What helps you to be creative?

When you start to explore the literature around the definition of creativity, or what it means to be creative, the listed references are endless. In this post , sharing a few key characteristics of what we might deem a creative approach or disposition. With a better sense of the characteristics of creative people one can form better perspectives on their own work and speak more confidently about what makes up ‘being creative”.

What makes people creative?

* Tenacity – grit, determination, resilience, call it what you like but some people don’t allow roadblocks get in the way of the journey.

* Courage – it is not just the roadblocks but sometimes the traffic is against you. Creative people are often risk takers and go against the common pattern.

* Inventiveness – to be able to explore new connections and combinations, to continually push and achieve the impossible.

* Leadership – some people are moths while others are flames.

* Impact – some individuals either through their established position or their authority have greater impact in their fields than others.

* Vision – not just being able to project what is ahead in the very field, but to bring that horizon closer much quicker than others.

* Passion – an unquenchable thirst.

The complexity of defining these characteristics means that many individuals would display some of these dispositions more strongly than the rest. Some were natural leaders whereas others showed greater courage and strength as they worked alone. Each of us shows these tendencies in different measure, making up the unique definitions of creative people and what creativity is.

20 Signs you’re A Creative Person

The world would be a dreadful place without creative people and these are the 20 signs that you’re a creative person.
1. You have an authority problem.
Creative types don’t necessarily get along well with management because they would rather march to the beat of their own drum.
2. You have a hard time relating with people.
Most people have a strong desire to fit in, something that creative people don’t understand. Conventionality is gross.
3. You like to solve problems.
While most people are running and hiding from problems, you purposely seek them because you love nothing more than new challenges.
4. You are your own worst critic.
You identify approximately a thousand ways your previous work could have been better and kick yourself for being so stupid.
5. You ask lots of questions.
A stagnant mind devoid of curiosity doesn’t have the capacity to create anything.
6. You carry a notebook everywhere you go.
Because it’s the best way to remember all those brilliant ideas that strike you on the fly.
7. You find beauty in the ordinary.
Creative people live in the present and are in constant awe of the world around them.
8. You are numb to rejection.
Let’s face it: it’s a tough world out there. If becoming a writer or actor or artist was easy, a lot more people would do become one. Getting that dreaded rejection letter stinks at first, but eventually you become able to just nod it off and go on to the next one.
9. You understand the power of atmosphere.
There is a reason some authors travel to a rustic cabin or sandy beach to write novels. Some atmospheres are more favorable to creativity than others. Maybe you like to pack up your laptop and go to a coffee shop, downtown bench, or at the park. Whatever the case may be, one should know the locations that boost their creative juices.
10. You think most people have poor taste.
You might find the movies and music most people enjoy to be downright awful.
11. You are a people-watcher.
Why do people watch TV when real life is much more interesting?
12. You aren’t in it for the money.
It’s true that money pays bills but it doesn’t provide happiness. There are easier ways to make a living. This isn’t about money; it’s about one’s passion.
13. You experience emotional highs and lows.
Your emotional life is like the path of a roller-coaster full of dips, drops, hills, loops, and twists. Sometimes you might experience an eruption of happiness and a crash to sadness within mere minutes of each other. The most painful parts usually find themselves in your art or any form of creativity.
14. You seek inspiration.
Inspiration doesn’t come from within. Whether it is the opening of an art gallery, a theatrical production, or live music, you search for inspiration wherever you can find it. You’re not alone in your desire to create.
15. You have an interesting sense of humor.
Smutty jokes are the best kind of jokes.
16. You evolve like a boss.
An ability to adapt to challenging scenarios is crucial for survival in the creative jungle.
17. You hate stereotypes.
You understand that human beings are way too complex to be dumped into gender roles or stereotypes.
18. You don’t have a filter.
Life would be much more fun if everyone just said what they were thinking with absolute no filter? There is no such thing as TMI (Too Much Information).
19. You take time to think.
One’s brain is their greatest asset.
20. You don’t bend to pressure.
Whether it’s your enemy who thinks your work of art sucks, a family member who thinks “you should get a real job,” or a friend who thinks your idea “will never work,” you don’t succumb to outside pressure.

Ten Habits of Highly Creative People

1. Imaginative play
Observing children in imaginative play reveals a fountainhead of natural-born creativity. When engaged in pretend play, children take on various perspectives and playfully manipulate emotions and ideas.
As adults, cultivating a childlike sense of play can transform the way we work.

2. Passion
Passion most often stems from an experience or a relationship that moved us somehow and can lead to inspiration. It is the emotional fuel that starts one down a creative path, but it’s only a start. People who fulfill their creative dreams over the long lug balance the excitement about the future with realistic strategies for getting closer to their goals; inspiration with hard work; and dreaming with doing.

3. Daydreaming
Creative people know that daydreaming is anything but a waste of time. A review of the latest science of daydreaming has shown that mind wandering offers very personal rewards, including creative incubation, self-awareness, future planning, reflection on the meaning of one’s experiences, and even compassion to an extent.
Idle though it may seem, the act of mind wandering is often anything but mindless; it can lead to improvements in creative thinking.

4. Solitude
The metaphor “room of one’s own” is a basic need for many creative people. Science has reinforced what the work habits of countless artists have demonstrated: Time for solitary reflection truly feeds the creative mind.
So one should embrace it!

5. Intuition
Intuition arises from unconscious, or spontaneous, information-processing systems. It plays an important role in how we think, reason, create, and behave socially. Intuition is part of the fast brain system.

6. Openness to experience
Openness to experience —— is the single strongest and most consistent personality trait that predicts creative achievement.

7. Mindfulness
While the capacity to observe the present moment without distraction or judgment is the key for anyone who seeks joy and fulfillment in life, it’s particularly important for creative thinkers.
Many researches has associated mindfulness—both as a practice and as a personality trait—with many cognitive and psychological benefits like improved task concentration and sustained attention, empathy and compassion, introspection, self-regulation, enhanced memory and improved learning, and positive affect and emotional wellbeing. Many of these are vital to creativity.

8. Sensitivity
If we think of creativity as “connecting the dots” in some way, then sensitive people—those who have a sharp sensitivity to their surroundings and also an intensified experience of sensory input, like for sound, lighting, and scent—experience a world in which there are both more dots and more opportunities for connection.

9. Turning adversity to advantage
Experiences of loss, struggle, suffering, and defeat can be powerful catalysts for one’s personal growth, creativity, and deep transformation. It is often through suffering that we learn compassion, from loss that we learn understanding, and from overcoming struggles we come to discover our own strength and beauty.
So, for a creative boost, one needs to treat all of life’s meaningful moments—the good and the bad—as potential sources of inspiration and motivation.

10. Thinking differently
Creative people refuse to go the conventional ways of thinking and doing things. They accept the possibility of uncertainty and failure—but it is precisely this risk that opens up the possibility of true innovation by choosing to do things differently.
The secret to creative greatness appears to be doing things differently even when that means failure. Especially during idea-generation phase, trial-and-error is necessary for innovation.
If we learn to embrace our own messy, creative selves, we allow others to do the same. We help create a world that is more welcoming of the creative spirit, and make it possible to find a greater connection with others and with ourselves in the process.

References:

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ten_habits_of_highly_creative_people
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-signs-youre-creative-person.html
https://edte.ch/blog/2015/02/27/what-makes-people-creative/