1. Creative Geniuses are open to new experiences. On an individual level, psychologists have identified “openness to experience” as the single most important trait of exceptionally creative people. Creative geniuses make a conscious effort to introduce change into their lives. They often put themselves in situations in which they’re more likely to experience the unexpected.

2. Creative Geniuses have a high tolerance for uncertainty. Many of us cringe at the thought of the unknown and fear being out of control. Creative geniuses, on the other hand, have a high tolerance for uncertainty. Picasso was once asked if he knew what a painting was going to look like when he started it. He answered, “No, of course not. If I knew, I wouldn’t bother doing it.” In general, creative geniuses tend to care less about the destination and more about the journey.

3. Creative Geniuses practice diffused attention. Most exceptional creators are working on multiple projects at a time. They’re often restless and have a variety of outside interests. Psychologists refer to this as “diffused attention”, or defocused. While periods of intense concentration are useful for balancing checkbooks and taking exams, creative breakthroughs are most likely to occur when we’re in a state of diffused attention.

4. Creative Geniuses don’t care much about what other people think. Another trait common to creative geniuses is their utter and complete lack of self-consciousness. They simply don’t care what others think of them. Take Socrates’ nose, for example. Or Einstein’s hair. However, what they lack in self-consciousness, they tend to make up for in self-awareness. Creative geniuses are constantly reflecting on what they’re doing at any given moment and they’re always listening to themselves.

5. Creative Geniuses are more sensitive than most. The old stereotype of the sensitive artist is true. Creative geniuses are physiologically more sensitive to stimuli. In experiments, they consistently rate various stimuli (electric shocks and loud noises, for example) more intensely than less creative people. This could also explain why creative people periodically retreat from the world.

6. Creative Geniuses are unusually optimistic. While many of us approach a new challenge with, “Why?” Creative geniuses challenge themselves with, “Why not?” It seems that optimism plays an essential role in creativity for all of us. For example, one recent study found that optimistic employees are more creative than pessimistic ones.

7. Creative Geniuses are motivated by something other than personal gain. Contrary to many great artists of today seeking fame, success, or money, creative geniuses aren’t motivated by personal gain. They’re not doing it for themselves. At least, not only for themselves. Creative geniuses create in order to further their beliefs. They create with the distinct goal of making the world a better place and transforming it through the power of their creativity.

8. Creative Geniuses have cognitive flexibility. Cognitive flexibility is defined as the ability to see the world with new eyes. Creative geniuses view obstacles as opportunities. They possess this capacity to transform random events, even mistakes, into a chance to veer in an entirely new and unexpected direction. In other words, creative geniuses are able to switch tracks with ease. They value the process above all else, so they keep their minds and eyes open.

9. Creative Geniuses are active. Darwin’s theory of evolution came together while he was riding in the back of a carriage. Mark Twain was notorious for pacing his study. Mozart always traveled with scraps of paper tucked into his side pocket. Creativity requires kinetic energy and motion primes creative thinking. Creative geniuses understand this and make sure to stay active. They may not get anywhere physically, but such consistent movement allows them to travel far in their minds. As the saying goes, “I have never heard of anyone stumbling upon something while sitting down.”

10. Creative Geniuses view themselves as outsiders. They may be part of a group, but they never quite feel as though they fit in. They are simultaneously accepted and shunned. Though not a comfortable position, it’s the perfect configuration for creative genius, as all genuinely creative ideas are initially met with rejection. Researchers at John Hopkins University found that rejection boosts creativity most markedly in individuals who consider themselves to be “independent minded”. That is, those who stand apart from the world and rejoice in their Otherness. Creative geniuses are always marginalized to one degree or another. Which makes sense since someone wholly invested in the status quo is unlikely to disrupt it.

11. Creative Geniuses make a lot of mistakes. The idea that highly creative people get it “right” the first time and don’t make any mistakes is perhaps the greatest myth of creativity. In reality, creative geniuses make more mistakes than the rest of us. This makes sense when we consider that the more shots we take at a target, the more likely we’ll eventually hit the bull’s eye (and the more misses we’ll accumulate, as well). Creative geniuses tend to rightfully view their mistakes as stepping-stones.

12. Creative Geniuses fail well. Closely related to their tendency towards mistakes, creative geniuses also know how to fail. They embrace failure because they know it can provide a useful learning experience, as long as it’s in the aid of a continuing process. Creative geniuses fail well. They fail until they get it right. They fail in a thoughtful and efficient manner. And perhaps most importantly, they fail early.

13. Creative Geniuses crave chaos. The word “chaos” is often misused as a synonym for “anarchy”. We seem to have given it a false negative connotation. But creative breakthroughs arrive in the midst of chaos. Thus, creative geniuses crave chaos. If it doesn’t present itself naturally, they produce it. Think about Beethoven’s notoriously messy desk, for example. Or Einstein’s messy love life. These are examples of self-induced chaos. Far from being an impediment to creativity, chaos is an essential ingredient.

