Difference #9 — Getting to know my creative self

This is a continuation of a blog post written by Carolyn.Gregoire@huffingtonpost.com  titled 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently. I found it both enlightening and at times even comical in the spot on description of myself. Instead of quoting the entire post at length in a single setting, I decided I would let the world get to know me through this one excerpt at a time.

Here is a repeat of the intro to the post -
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

"Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Inspiration and ideas often arise seemingly out of nowhere and then fail to show up when we most need them, and creative thinking requires complex cognition yet is completely distinct from the thinking process.

Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. As scientists now understand it, creativity is far more complex than the right-left brain distinction would have us think (the theory being that left brain = rational and analytical, right brain = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is thought to involve a number of cognitive processes, neural pathways and emotions, and we still don't have the full picture of how the imaginative mind works.

And psychologically speaking, creative personality types are difficult to pin down, largely because they're complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid habit or routine. And it's not just a stereotype of the "tortured artist" -- artists really may be more complicated people. Research has suggested that creativity involves the coming together of a multitude of traits, behaviors and social influences in a single person.
"It's actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self," Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told The Huffington Post. "The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self ... Imaginative people have messier minds."

While there's no "typical" creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people."

Here is #9

They people-watch.

"Observant by nature and curious about the lives of others, creative types often love to people-watch -- and they may generate some of their best ideas from it.

"[Marcel] Proust spent almost his whole life people-watching, and he wrote down his observations, and it eventually came out in his books," says Kaufman. "For a lot of writers, people-watching is very important ... They're keen observers of human nature."

I would characterize myself as an "observer" not only people watching though, I like to find things and make a play on words to make it something funny. For instance when I was driving to work and saw a computer monitor just sitting in the KMart parking lot.....

I posted, "When management said the parking lot needed to be monitored, I don't think this is what they meant." 

or the time I saw a bunch of shopping carts in the ditch and I posted the picture and the comment, "Breaking news, there has been a 21 cart pile up on Lorraine Street!" 

Even if other people don't find me funny, I crack myself up, and that's important too.........right?

 

Difference #8 — Getting to know my creative self

This is a continuation of a blog post written by Carolyn.Gregoire@huffingtonpost.com  titled 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently. I found it both enlightening and at times even comical in the spot on description of myself. Instead of quoting the entire post at length in a single setting, I decided I would let the world get to know me through this one excerpt at a time.

Here is a repeat of the intro to the post -
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

"Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Inspiration and ideas often arise seemingly out of nowhere and then fail to show up when we most need them, and creative thinking requires complex cognition yet is completely distinct from the thinking process.

Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. As scientists now understand it, creativity is far more complex than the right-left brain distinction would have us think (the theory being that left brain = rational and analytical, right brain = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is thought to involve a number of cognitive processes, neural pathways and emotions, and we still don't have the full picture of how the imaginative mind works.

And psychologically speaking, creative personality types are difficult to pin down, largely because they're complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid habit or routine. And it's not just a stereotype of the "tortured artist" -- artists really may be more complicated people. Research has suggested that creativity involves the coming together of a multitude of traits, behaviors and social influences in a single person.
"It's actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self," Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told The Huffington Post. "The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self ... Imaginative people have messier minds."

While there's no "typical" creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people."

Here is #8

They ask the big questions.

"Creative people are insatiably curious -- they generally opt to live the examined life, and even as they get older, maintain a sense of curiosity about life. Whether through intense conversation or solitary mind-wandering, creatives look at the world around them and want to know why, and how, it is the way it is."

Yes, Google has become a very close friend. But I take exception to having to know why and how something is, often times I am happy just knowing something "is" I don't have to know why, I just accept that it is what it is and move on.......probably because I have some cool project that is more interesting to me......at least for the next few hours.

Difference #7 — Getting to know my creative self

This is a continuation of a blog post written by Carolyn.Gregoire@huffingtonpost.com  titled 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently. I found it both enlightening and at times even comical in the spot on description of myself. Instead of quoting the entire post at length in a single setting, I decided I would let the world get to know me through this one excerpt at a time.

Here is a repeat of the intro to the post -
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

"Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Inspiration and ideas often arise seemingly out of nowhere and then fail to show up when we most need them, and creative thinking requires complex cognition yet is completely distinct from the thinking process.

Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. As scientists now understand it, creativity is far more complex than the right-left brain distinction would have us think (the theory being that left brain = rational and analytical, right brain = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is thought to involve a number of cognitive processes, neural pathways and emotions, and we still don't have the full picture of how the imaginative mind works.

