There’s no argument anymore. Neuroscience confirms that highly creative people think and act differently than the average person. Our brains are literally hardwired in a unique way. But that gift can often strain relationships. I experience it firsthand while working with artists, manager, strategists ... etc
If you love a highly creative person, you probably experience moments when it seems like we live in a completely different world than you. Truth is, we do. But trying to change us isn’t nearly as effective as trying to understand us.
It all begins by seeing the world through our lens and remembering these 20 things:
1. We 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 but it is also the source of some crazy fun activities and conversations.
2. We challenge the status quo.
Two questions drive every creative person more than any others: What if? and Why not? We question what everyone else takes at face value. While uncomfortable for those around them, it’s this ability that enables creatives to redefine what’s possible.
3. We embrace their genius even if others don’t.
4. We 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 when the promise of something new and exciting grabs our attention.
5. We create in cycles.
Creativity has a rhythm that flows between periods of high, sometimes manic, activity and slow times that can feel like slumps. Each period is necessary and can’t be skipped just like the natural seasons are interdependent and necessary.
6. We need time to feed their souls.
No one can drive cross-country on a single take of gas. In the same way, creative people need to frequently renew their source of inspiration and drive. Often, this requires solitude for periods of time.
7. We 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 us to set the boundaries and respect them.
8. We focus intensely.
We as highly creative people tune the entire world out when we‘re focused on work. We cannot multi-task effectively and it can take twenty minutes to re-focus after being interrupted, even if the interruption was only twenty seconds.
9. We 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. An artist must scream at the page if they want a whisper to be heard. In the same way, a creative person must feel deep if we are to communicate deeply.
10. We live on the edge of joy and depression.
Because they feel deeply, highly we often can quickly shift from joy to sadness or even depression. Our sensitive heart, while the source of our brilliance, is also the source of our suffering.
11. We think and speak in stories.
Facts will never move the human heart like storytelling can. We highly creative people, especially artists, know this and weave stories into everything we do. It takes longer for us to explain something, explaining isn’t the point. The experience is.
“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”
*Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art12. We battle Resistance every day.
We wake up every morning, fully aware of the need to grow and push ourselves. But there is always the fear, Resistance as Pressfield calls it, that we don’t have what it takes. No matter how successful we are, that fear never goes away. We simply learn to deal with it, or not.
13. We take our work personally.
Creative work is a raw expression of the person who created it. Often, we aren’t able to separate ourselves from it, so every critique is seen either as a validation or condemnation of our self-worth.
14. We have a hard time believing in ourselves.
Even the seemingly self-confident creative person often wonders, Am I good enough? We constantly compare our work with others and fail to see our own brilliance, which may be obvious to everyone else.
15. We are deeply intuitive.
16. We often use procrastination as a tool.
We are notorious procrastinators because many of us do our best work under pressure. We will subconsciously, and sometimes purposefully, delay our work until the last minute simply to experience the rush of the challenge.
17. We are addicted to creative flow.
Recent discoveries in neuroscience reveal that “the flow state” might be the most addictive experience on earth. 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, we are addicted to the thrill of creating.
18. We have difficulty finishing projects.
The initial stage of the creative process is fast moving and charged with excitement. Often, they will abandon projects that are too familiar in order to experience the initial flow that comes at the beginning.
19. We connect dots better than others.
True creativity, Steve Jobs once said, is little more than connecting the dots. It’s seeing patterns before they become obvious to everyone else.
20. We will never grow up.
We long to see through the eyes of a child and never lose a sense of wonder. For us, life is about mystery, adventure, and growing young. Everything else is simply existing, and not true living.
