What is a creative person. About love and life

We often write that a dude should follow his heart, realize his ambitions and generally try to go his own way. Especially if his path is to be a creative person. Professionally creating original texts, drawing, doing art and what is commonly called a hobby is the dream of many, many people. Unfortunately, it is not given to everyone to implement it. Having lived the life of an artist or an indie programmer, our hypothetical creative person realizes that it is not as attractive as it seemed before: there is not much money, the deadlines are running out, the customer is a fool, no other customers are expected, the port is over, and recognition is something is not coming. Was it really necessary to choose a more mundane profession? And mom said!

The life of a creative person is unique. A creative person, a truly creative person, and not one who considers himself to be such, deserves respect. Unfortunately, the very term "creative person" has been corrupted by second-rate writers, bad artists, and other pretentious dudes. A truly creative person is close to the archetype in the sense that his values ​​are very different from the generally accepted ones. There are few such people, because not every person is seriously ready to go this way. It has a lot of advantages, but it will be painful for you from your dissimilarity to others. More often than not, society puts pressure on us, but we ourselves.

From childhood, when we studied "stable" and "respectable" areas of human activity, such as biology, mathematics, chemistry, law, languages, business, programming and economics, we have absorbed the belief that any art as a profession is a risk. Most dudes still believe that recognition ONLY comes after death. It seems that society dislikes a person who wants more to be realized in creativity than to get a stable prestigious profession.

This is partly true: life is unstable, there are many risks in it. This memo will help you in choosing the path. Who are you: a creative person or an ordinary worker who creates at his leisure?

Can you withstand all adversity?

The life of a person who wants to make money on creativity is more difficult than that of everyone else. Creativity must be sold, inspiration disappears, there is no customer. Of course, in the life of the “inhabitants” there may also be no work and the salary may not be satisfactory, but this happens much less often for them. The big problem with many traditionally creative people is that they don't know how to market themselves. You look at some and understand: a person is talented and really draws, sews and makes something with his hands in an original way. But you look at another and you see that he doesn’t know how to do anything, that his paintings are a second year art graph, the horizon in the photographs is skewed, and the articles are complete crap, but his main difference from the first one is that he knows how to interest his abilities and praise them. Therefore, it is more successful than the first.

Can you try again and again?

A person of a creative profession has in common the need to take risks. This means that he needs to try again and again to make his project. Did one thing burn out? Start doing something else. Didn't work out? Start over. The modern dude is too fond of throwing everything halfway. Make sure you're not one of them.

Can you do without luxury?

Since you will receive little and inconsistently, luxury will not be your companion. Of course, if you are lucky and you learn how to make money on art, you will bathe in luxury like Nikas Safronov, but this is rare. If the money is barely enough to pay for the rent of a room to the hostess, what can we say about buying a new iPhone or having dinner at good location? They won't even let you spend money on such things. Sometimes a creative person has nothing to eat, but he drinks tea, dipping a weekly bag into boiling water. This is also not uncommon.

Can you be lonely?

We wrote more than once that. Let's face it, being single is hard and scary. In order not to be afraid, you need to be able to be alone. Can you? Even well-meaning people can distance themselves from you if they see how you do not fit into the generally accepted norms. Be prepared to lose most of your comrades. You can't even blame them!

Can you handle criticism?

The most unpleasant thing that can happen to a young talent is criticism. Somewhere deep down, many creative dudes consider themselves to be exceptional, creative and true innovators who believe that all the rules of painting, photography and text construction are outdated dull crap. They do not understand that their drawings do not work out, that the critic wants to push them on the true path, and not offend. If you don’t know how to adequately respond to criticism, accept suggestions for improving the work and seriously think about them, it’s better for you not to go into creativity. Why breed unprofessionalism?

Can you keep learning?

Can you constantly learn new techniques, tirelessly practice and improve? Without progress, you will not be able to attract new customers and move forward. You yourself will soon cease to be satisfied with your successes, but in order to develop something new, you often need to learn something old. Not everyone can come up with something from scratch.

Can you do this without a reward?

If you plan to do something for recognition, you will lose. Recognition will pass if you achieve it, of course, and you will again be left with nothing. You need to do this only in order to realize your creative potential and because of the love for this topic. In this case your creative career will be much more tolerant and pleasant. Because of the love for your work, you can endure the absence of a woman, life prospects and money. Let success be a by-product.

