Highly creative people see the world a litlte differently. As a result, their behavior is a little different. Creative people aren’t all artists or musicians. They can be found in all areas of the workforce. Although creative people don’t all fit into one mold, most of them do share some common characteristics.
1. Creative People Seek Answers
Highly creative people are curious by nature. They don’t simply accept things for what they appear. They want to know how things work or why things happen. They seek answers to satisfy their curiousity and work hard really trying to understand a topic until they’re confident they get it.
2. Creative People are Spontaneous
Highly creative people can certainly plan ahead, but they aren’t afraid to change their plans. They can be spontaneous at times. They may see something that catches their eye and they act on it while they’re excited. They aren’t afraid to start a new project when something has sparked an idea.
3. Creative People are Rebellious
Creative people color outside the lines. They don’t feel the need to follow all the rules. In fact, they often feel confined and constrained by the rules. Therefore, they can often see the value and beauty of breaking the rules to create the best outcome.
Their willingness to break the rules is often calculated however. They aren’t simply throwing caution to the wind or setting out to hurt people. Instead, they look at the potential consequences and then try to find ways to justify their behavior if they plan to break the rules.
4. Creative People Lie
Research studies show that highly creative people lie more than the rest of us. The reason seems to be because creative people can find ways to try and justify their actions. As a result, they may tell lies to explain away their behavior.
Many creative people will deny that they tend to lie, however. Their perception may be different from others and they may not be lying on purpose or they may feel their justification supports what they say.
5. Creative People Behave Passionately
Creative people are passionate about what they do. Whether they work as an artist or work at a bank, creative people strive to reach a successful outcome. They can come across as intense at times, but it stems from their passion to create something wonderful.
6. Creative People are Flexible
If they’re working on a plan and it looks like they need to change that plan, they’re willing to embrace change. When creativity strikes, they can go with the flow. They understand that their original plan may not work out the way they want so they’re willing to adapt and change as needed to create the best outcome possible.
7. Creative People React Emotionally
Creative people are very emotional. Often, their moods shift quickly. Although there have been some studies that have linked creativity to mental illness, these studies haven’t been widely accepted by the mental health community due to questionable research methods.
However, there have been widely accepted studies that show that emotional instability seems to coincide with creativity. Many creative people report that their negative emotions help fuel their creativity.
8. Creative People Look at the Whole Picture
Creative people can be spontaneous, it doesn’t mean they behave impulsively. They tend to look at the whole picture before they begin a project and they’re able to keep it in mind throughout their project.
While most people might just jump into a task focusing on what needs to be done first, creative people think about every step along the way to ensure that all the steps will come together to create the best outcome.