The human mind is a mysterious thing, the creative one is even more. It is the ladder using which humanity has managed to climb this high. It is the tool that has helped us come this far. The power of creativity is the reason for our identity as world shapers.
It is the source of our endless potential. But what is it exactly, how do we recognise it and most importantly how do we understand it? The first two of these questions are easily answered. It is the third one where we need to dive deeper to truly understand the often misunderstood.
The Creative Mind
Simply put, the presence of creativity makes for a creative mind. Creativity, is the ability of creating new things. It’s a simple sentence but includes a plethora of human activities. It is an untenable force of nature and it is a matter of honour being blessed by it.
One may also say that it is like a talent. Just as the ability to sing makes for a singer and the ability to dance makes for a dancer, the ability to create something new makes for a creative person. To bring something into the plane of existence is the greatest talent one can be bestowed. Creating something out of nothing is akin to the way the universe itself was born.
Recognising One
Although small in numbers, creative people are easily recognised. The creative is as easily recognised in a crowd as a diamond among coals. They are unique and quite different in their personality and behaviour. They are full of ideas and discussions and seem to speak their own language.
They are the wonderers, the dreamers, the observers, filled with possibilities who ask the most unconventional questions and are always ready to express themselves. There’s always a “what-if” in their minds. That’s how you spot one. And it really is a pleasant experience meeting and getting to know one.
Understanding the Creative Mind
The thing with creative people is that, they are often misunderstood or not understood at all. They are so unconventional in their thinking that people often fail to understand them on a fundamental level. Sometimes people are just not able to match their level of enthusiasm and at others, they are not able to comprehend what they are trying to express or how they are trying to do it.
Creative people tend to be so passionate about things that their level of thoughts and ideas on any particular topic is beyond what anybody can keep up with. They see the abstract nature of things which many will fail to even notice, let alone think about and have intelligent conversations about.
Moreover, creative people are often the misfits. In a society where conformity has become the default setting, for the sake of peer acceptance, they tend to be the ones who say no and talk their own talk.
They are the ones who walk their own paths while the sheep are busy following other sheep which are in turn led by shepherds. This non-conformity is what the society has always hated and therefore ridiculed. We have seen this to have happened to many brilliant minds throughout history.
But the universe always serves justice and in the end these misfits are the ones with the last laugh.
Creative minds are very vital for the development of the world and it will be wise on all our parts if we do a better job at understanding them. For this, we have to look at their traits and try to decipher what they do and why they do it.
Finding Passion
It can sometimes be difficult for the creative ones to find their true passion. In a world that has as many distractions as ours, it is easy for one to go astray. Figuring out who you are as a person and what your dreams are can be really difficult because creative minds see potential in everything. They feel this inherent need, to bring about a positive change in everything.
Sometimes they can spend a lot of time figuring things out while the rest of the world is already on their merry way. And that is why, and when, they are questioned, which makes things even worse for them. All they need is support and proper guidance.
If a child is lost, do you lecture him or try to find its parents? Once they find where their true passion lies, they shine brighter then everyone else. And it’s just beautiful to watch the kind of work they put in.
I have had the pleasure of being a part of many such life-altering experiences myself, where I have seen friends and family member really struggling, and not sure where they were headed but when they finally realised what they had to do and where they had to do it, they outdid everyone else and the haters and naysayers were left bewildered and speechless.
Finding your passion is finding your life.
Loneliness
Creative people like to be in the presence of their thoughts. Their minds are always running. They are like thoughts factory continuously producing throughout the day and in many cases even in dreams while they are sleeping! It’s a whirlwind inside their minds. It sounds tedious but it is in fact very amusing. And thus, they tend to spend a lot of time alone.
They are constantly coming up with ideas on what to do next and how to do it. And therefore might avoid company as that may disrupt the thought process. They also avoid socialising because they can spend that time what they love doing the most.
Also they feel that most people don’t share their passions and would not be able to communicate on the same level as themselves which would turn out to be very boring and demotivating. So, as a result they keep to themselves. Now, this is not universal but this is what happens with a lot of creative individuals. Of course, exceptions are everywhere.
Sensitive
Sometimes, creatives are overly sensitive. That’s because they feel very passionate about certain things and they feel it at every level of their being. This may sometimes be called as “over reacting” or “sympathy gaining” or even “attention seeking” behaviour but the fact cannot be any different.
They are just being themselves trying to express their feelings to the best of their abilities and doing it in a passionate way. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact it’s kind of beautiful if you think about it. In a non-caring world, we have people who care so much for something that they are touched by it at an emotional level.
Never Satisfied
A creative mind is a cursed mind. There is a curse upon it and it is called dissatisfaction. Creative people are never satisfied with their work even if they believe to have given it their hundred percent. That’s because there is always that lingering feeling that it might have been a little better here and a little better there. Be it writers or designers or music composers or any other creative individuals. We all know that feeling.
They are always trying to create better versions of their works no matter how much time it takes in the process creating better versions of themselves. They are their own competition and they are trying to beat themselves. It is an endless cycle but one that gifts the world masterpieces that they can have the pleasure of feasting their eyes on.
It is due to this very nature of creatives that we see more beautiful, soul touching art, better, thoughtful design, more enhanced technology and even more touching music every year. The creatives are always at work, non-stop. And we get to reap the benefits of that.
Giving Up
This is another trait that many creative people share. Things do not always go as planned. There are obstacles at every corner and sometimes a piece of work just doesn’t feel like it will ever get done. Sometimes creatives can find that infinite pool of ideas suddenly empty and are left with no view of the road ahead.
Other times they might feel like giving up because they don’t completely understand why they are doing a particular thing. Many different questions may arise in their minds like, what they are trying to achieve, what their goals are, what the purpose of doing something is.
For example an artist may start with a brilliant idea for a painting and mid way he might start to question every aspect of that painting and would then start wondering if he should give up on it and start something different.
But in the end they always find their way, because they go on to realise that they do what they do to make an impact, to bring about a positive change, to bring something new to the world, because it is a testament to who they are and a justification for what they do.
I would like to end this article with a quote by Rob Siltanen which Apple used in their “Think Different” campaign after the return of Steve Jobs to Apple. This quote aptly and beautifully describes the creative people.
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Note: Images used are taken from the public domain, unless mentioned otherwise. Attributions have been made where necessary.