Some people initially have some creative qualities, a creative personality type. But if you gradually introduce a few creative skills into your life, then you can unleash your full creative potential, even if initially you do not have the makings. Next, the women's magazine Goldy-Woman will tell you more about 10 skills of creative people that you can use.

Creative people are energetic but able to concentrate

Creative people are often incredibly energetic, both physically and spiritually. They can spend hours working on a single little detail until it's perfect and still be as enthusiastic as when they started. This does not mean that creative people are hyperactive or manic. They also devote a lot of time to rest, thoughtfully thinking about things that are interesting to them.

Creative people are smart but naive at the same time

Creative people are usually smart, but research shows that high IQ doesn't always correlate with high creative achievement. One study found that a high IQ often helps you be more successful in life in general, but an IQ that is too high virtually eliminates the possibility of creative genius. An approximate "creative" IQ is 120. Higher IQs may encourage creativity, but not bring it to a higher level.

In fact, the creative vein includes a combination of wisdom and childishness. Creative people are smart, but at the same time they are able to be surprised, curious and look at the world with wide eyes.

Creative people are fun but disciplined

Cheerful, playful attitude to business - distinguishing feature creative person. However, this carelessness and joy are paradoxically combined with another trait - perseverance. When working on a project, creative people tend to show perseverance and determination. They will work until they are completely satisfied with the result.

Imagine what you would think if you met an artist, an artist, any creative person. On the surface, it all seems like pure romance, so exciting and charming. And in fact, of course, creative activity includes all these delights. But to be a successful creative person, you need to work a lot, which is not visible from the outside. A creative person is in any case aware that real creativity involves both fun and hard work.

Creative people are both realists and dreamers

Creative people love to dream, imagining all sorts of wonders and possibilities. They can completely immerse themselves in their imagination and fantasies, but at the same time remain very down to earth. They are often presented as dreamers, but this does not mean that they are constantly in the clouds. Creators of all kinds, from scientists to artists and musicians, often come up with creative solutions to trivial problems.

Great art and science require the involvement of the imagination in a world that is different from the existing one. Most of the rest of the people often consider it only as a fantasy, groundless and inapplicable to reality. And they will be right. At first. However, the whole essence of art and science is far beyond what now seems to us to be reality. They create the future reality.

Creative people are extroverts and introverts at the same time

We like to divide people into extroverts and introverts. However, the creative personality type requires a combination of both personality types. Creative people are both introverts and extroverts. Research has shown that people tend to tend towards one of these types, and this trend is always stable.

On the other hand, creative individuals exhibit characteristics of both types at the same time. They are both sociable and reserved, noisy and calm. Connecting with other people can be a huge source of inspiration and ideas. At the right time, the creative person simply withdraws to create from these ideas and use the inspiration that comes.

Creative people are proud but humble

Successful creative people are proud of their achievements, but also know their place. They have an incredible respect for their colleagues, as well as previous achievements in their field, thanks to which they make their creative work. Creative people understand that their achievements are brighter and more memorable than others, but they don't dwell on it. Very often they are so passionate about their next idea that they forget about the previous ones.

Creative people don't pay attention to gender roles

Creative people often resist, at least to some extent, the gender stereotypes and roles that society tries to impose on them. Creative girls and women tend to be more dominant, while creative men tend to be less aggressive and more sensitive. Psychologically, an androgynous person doubles his reactions at times. Creative people often not only use the power of their gender, but the opposite too.

Creative people are conservative but rebellious

Creative people, by definition, grind outside the box. We often imagine them as nonconformists and even slightly rebellious. But it is impossible to be a fully creative person without mastering, first of all, cultural norms and traditions. Creativity requires both traditionalism and iconoclasm. It means having the ability to appreciate and even accept the past, while at the same time looking for new and better ways to do things.

Creative people can be conservative in many ways, while understanding that innovation sometimes requires risk.

Creative people are passionate but also objective about their work.

Creative people don't just enjoy their work, they passionately love it. But passion alone does not lead to great accomplishments. Imagine a writer who is so in love with his work that he doesn't want to change a single line of it. Imagine a musician who does not want to listen to his performance, even if it is not very good, does not want to strive for the best.