And psychologically speaking, creative personality types are difficult to pin down, largely because they're complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid habit or routine. And it's not just a stereotype of the "tortured artist" -- artists really may be more complicated people. Research has suggested that creativity involves the coming together of a multitude of traits, behaviors and social influences in a single person.
"It's actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self," Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told The Huffington Post. "The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self ... Imaginative people have messier minds."

While there's no "typical" creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people."

Here is #6

They "fail up." 

"Resilience is practically a prerequisite for creative success, says Kaufman. Doing creative work is often described as a process of failing repeatedly until you find something that sticks, and creatives -- at least the successful ones -- learn not to take failure so personally.

"Creatives fail and the really good ones fail often," Forbes contributor Steven Kotler wrote in a piece on Einstein's creative genius."

I soooo have this one down pat.

Difference #6 — Getting to know my creative self

This is a continuation of a blog post written by Carolyn.Gregoire@huffingtonpost.com  titled 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently. I found it both enlightening and at times even comical in the spot on description of myself. Instead of quoting the entire post at length in a single setting, I decided I would let the world get to know me through this one excerpt at a time.

Here is a repeat of the intro to the post -
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

"Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Inspiration and ideas often arise seemingly out of nowhere and then fail to show up when we most need them, and creative thinking requires complex cognition yet is completely distinct from the thinking process.

Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. As scientists now understand it, creativity is far more complex than the right-left brain distinction would have us think (the theory being that left brain = rational and analytical, right brain = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is thought to involve a number of cognitive processes, neural pathways and emotions, and we still don't have the full picture of how the imaginative mind works.

And psychologically speaking, creative personality types are difficult to pin down, largely because they're complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid habit or routine. And it's not just a stereotype of the "tortured artist" -- artists really may be more complicated people. Research has suggested that creativity involves the coming together of a multitude of traits, behaviors and social influences in a single person.
"It's actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self," Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told The Huffington Post. "The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self ... Imaginative people have messier minds."

While there's no "typical" creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people."

Here is #6
They seek out new experiences. 

"Creative people love to expose themselves to new experiences, sensations and states of mind -- and this openness is a significant predictor of creative output.

"Openness to experience is consistently the strongest predictor of creative achievement," says Kaufman. "This consists of lots of different facets, but they're all related to each other: Intellectual curiosity, thrill seeking, openness to your emotions, openness to fantasy. The thing that brings them all together is a drive for cognitive and behavioral exploration of the world, your inner world and your outer world."

This might explain why I like to make a craft or a project but after one or two, I'm done and want to try something else. It might also explain why I can't do anything the "normal" way.....if it can be origami'd, upside down, fed into a printer backwards, pounded, painted or baling wired, that makes me feel triumphant.

Difference #5 — Getting to know my creative self

This is a continuation of a blog post written by Carolyn.Gregoire@huffingtonpost.com  titled 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently. I found it both enlightening and at times even comical in the spot on description of myself. Instead of quoting the entire post at length in a single setting, I decided I would let the world get to know me through this one excerpt at a time.

Here is a repeat of the intro to the post -
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

"Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Inspiration and ideas often arise seemingly out of nowhere and then fail to show up when we most need them, and creative thinking requires complex cognition yet is completely distinct from the thinking process.

Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. As scientists now understand it, creativity is far more complex than the right-left brain distinction would have us think (the theory being that left brain = rational and analytical, right brain = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is thought to involve a number of cognitive processes, neural pathways and emotions, and we still don't have the full picture of how the imaginative mind works.

And psychologically speaking, creative personality types are difficult to pin down, largely because they're complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid habit or routine. And it's not just a stereotype of the "tortured artist" -- artists really may be more complicated people. Research has suggested that creativity involves the coming together of a multitude of traits, behaviors and social influences in a single person.
"It's actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self," Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told The Huffington Post. "The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self ... Imaginative people have messier minds."

While there's no "typical" creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people."

Here is #5

They turn life's obstacles around.

"Many of the most iconic stories and songs of all time have been inspired by gut-wrenching pain and heartbreak -- and the silver lining of these challenges is that they may have been the catalyst to create great art. An emerging field of psychology called post-traumatic growth is suggesting that many people are able to use their hardships and early-life trauma for substantial creative growth. Specifically, researchers have found that trauma can help people to grow in the areas of interpersonal relationships, spirituality, appreciation of life, personal strength, and -- most importantly for creativity -- seeing new possibilities in life.

"A lot of people are able to use that as the fuel they need to come up with a different perspective on reality," says Kaufman. "What's happened is that their view of the world as a safe place, or as a certain type of place, has been shattered at some point in their life, causing them to go on the periphery and see things in a new, fresh light, and that's very conducive to creativity."

