By Trina Boice
Have you ever wondered what drives creative people? What makes them different? Hanging out with other LDSPMA members energizes me, inspires me, and encourages me to tap into my own creativity more! You can develop your own innate creativity by incorporating the following seven traits into your daily life.
1. Creative people are focused
Highly creative people usually have high levels of energy and stay focused on their project for long periods. Even when they are out of the studio or away from the computer, their minds are still thinking about their creative work. To take advantage of the ideas that tend to constantly flow, keep a notebook nearby or reserve a spot on your cell phone where you can instantly record your flashes of inspiration.
2. They hold onto a sense of wonder
Creative people are often brilliant, but they don’t think they know everything. Just the opposite, they retain a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. They are committed to lifelong learning.
3. Creative people work hard
Creative people, whether songwriters or artists, speakers or writers, usually work long hours on a project and get into “the zone.” They let their loved ones know what they need for support, so that when they’re in “the zone,” they won’t be bothered or interrupted. Know how to design an effective workspace with music or silence, food or drink, aroma or light. Creatives are persistent and determined and totally focused on their work. They also know they need to take a break!
4. Creatives are not loners
Research suggests that creative people often combine the best of extroversion and introversion. While most people tend to favor one or the other of these personality types, creative people combine elements of both. They find ideas and inspiration in their social interactions and then retreat to the studio to work their creative magic.
5. They are open and sensitive
Creatives tend to be very empathic and sensitive. They are open to all the possibilities of the world and find inspiration everywhere. Sensitivity is necessary to be able to create artistically but can be a double-edged sword, leaving the artist vulnerable to criticism and rejection.
6. Creatives can daydream and be realistic
The traditional picture of the daydreaming artist isn’t necessarily reflective of the creative mind. Creativity is grounded in imagination and daydreaming, seeing the possibilities and wondering ‘what if?’ But creative people are also very practical, and the next stage is testing the ‘what if’ idea to see if it works. Creative thinking is essential for innovative problem solving that works in the real world.
7. Creatives seek to be a light in the world
Creative desire to share their gifts with the world to make it a better place. They want to share their insights and perspective in order to lighten another person’s burden or add joy and depth to understanding.
So, what are YOU going to create today?
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Dr. Trina Boice is a #1 best-selling author of 31 books and an author coach at www.FromBook2Business.com. She teaches online for Brigham Young University (Idaho campus), is a film critic at www.MovieReviewMom.com. Trina is the Marketing Director at LDSPMA and loves rubbing shoulders with all of you amazing creatives!
You lost me at Number 1
My ADHD so profound, my focus lasts only seconds, but I have 18 to 20 projects going on at all times, so I can bounce from one to another. On some rare occasions, I hyperfocus, which is a superpower neurotypical brains can’t even wish would happen to them.
The other things were fairly true…I’m highly empathetic, but not even a little bit sensitive to criticism or rejection. I’ve always had that, and simply don’t care. If people don’t like me or my stuff, they can move along and find something and someone else they respond to; I’m here to please myself, and if someone else likes what I create, yay!
I am curious how you decided upon these 7 character traits for creatives. I found each one of them perfect at describing who I am and how I think. I was so flattered by the way you identified and put a positive twist on some of our traits that tend to frustrate some people.