Two Articles on Creativity from Psychology Today

One of the nice things about the holidays have been the chance to catch-up on my reading. Among many, here's two of the best, both written by leading experts on creative thinking, and both published in Psychology Today.

Appearing last month (December 2011), the first is Twelve Things You Were Not Taught in School About Creative Thinking, by Michael Michalko.

1. You are creative.
2. Creative thinking is work.
3. You must go through the motions of being creative.
4. Your brain is not a computer.
5. There is no one right answer.
6. Never stop with your first good idea.
7. Expect the experts to be negative.
8. Trust your instincts.
9. There is no such thing as failure.
10. You do not see things as they are; you see them as you are.
11. Always approach a problem on its own terms.
12. Learn to think unconventionally.

Michalko's article is worth reading for his elaboration of each point. To me, two statements hit home:  #7 ("The more expert and specialized a person becomes,  the more their mindset becomes narrowed and the more fixated they become on confirming what they believe to be absolute") and #10 ("You construct your own reality by how you choose to interpret your experiences.")

The second - "The Creative Personality" - appeared in July 1996, but 16 years has not diminished its relevance today.  It's written by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, from his 1996 book Creativity: The Work and LIves of 91 Eminent People.  His list of attributes is below, but as with Michalko's article, Csikszentmihalyi's piece is also worth reading for the insight he brings to each statement.

1. Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but they're also often quiet and at rest.
2. Creative people tend to be smart yet naive at the same time.
3. Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility.
4. Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a rooted sense of reality.
5. Creative people tend to be both extroverted and introverted.
6. Creative people are humble and proud at the same time.
7. Creative people, to an extent, escape rigid gender role stereotyping.
8. Creative people are both rebellious and conservative.
9. Creative people are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well.
10. Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment.

The article sprang up because I've been reading a lot about creative attributes over the past few weeks. What struck me as unique about Csikszentmihalyi's list was that each trait was actually a dichotomy: a creative person was this, but also that. No wonder why the world doesn't understand the creative person! Just as they think they understand them, the creative person shifts - as if suffering from a split-personality. And no wonder why creative people often feel different to others, or why they behave different to others. The world prefers one path, one routine, one answer ... whereas the creative sees options, alternatives and new experiences.

Ah, as Grandma Eklund used to say, "Thank God we're all different. Otherwise the world would be a boring place."