Maybe this is why some people seem so judgmental and narrow minded, maybe they either haven't or are refusing to let past failures, or negative life experiences teach them. Maybe they are still blaming someone else instead of just accepting responsibility and moving on positively. Who knows, but I know as for me, I like to believe that for whatever reason I  really try to see every angle of an issue. I'm not so self-absorbed to believe my way is the only way, but that being said, I will admit I do like to do things my way. I do think I have a knack for finding alternate uses for things or ways to accomplish a task differently from the norm.

Difference #4 — Getting to know my creative self

This is a continuation of a blog post written by Carolyn.Gregoire@huffingtonpost.com  titled 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently. I found it both enlightening and at times even comical in the spot on description of myself. Instead of quoting the entire post at length in a single setting, I decided I would let the world get to know me through this one excerpt at a time.

Here is a repeat of the intro to the post -
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

"Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Inspiration and ideas often arise seemingly out of nowhere and then fail to show up when we most need them, and creative thinking requires complex cognition yet is completely distinct from the thinking process.

Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. As scientists now understand it, creativity is far more complex than the right-left brain distinction would have us think (the theory being that left brain = rational and analytical, right brain = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is thought to involve a number of cognitive processes, neural pathways and emotions, and we still don't have the full picture of how the imaginative mind works.

And psychologically speaking, creative personality types are difficult to pin down, largely because they're complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid habit or routine. And it's not just a stereotype of the "tortured artist" -- artists really may be more complicated people. Research has suggested that creativity involves the coming together of a multitude of traits, behaviors and social influences in a single person.
"It's actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self," Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told The Huffington Post. "The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self ... Imaginative people have messier minds."

While there's no "typical" creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people."

Here is #4
They take time for solitude.  

"In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone," wrote the American existential psychologist Rollo May.
Artists and creatives are often stereotyped as being loners, and while this may not actually be the case, solitude can be the key to producing their best work. For Kaufman, this links back to daydreaming -- we need to give ourselves the time alone to simply allow our minds to wander.
"You need to get in touch with that inner monologue to be able to express it," he says. "It's hard to find that inner creative voice if you're ... not getting in touch with yourself and reflecting on yourself."

I've been called many things, both good and bad. I have been told I am a loner, antisocial, and introverted. Although technically those words might describe me and most likely the people that used them on me probably meant them in a negative way, I really don't mind. I have learned I NEED solitude, I NEED times of quiet, times that I can basically just get into my own head.  Sometimes I like to just write, maybe about life in general, maybe about an incident or maybe just to notice the beauty around me, but most times it is the writing itself, not the outcome that is cathartic. Most times I write and then simply erase all that I've written, I suppose sometimes it is just my way of letting something go, or perhaps to gain the bravery to move—forward, backward, sideways........anything but standing still.

Difference #3 — Getting to know my creative self

This is a continuation of a blog post written by Carolyn.Gregoire@huffingtonpost.com  titled 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently. I found it both enlightening and at times even comical in the spot on description of myself. Instead of quoting the entire post at length in a single setting, I decided I would let the world get to know me through this one excerpt at a time.

Here is a repeat of the intro to the post -
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

"Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Inspiration and ideas often arise seemingly out of nowhere and then fail to show up when we most need them, and creative thinking requires complex cognition yet is completely distinct from the thinking process.

Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. As scientists now understand it, creativity is far more complex than the right-left brain distinction would have us think (the theory being that left brain = rational and analytical, right brain = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is thought to involve a number of cognitive processes, neural pathways and emotions, and we still don't have the full picture of how the imaginative mind works.

And psychologically speaking, creative personality types are difficult to pin down, largely because they're complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid habit or routine. And it's not just a stereotype of the "tortured artist" -- artists really may be more complicated people. Research has suggested that creativity involves the coming together of a multitude of traits, behaviors and social influences in a single person.
"It's actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self," Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told The Huffington Post. "The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self ... Imaginative people have messier minds."

While there's no "typical" creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people."

Here is #3
They work the hours that work for them.

"Many great artists have said that they do their best work either very early in the morning or late at night. Vladimir Nabokov started writing immediately after he woke up at 6 or 7 a.m., and Frank Lloyd Wright made a practice of waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. and working for several hours before heading back to bed. No matter when it is, individuals with high creative output will often figure out what time it is that their minds start firing up, and structure their days accordingly."

Not sure I have a set time that I like to work, I do know that often times I wake up in the night it seems my subconscious brain has been working without the conscious me, giving me ideas and solutions. So, you know how they say you don't get paid for sleeping? I'd have to say that sometimes I DO get paid for sleeping.