Creative people love their work, but they are extremely objective, often criticizing themselves and demanding criticism from others. They are able to separate their personality from their creativity and see where improvements are needed without excessive self-esteem.

Creative people are sensitive and open to new experiences, but happy and fun

Creative people are usually sensitive and open, and this can bring both joy and pain. The act of creativity, with its risks and new ideas, usually leaves a person vulnerable to criticism. It's painful and even devastating to spend years on something that ends up being ignored, dismissed or ridiculed.

But being open to new creative experiences is a great source of joy. It brings inexpressible happiness, and most creative people are sure that this feeling is worth any pain.

Neuroscience paints a complex picture of creativity. Scientists now understand that the nature of creativity is much more complex than differences in right- or left-sided brain orientation (left = rational and analytical, right = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is thought to be associated with a range of cognitive processes, nerve impulses, and emotions, and we still don't have a complete understanding of how the creative mind works.

From a psychological point of view, creative personality types are difficult to define. They are complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid routine. And this is not just a stereotype of a "tortured artist". Research has shown that creativity involves the interaction of many traits, behaviors and social influences in one person.

« In fact creative people harder to know themselves because they are harder than uncreative Scott Barry Kaufman, a New York University psychologist who has spent years researching creativity, told the Huffington Post. " What is the most paradoxical thing about a creative person ... these people have a more chaotic mind».

There is no "typical" portrait of a creative person, but there is characteristics in the behavior of creative people. Here are 18 points that are characteristic of them.

They dream

Creative people are dreamers, despite the fact that their school teachers may have said that dreaming is a waste of time.
Kaufman and psychologist Rebecca L. Macmillan, who also co-authored a paper titled “ Ode to Positive Creative Dreaming”, believe that mind wandering can help in the process "creative incubation". And, of course, many from experience know that best ideas visit us when mentally we are in a completely different place.

Neuroscientists have found that imagination involves the same brain processes that are associated with fantasy and creativity.

They notice everything

A creative person sees opportunities everywhere and constantly absorbs information that becomes food for creative self-expression. As Henry James is often quoted, a writer is one from whom "nothing escapes".

Joan Didion always carried a notebook with her and said that she wrote down observations about people and events that ultimately helped her better understand the complexities and contradictions of her own mind.

They have their own opening hours.

Many great masters admit that they create their best work either very early in the morning or late in the evening. Vladimir Nabokov started writing as soon as he woke up at 6 or 7 in the morning, and Frank Lloyd Wright made it a habit to wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and work for several hours before going back to bed. Highly creative people don't stick to a standard daily routine.

They find time for solitude

« To be open to creativity, one must have the ability to make constructive use of solitude. You have to overcome the fear of being alone.", - wrote the American existential psychologist Rollo May.

Artists and creatives are often stereotyped as loners when in fact they may not be. Solitude may be the key to creating the best works. Kaufman attributes this to imagination - we should give ourselves time to just daydream.

« You need to get in touch with your inner voice in order to be able to express yourself. It's hard to hear your inner creative voice if you're...not in touch with yourself and thinking about yourself." he says.

They "digest" life's barriers

Many of the most iconic stories and songs of all time were created under the influence of heartbreaking pain. Often problems became a catalyst for the creation of outstanding works. In psychology, this is called post-traumatic growth, which suggests that people are able to use their hardships and early life traumas for significant creative growth. Researchers have found that trauma can help a person excel in interpersonal relationships, life satisfaction, spirituality, personal power, and new opportunities.

They are looking for new experiences.

Creative people love to experience new experiences, sensations and states of mind, and this is an important predetermining factor for creative results.

« Openness to new experiences is the strongest predictor creative achievements ', says Kaufman. " There are many different interrelated aspects here: intellectual curiosity, thrill seeking, openness to emotions and imagination. And all together - this is the engine for knowing and exploring the world, both internal and external ".

They fail

Resilience is practically a necessary quality for creative success, says Kaufman. Failure often lies in wait for a creative person, at least a few times, but creatives - at least successful ones - learn not to lament about it.

"Creative people fail, but really good people fail often", - wrote in Forbes Stephen Kotler in an excerpt about the creative genius of Einstein.

