7 Signs You Have A Creative Soul, Even If You Don't Feel Particularly Talented
DREIDREIEINS Foto | Shutterstock If you've ever solved a problem unexpectedly, made someone laugh with a random observation, or found yourself daydreaming about how things could be different, guess what? You've already got a creative soul. The signs are way more subtle than you think.
Creativity has always fascinated me because to be creative is what it means to be human. To create is to live. To react and mope about how hard it all is is to slowly die. Creativity isn’t only for arty farty types who wear thick glasses. Creativity is a human thing, and getting good at creativity requires awareness.
Here are 7 signs you have a creative soul, if you don't feel particularly talented:
1. You get that both quality and quantity matter
Isn’t it interesting — those who continually espouse the importance of ‘quality over quantity’ usually have very little to show for their efforts? These people are typically back-seat drivers, telling us what to do without doing much themselves. No. The power is in understanding that life is made rich in its dualities.
It is about both quality and quantity. The most insanely creative people are committed to building unfathomably large bodies of art. They create with unbridled enthusiasm because — not only are they in the business of making lots — they create things of actual value.
2. You make time to create every single day
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‘Creativity’ may sound like it’s the product of a flowy, loose, and undisciplined approach. We may have visions of artists lying about all day, scribbling thoughts down when the passion strikes. But we rarely hear of them because the true creative maniacs operate within a rigid system.
A system ensures action is taken consistently, regardless of any long-term goals you might have. A system points to the type of work you do, how it’s done, when it’s done, why it’s done, and for how long it’s done each day. It might take some years to figure out what this is, and it will likely evolve, but a system ensures several benefits:
- You show up to create every day, no matter how you feel.
- The propensity to wander off and get distracted is limited.
- You benefit exponentially over time from accumulated and sustained output.
Research shows that having disciplined routines actually boosts your creative thinking because it stops your brain from wasting energy on a million tiny decisions throughout the day. When you've got a solid system for all the boring stuff, you're not sitting there going "Okay, what do I do next?" every five minutes, and that freed-up brainpower goes straight into your creative work.
3. You regularly do absolutely nothing
Despite all this action-taking, the most creative people know the power of occasionally doing very little. Here’s something you must know: creativity flourishes when we use two distinct ingredients of our minds:
1. Our personal thoughts
2. Our innate Universal wisdom
Most of us suck because we only spin through personal thoughts and end up grinding our teeth. Geniuses know that personal thinking is simply a tool we’ve been gifted to make sense of a deeper power. We all have access to it and experience it when we’re not ruminating, out of our heads — often doing very little. An effortless wisdom is there when we relax. When the insight appears, we can then switch to personal thinking to give it shape through imagination and planning.
4. You know how to channel your aggression
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Most of the world cowers in fear at even the mere suggestion of aggression. ‘Ooh, it’s mean and scary and toxic and rude,’ they shriek. But no creative genius in the history of mankind didn’t make friends with the wild animal part of themselves. It’s not about anger. It’s making use of driving energy for positive things. Creativity is, by its nature, an aggressive act. It takes aggression to act when you least feel like it.
Aggression may have been used as a measure to protect tribes against danger, but it’s equally vital in our creative process. The beauty of aggression is that it’s available whenever we need it. Pound your chest and go wild.
Creativity researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found that creative women tend to be way more assertive and aggressive than other women, while creative men are actually more sensitive than typical dudes. This isn't about being angry or mean but about tapping into that fierce, driving energy that makes you show up and do the work even when you're not feeling it, the kind that helps you break the rules and trust your gut.
5. They kindle their passions
The most creative people don’t wait for inspiration to strike. They are fully aware of the power we all possess in creating passion from within, day in and day out.
If they feel flat, they say: ‘Ah, thank you for reminding me that a passion injection is due,’ take some deep breaths, and actively consider what is exciting about their life, surroundings, and projects. They get to work, and even if it starts uninspired, they work themselves into a frenzy that sets fire to everything around them.
6. You continually jot things down
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There’s a very real risk that you can be strolling along and be struck by a fantastic idea without a means to note it down. The best insights often appear when we’re out and about, no longer stuck in our ruminations.
But alas, if you are without a notebook, you cannot capture this beautiful nugget quickly, and it will (I assure you) likely be forgotten. How many world-changing ideas were lost over the centuries because they weren’t seized in the moment and scribbled down? Carry a notebook with you all the time.
Research on creative journaling shows that ideas disappear fast, and if you don't write them down right away, they're basically gone forever. How many amazing ideas have we all lost just because we thought, "Oh, I'll totally remember this," and then completely forgot about it five minutes later?
7. You look for unusual connections
Being creative isn’t limited to output. You can busy yourself putting things out all day long and not get very far because your stuff is like every other Tom, Mike, and Nathan. You will soon burn out because you aren’t making the progress that comes with continual innovation.
You must continually invent new things to stay inspired and stand out. This only comes out of bringing seemingly disparate things together in inventive combos. Squirrels and church steeples. Mineral water and leaves. Neon signs and rain puddles.
Here’s a good one: make a list of things that are working in your life. Successes you’ve seen in what you’ve made and in what others have done. Combine them into new things — you’ll never run out of ideas, and you will inspire awe in those who catch sight of your creations.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.