14. Creative Geniuses are good at “connecting the dots”. All geniuses make the world a bit simpler. There is this chaotic mess of seemingly unconnected data and then someone says, “Wait, here is how it all fits together.” And we like that. Dots are connected. Relationships uncovered. Creative geniuses take great pleasure in connecting many phenomena, which at first sight appear to have nothing in common.

15. Creative Geniuses take a lot of risks. When stumbling upon a new path, we don’t necessarily know whether it will lead to a dead-end or a breakthrough. Creative geniuses don’t care. They take the path anyway. It helps that creative geniuses have a high tolerance for uncertainty because they are, by nature, risk takers. Risk and creative genius are inseparable. Sometimes the genius risks professional ridicule, and sometimes much more. But genius always comes at a price. Creative geniuses are simply more willing to pay that price than others.

Let’s say you set up a still life on your table. Maybe some fruit or a nice bouquet of flowers and a charming old-fashioned oil lamp. You can take that subject and look at it from many different angles and see many different things. Each angle or perspective would be different though no less correct. What each individual perspective has in common other than the subject matter itself is that it’s an incomplete view of the subject at hand. You can approach the subject from one angle and it will look totally different when you zoom in from a different direction. We can apply this idea to our own lives by simply remembering that we can’t always see the full picture when it comes to a person, a thing, or a situation.

This idea helps us to be more tolerant toward others, and it helps us maintain our own sense of peace when we feel life is treating us unfairly. Remember when considering the subject of yourself, the most important perspective you should be concerned with is your own; because you have the most complete picture of yourself as a person. You alone have access to your thoughts and all the myriad of variables and circumstances that cause you to make the decisions you do. Everyone else just has pieces of the puzzle, you have the full picture and it’s up to you to decide how you want to look at it. Just remember, good or bad you are the one who has to live in your head. On that note, I should add that consistency will go a long way toward preserving your sanity and peace of mind. While the side of ourselves we present to different people might differ in some ways if we can keep our facts somewhat consistent we’ll keep our lives simpler in the long run.

In the art world, we understand that not only does our perspective alter the image we see, so too does the lighting. Generally speaking, the brighter something is the more positively we view it.  We all know a room that is lit up is generally a lot less frightening and imposing as the thought of something hiding in the darkness. We can take this idea of lighting and compare it with gratitude. Gratitude is like the light we shine into the darkness that chases away the shadows of our fears and reveals to us the blessings we truly have. The more we shine the light of gratitude, the more we are able to see those blessings that were once hidden from us.

If we were to go back to the still-life analogy, we can start off by striking a match or sparking a lighter in a darkened room. We have a small amount of light that allows us to find a bowl of fruit or flowers to paint then we notice a lantern we can turn on. The lantern gives us a better view of the room and from there we’ve illuminated the door which we can pass through to see a beautiful sunset for us to paint ablaze with all the beauty and splendor nature possesses.

I should also add that what you put in is key. If you had ignored the fact you had a match or a flashlight and just focused on the darkness and wandered in said darkness you probably would have stubbed your toe or bumped your shin. Next, you might have stumbled around the room cursing and knocked over the table or stepped on the cat and gotten clawed.

The law of Karma or the law of Attraction is real; you get what you give. If you are an angry bitter person you’ll have an angry bitter life. If you are peaceful and loving, chances are your life will be peaceful and loving as well. Think of it as making a sandwich. If you put good healthy ingredients into the sandwich you’ll have a wholesome tasty lunch. If you squeeze a bunch of hate and angst and anger between a couple of slices of apathy you’re bound to get a s**t sandwich. Just simple logic.

Now most of our power comes from within, from the perspective we choose to look at things, and from the light we choose to shine; our power comes from how we choose to ACT in situations (thoughtfully, mindfully, aware, as opposed to reacting blindly or emotionally).

We can choose to paint a happy scene and happy places, or we can choose to paint a scary terrifying scene of our own personal hell and focus on that for half of forever. It’s up to us what kind of subject matter we want to focus on… You are the god of your own universe as am I, but we’re also co-creating with all the other gods and goddesses around us, it’s important to honor that and our ability to choose, and how necessary that ability is sometimes.

Think about all the different perspectives that are out there and surround yourself with the people who build and empower you to become the kind of person you want to be. Keep the healthy mirrors around you; cherish the people who will believe in you and lift you up. They will give you strength when you are feeling weak. They will make you smile when you want to cry.

Surround yourself with people who reinforce your perspective of good in yourself and the world. When you encounter negative people who try and cut you down or make you feel small remember they are coming from their own small perspective. Try and see them in another light and hold space for the beauty that’s inherent within, while respecting that sometimes the best way to do that is with space.

Finally, remember the words of Bob Ross while you are painting your life,

“This is your world, you can make it however you want.”

Written by Rebecca River

Sources-

Shared with permission from original author.

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