Eclectic v Eccentric-What’s in a Name?
My scatter gun approach to substack
I have read all the advice on Substack about preplanning my posts/newsletters. Somehow, I am incapable of being that organised. I get some brilliant ideas, well I think they are, and I start writing. They go into my drafts section, only to be gnawed away by the rabbits 🐇 and never to see the light of day. Every six months, I venture into the darkest draft corridors and do a clear-out. This post is one that I was going to flush out of the rabbit warren. I couldn't remember what I was going to write about. Then a light 💡 bulb came on. Am I eccentric or eclectic in the way I do my Substack writing? When I woke up this morning, I started to write this post/newsletter. I stopped for a while to take Humphrey for a walk and a swim in the river; now, it is not too swollen and I am now back.
My first thought was to take a tentative trip down the rabbit warren to see what these two words mean.
Firstly, eccentric seems to have various definitions. They are all similar but with subtle differences. Oxford Languages on Google defines eccentric as (of a person or their behaviour) unconventional and slightly strange "he noted her eccentric appearance".
Collins eccentric: If you say that someone is eccentric, you mean that they behave in a strange way and have habits or opinions that are different from those of most people.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines eccentric as strange, unusual, sometimes in a humorous way. There are some others, but I am going with the Cambridge one if I am referring to myself 😀. I like the reference to humourous.
The Meriam-Webster website provides the origins of the word. Eccentric was originally a technical term at home in the fields of geometry and astronomy. It comes from a Latin word meaning "not having the earth at its centre" and ultimately has its root in a Greek word with various meanings, including "stationary point of a pair of compasses" and "midpoint of a circle or sphere"… as far back as the 17th century, the word was used to describe people and things that deviate from what is conventional, usual, or accepted.
Secondly, what is eclectic? Here, the definitions seem to be more consistent. So I will just provide the one. The Cambridge Dictionary: Eclectic, consisting of different types, methods, styles, etc.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides the origin of eclectic, a Philosophical History
Eclectic comes from the Greek eklektikos (meaning "selective"), from the verb eklegein, "to select." Eclecticism was originally applied to ancient philosophers who were not committed to any single system of philosophy but instead selected whichever doctrines pleased them from every school of thought.
Eclectic is a word attached to various things, such as the eclectic approach, which refers to a method of language education. Eclectic therapy refers to a form of therapy that draws on multiple theoretical orientations and techniques.
Psychology Today had an article 3 Signs You're Eccentric, and 3 Reasons That's a Good Thing -Personal Perspective: Who wants to be conventional? The three signs are:
You're not interested in following the crowd. ✔️ I am genuinely not worried about following the crowd
You're not afraid to stand out. ✖︎ I would like to say that is true, but my height alone is why I don't. This is particularly true when waiting at the bar to order a drink. I don't jump on the bar and dance to get attention.
You attract haters. ✖︎ I hope not
By those definitions, I am not an eccentric. While travelling down the rabbit 🐇 warren, I came across an excellent article, The Unleashed Mind: Why Creative People Are Eccentric, with the subheading: 'Highly creative people often seem weirder than the rest of us'. Now researchers know why the article concludes That schizotypal individuals are eccentric. It is worth a read and is a shortish article.
Here are some examples of 10 Great British Eccentrics. To warn you, the last one is pretty ghoulish. Looking through the list, they all seemed wealthy and could indulge in eccentricities without an eye on their bank balance. That rules me out, too.
In conclusion, against all advice on Substack, my posts are definitely eclectic, and to some extent, that makes me eccentric. However much I try, my organisation is rubbish. But I can still be the curmudgeonly old woman when on a rant.
As we grow old do we become more or less organised?
Are we more eccentric, less or just the same?
Do we become more eclectic, less or just the same?
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This was so refreshing to read, Jo (aren't those both lovely rhythmic words to say, eclectic, eccentric... each syllable is just so fun!). I feel like this is what I needed to read among one too many 'how to succeed on Substack' posts... I think I don't like them. They make me think of LinkedIn or YouTube 'hustle' videos. For what it's worth, I think Substack is about showing up as yourself, which you've done consistently for months – and that's lovely!
1. I have become more organised as I've gotten older, prioritising simple-as-possible systems, as a means of reining in my own very scattered brain.
2. I've owned my eccentricities more, which ironically probably serve to normalise them and make them seem less eccentric to others (and therefore, in turn, to myself)
3. Who knows!
Thank you as ever for all your eccentricity and eclecticism.
Hi Jo, I’m sampling your posts. Sampling because there are so many I don’t know where to start and like a box of chocolates I’ve tasted a few and enjoyed what I’ve eaten so far. I find your words leave me wanting to sample some more and I want to reply. Then I feel like that is a little strange - as if we might engage in an actual communication unlike commenting on other media platforms where adding a comment is like talking to a brick wall. I guess I instantly felt a connection with some of what you have voiced. The scattergun approach to posts - my Substack began that way, then I decided I needed to follow a direction and began a series of similar posts and then there has been a pause. I endeavoured to post every week and if I’m being truthful the idea of posting on one theme if you like has added an element of pressure that has stopped me posting and the whole idea of my Substack was to present my ramblings, good, bad or indifferent so I feel I have ‘failed’. And pause. I have journaled in the past and something is pulling me in that direction. And yet I hesitate. Why? So I think you. Scattergun is good. For me anyway. I am disorganised and always have been. I used to say and believe I was fearful of change, but as I’ve got older I realise I am constantly needing new stimulation - is it that we are nearing the end - we want to make the most of our remaining years? It is true our youthful days are behind us and unlike you I don’t readily use the word old rather older. I’m only 57 but along with menopause and my empty nest some mornings I feel positively ancient. Plus I am ‘retired’. Early due to the stresses and stains of teaching which finished me off. Now I pursue a life of creativity or rather have returned to my creative self - I’ve always put pen to paper, but dabble in photography and most recently have pursued an adventure into life modelling … to answer your questions - btw I too look up multiple definitions - are we more eccentric, less or just the same? I’ve not changed. Whether I’m eccentric or not … am I more eclectic? I’d love to be but Hubble doesn’t like me filling the house with ‘tatt!’ Gotta go. Gotta make his lordship his dinner.