They ask important questions

Creative people are insatiably curious. They tend to prefer to explore life and even when they grow up, they retain the interest of the discoverer. Through active conversations or individual mental reflections, creatives constantly ask themselves a lot of questions as they look at the world.

They watch people

Natural observation and interest in other people's lives sometimes helps to generate the best of ideas.

« Marcel Proust spent almost his entire life observing people, he wrote down his remarks, and this found an outlet in his books., says Kaufman. "For many writers, people-watching is very important...".

They take risks

Part of being creative requires taking risks, and many successful creatives have to take risks in various aspects of life.

« There is a deep and meaningful connection between risk taking and creativity and this is often overlooked. writes Steven Kotler in Forbes. " Creativity is the act of creating something out of nothing. It requires the disclosure of what at first existed only in the imagination. Such an occupation is not for the timid. Wasted time, tarnished reputation, wasted money - ... These are all side effects when creativity goes awry».

They see everything in life as an opportunity for self-expression.

Nietzsche believed that life and the world should be seen as a work of art. Creative individuals are constantly looking for opportunities to express themselves in everyday life.

« Creative expression is self-expression. Creativity is nothing more than a private expression of your needs, desires and uniqueness., says Kaufman.

They follow their true passion

Creative people tend to be intrinsically motivated. This means that they act out of some inner desire rather than outward desire for reward or recognition.

Psychologists say that creative people are excited by exciting activities, and this is a sign of intrinsic motivation. Research shows that simply thinking about own reasons activities can be stimulating enough to boost creativity.

They go beyond their own mind

Kaufman argues that the ability to dream is still necessary in order to help us move beyond conventional vision and explore other ways of thinking that can be an important asset for creativity.

« Dreaminess develops to allow us to let go of the present.', says Kaufman. " The brain network associated with daydreaming is the brain network associated with theory of mind. I like to call it the "imagination network" - it allows you to imagine yourself in the future, as well as imagine other people's thoughts..

They lose their sense of time

Creative individuals may find that when they write, dance, draw, or otherwise express themselves, they find themselves " in a state of flux”, which helps them to create on their own high level. It is a mental state where a person goes beyond conscious thought to achieve a state of heightened concentration and calmness. Then he is practically not subject to either internal or external stimuli that can interfere with his activities.

You find yourself " in a state of flux when you are doing something that you really like, that makes you feel good.

They surround themselves with beauty

Creators tend to have excellent taste and love to be in beautiful surroundings.

A study recently published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts found that musicians, including music teachers and soloists, demonstrate a high sensitivity and receptivity to artistic beauty.

According to Michael Gelb, everyone can be creative and, without reinventing the wheel, create something new and interesting.

Today we will talk about the nature of creative people. This question is being studied by psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. This is one of the most authoritative experts in the field of business psychology, known primarily for the theory of flow. Csikszentmihalyi is the author of several bestsellers, including Creativity: Life and Work 91 famous person(Creativity: The Work and Lives of 91 Eminent People, 1996). In it, he describes 10 paradoxical traits inherent in creative personalities, which he managed to identify over 30 years of his work.

Do you want to know what distinguishes the creator from the layman? Then welcome under cat.

1. Strong but not trained

A creative person has quite a lot of physical energy, but, unfortunately, it is little spent. After all, the work of the creator is, first of all, the work of his brain. Focusing exclusively on intellectual labor makes a healthy body look weak. That is why it is important to maintain a balance of mind and body.

2. Smart but naive

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi admits that creative people are smart, they are distinguished by flexibility and originality of thinking, the ability to hear different points of view. But almost everyone naively believes that creativity can be measured with creative tests, and developed at specialized seminars.

3. Playful but selfless

Creative people love to relax. As they say, nothing hedonistic is alien to them. But when it comes to the "birth" of a new project, they are able to work like crazy. For example, the Italian artist Paolo Uccello, when he was developing his famous "perspective theory", did not sleep all night and walked from corner to corner.

Csikszentmihalyi notes that most creators work late into the night and nothing can stop them.

4. Dreamers, but realists

This is the mystery of creative people. They are great inventors, they can come up with anything, but most of them look at life quite realistically. Apparently, William Ward was right when he said that a pessimist complains about the wind, an optimist hopes for a change in the weather, and a realist sets sail.

