I was standing around with a group of creative people recently when someone asked some iteration of “What drives you creatively?” I followed the lead of others who interpreted the question as “What do you need for a successful session of creative work?” and gave a semi-truthful, but somewhat inaccurate answer.
I said something like: I need a quiet environment (like a library or a quiet coffee shop), and my headphones, playing my music.
What I should have said is something like: I need a loud library or a loud coffee shop and my headphones, playing my music.
I find that a loud exterior environment helps me by giving me something to wall out with my music. If it’s too quiet outside the headphones, I think it’s easier for me to get lulled into being drowsy. This is also why I prefer not to write at home, if given an option.
There. I apologize to anyone I might have misled in that recent conversation, and I hope that this statement will stand as the ultimate authoritative statement on how I prefer to write. Until such time as I change my mind.