be eccentric; but at least I'm not paranoid.