Creative People

They have a mind that never slows down.

The creative mind is a non-stop machine fueled by intense curiosity. There is no pause button and no way to power it down. This can be exhausting at times. My personal problem with this is that it tends to go off in many directions at the same time. I’m working on a short story and come up with a great idea for a collage.

They challenge the status quo.

Two questions drive every creative person more than any others: What if? and Why not? They question what everyone else takes at face value. It’s this ability that enables creative’s to redefine what’s possible.

They embrace their genius even if others don’t.

Creative individuals would rather be authentic than popular. Staying true to who they are, without compromise, is how they define success even if means being misunderstood or marginalized.

They have difficulty staying on task.

Highly creative people are energized by taking big mental leaps and starting new things. Existing projects can turn into boring slogs. Been there, done that. New ideas are more exciting. How many do you have on your mental rolodex?

They create in cycles.

Creativity has a rhythm that flows between periods of high, activity and slow times that can feel like slumps. Each period is necessary and can’t be skipped, much like the seasons, interdependent and necessary. The virus days we’ve been through have put many of us in the slump category, but it’s Spring at last, a time of rebirth and renewal.

They need time to feed their souls.

No one can drive for days on a single tank of gas. In the same way, creative people need to frequently renew their source of inspiration and energy. This often requires solitude for periods of time. This is especially true for introverts like me. And you? How much solitude do you require?

They need space to create.

Having the right environment is essential to peak creativity. It may be a studio, a coffee shop, or a quiet corner of the house. Wherever it is, allow them to set the boundaries and respect them. What is your favorite place to write?

They focus intensely.

Highly creative people tune the entire world out when they’re focused on work. They cannot multi-task effectively and it can take twenty minutes to re-focus after being interrupted, even if the interruption was only twenty seconds. I think we’ve all had this experience—more than once.

They feel deeply.

Creativity is about human expression and communicating deeply. It’s impossible to give what you don’t have, and you can only take someone as far as you have gone yourself. Someone said a writer must scream at the page if they want a whisper to be heard. A creative person must feel deeply in order to communicate deeply.

They live on the edge of joy and depression.

Because they feel deeply, highly creative people often can quickly shift from joy to sadness or even depression. A sensitive heart, while the source of brilliance, is also the source of suffering. The thrill of an acceptance letter and the momentary sadness of rejection. Neither last for long.

They think and speak in stories.

Facts seldom move the heart as much as fiction can. Creative people, especially artists, know this and weave stories into everything they do. It takes longer for them to explain something, explaining isn’t the point. The experience is.

They battle Resistance every day.

Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, writes:  “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”

Creative people wake up every morning, fully aware of the need to grow and push themselves. There is always the fear, Resistance as Pressfield calls it, that we don’t have what it takes. No matter how successful the person, that fear never goes away. The artist simply learns to deal with it.

They take their work personally.

Creative work is a raw expression of the person who created it. Often, they aren’t able to separate themselves from it, so every critique is seen either as a validation or condemnation of their self-worth. I think creative criticism is more helpful than praise in the long run, but praise puts fuel into a writer’s tank—enables us to go the distance.

They have a hard time believing in themselves.

Even a self-confident creative person often wonders, Am I good enough? They constantly compare their work with others and all too often fail to see our own brilliance, which may be obvious to others.

They are deeply intuitive.

Science still fails to explain the How and Why of creativity. Yet, creative individuals flow in to it time and again. They will tell you that it can’t be understood, only experienced firsthand.

They often use procrastination as a tool.

Creatives are notorious procrastinators. Some do their best work under pressure. They subconsciously, and sometimes purposefully, delay their work until the last minute in order to experience the rush of the challenge.

They are addicted to creative flow.

The flow state is an addictive experience. The mental and emotional payoff is why highly creative people will suffer through the highs and lows of creativity. It’s the staying power. In a real sense, they are addicted to the thrill of creating.

They have difficulty finishing projects.

The initial stage of the creative process is fast moving and charged with excitement, but some will abandon projects that are too familiar in order to experience the initial flow that comes with a new beginning.

They connect dots better than others.

Steve Jobs said, “True creativity, is little more than connecting the dots. It’s seeing patterns before they become obvious to everyone else.”

May we all connect the dots this summer as we leave the darkness of these virus days we have survived. Wishing you all a rebirth of creative energy inspiration.