5. Extroverts but introverted

We tend to divide people into extroverts and introverts. It is believed that the former are sociable, easily converge with people, have charisma, etc. And the latter, on the contrary, live in their own inner world where only "chosen ones" are allowed.

But, according to Csikszentmihalyi's observations, truly creative people combine both of these traits. In public, they are the soul of the company, and in the circle of loved ones they are quiet and laconic.

6. Modest but proud

Creative people tend to be very humble. They do not expect praise - the very process of creating a new one is important to them. However, at the same time, they will not give anyone a descent and will not allow to humiliate their own dignity.

7. Masculine but feminine

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi argues that creative people often do not fit their gender roles. So, female creators are often distinguished by a tough disposition, while men, on the contrary, are sensual and sentimental.

8. Rebel but conservative

What is creativity? That’s right – creating something new. In this regard, creative people are very often reputed to be rebels, as their ideas go beyond the usual. But at the same time, it is difficult for many of them to part with their ossified habits, change roles, and so on.

9. Passionate but objective

All creative people are passionate about their work. It would seem that passion should blind, but truly creative people always look objectively at what they do.

Csikszentmihalyi emphasizes that a creative person must adequately perceive criticism, as well as separate his "I" from his work.

10. Open but happy

One of the creative secrets of Leonardo da Vinci was "sharpness of feelings". Creators are always open to new events, even if they hurt them. At the same time, internally it is harmonious happy people because they know how to enjoy the creative process itself.

As you can see, creative people are indeed full of contradictions. But as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says, it is these paradoxes that help them adapt to almost any situation, adapting everything around them to achieve their goals.

And what paradoxical features of creative people do you know?

How do you know if you are creative or not? How to understand what talent your child has in order to help him become famous person? These are all questions that, one way or another, every person asks himself.

It often happens that people of non-creative professions dream of showing themselves in something interesting, unusual, original. They dream about how they could become great singers or actors, but it didn’t work out, they couldn’t prove themselves at a certain moment as a creative person. It also happens vice versa, when creative people are burdened by their talents, abilities and dream of ordinary life ordinary people.

So any creative person must have some ability or talent. The depth of knowledge, skills and abilities depends on the abilities. A person who has developed a talent for the highest degree can rightly be called genius. In addition to the above, it is necessary to mention also that the role of the intuitive development of a person is also huge in this. It is intuition that is associated with the ability to creative imagination, which evokes certain memories in the mind and creates new psychological formations thanks to them. Very often, super-ideas come to a person only if he tries to combine two different ideas and create something new based on them.

“Not using the abilities bestowed on you, you incur many failures and block your path to success ...”. Stephen Green.

Speaking about a creative person, it should be noted that such qualities as non-standard thinking, willingness to take risks, curiosity, a sense of humor, wit, determination, perseverance, hard work, willpower, depth and activity of thinking, the ability to be surprised, admire everything that surrounds. It has long been known that human creativity can be limitless. It is the ability of a person to think creatively that demonstrates his superiority over other living beings living on our planet.

In any case, the main condition for the manifestation of creativity is the possession of certain skills, only in this way a person has the opportunity to focus on the main points on which the success of his activity directly depends. Agree that the better a person masters certain skills, the more creativity he can contribute to his work. For example, in order for a writer to create a talented novel, he needs to master the skills writing, because otherwise all his attention will be directed to avoiding errors in the text.

Thanks to creative people, new original items are created that have high value for society. Creative people include scientists, musicians, artists, actors, inventors, in other words, people engaged in activities that result in new materially and spiritually significant products. In this case, we call buildings, paintings, books, etc. products of creativity. All inventions, discoveries, the creation of new objects of art and literature, the birth of new ideas are based on non-standard thinking, which constantly moves humanity forward.

Each person should strive to open up and be realized in this life. Only self-disclosure and self-realization can reveal the meaning of life and give happiness. And it doesn't matter when a person reveals himself as a creative person, because this can happen both in childhood and in old age. The most important thing is that the disclosure of talent still happens.

Remember what the Greek proverb says: "A man reaches heights only in that which is to his heart." Therefore, if you want to become a successful musician or artist, you must love your job and feel called to it.