The world needs creative people but sometimes being naturally creative can come at a price. We all reap the benefits of creation but what goes on in the mind of a highly creative person is often far from what we see on the outside.
Confidence seems synonymous with creative people, but a lot of the time they are struggling with much of what goes on in their mind through the way they think and perceive the world compared to others.
If you’re a highly creative person, the struggles and challenges you face can leave you feeling isolated or lonely. Even people close to you may make you feel like no one gets you and aren’t mindful of how you are really feeling. With this in mind, here are five common struggles that should be acknowledged and understood towards those who are highly creative.
1. You Are Sometimes Misunderstood
Having different thought processes is what makes a creative mind what it is. Without thinking differently about things, new ideas and creations wouldn’t be made a reality. We tend to filter everything we see through our way of thinking and this can go against societal norms. People therefore often judge us or misunderstand us by the way we think, act, or even dress and these sorts of misunderstandings can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation, lack of acceptance, or being separated from others.
2. You Are Self-Absorbed
By this I don’t mean selfish, but more about being consumed with your own feelings and situations. This inevitably leads to over-thinking problems and worrying unnecessarily about the turn-out of a situation or future events. Creative people tend to be very critical about themselves and judge themselves for their more-than-normal feelings and emotions, which can sometimes come across as being self-absorbed unintentionally.
3. You Perceive The World Differently Than Others
To be part of the creative process, you need to have a different perspective of ideas, concepts, and viewpoints. The problem with this is that highly creative people tend to apply this to much of the way they see the world. Seeing things in a different way than others can bring with it a sense of apprehension or lack of comprehension from other people, which can feel frustrating and sometimes isolating.
4. You Focus More On Imagination Than The Reality of What Is
Imagination is what powers a creative mind. We all live in our own heads but highly creative people tend to love relishing in an alternate reality. While this can be used in a positive way, it can also be detrimental because any negative elements in our imagination can get blown out of proportion. This can result in creating more of a problem than there actually is because the overactive imagination can create false beliefs. Using the imagination for dreaming up ideas, better thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives is a bonus for creative people but once it starts to err on the side of negative, it can be a problematic trait to have.
5. You Actively Seek Criticism From Others
Another problem creative people tend to adopt is a feeling of low self-worth. Constantly putting your ideas and dreams out there can result in experiencing much more negative feedback than people who don’t. It obviously depends on how you look at these experiences, but many creative people develop a lack of self-confidence and feeling like they’re not good enough. Making this a habit means you can actively start to seek criticism from others or even just expect it too much. It’s almost like you’re subconsciously trying to find conformation to validate your belief that you’re just not as good as you can be.
The world needs creative people so no matter how much you feel like you’re struggling to be heard and understood, feel safe in the knowledge that you are a major contributor to this planet as much as everyone else. Don’t be afraid to be your true self and let go of negative beliefs about yourself. Don’t let anyone stop you from being the wonderful, creative person you are.
