Malachy Lynam
Not only can creativity be hard to define, it can be hard to know if we ourselves are naturally creative.
I would know; as a content writer, I ask myself this question every time I am struck down with writer’s block.
So how do you know if you are a naturally creative person?
Well, you could look to traits for some answers. Among other things, creative people tend to be curious, playful, open-minded, and independent.
However, “we are what we repeatedly do.”
The things you do can give you a clearer indication of how creative you might be.
Here are eight that suggest you are naturally creative.
1) Constantly exploring new ideas
Being open to and curious about new ideas is a fundamental trait of a naturally creative person.
In a conversation at the University of Toronto, Psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson noted that “There are very few people who are artistic who aren’t very interested in ideas”.
If you constantly explore new ideas, it’s a strong sign you are creative.
You might do this by listening to podcasts, reading, writing, or simply discussing ideas with your friends.
Whatever form you prefer to explore new ideas through, if you are naturally creative, it’s something you do.
While you might have guessed this one, the next point is less obvious and is actually backed up by research.
2) Focusing more effectively in the evenings
As noted by Entrepreneur, studies have suggested that not only are night owls more intelligent than their early bird counterparts, but they are also more creative.
One professor noted that this unconventional nocturnal habit might help to develop the “ability to find alternative and original solutions.”
Looking to well-known creative people appears to back this up.
Picasso was said to have worked until the early hours of the morning.
Bob Dylan, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Prince are all also considered night owls.
So if you are also a nocturnal creature, it might be a sign that you are naturally creative.
3) Daydreaming
For many of us, daydreaming was discouraged as a kid.
“Get your head out of the clouds!” they would say.
If you were one of those kids, you might be happy to hear that it is associated with natural creativity.
In the same conversation I mentioned earlier, Dr. Peterson equated telling someone to quit daydreaming to telling them to stop being creative.
Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., scientific director of The Imagination Institute in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, also outlined daydreaming as a habit of creative people.
Quite simply, daydreaming and creativity are inseparable.
When do you daydream? Many do it when engaging in the next activity.
4) Taking long walks
Yes, walking.
This may seem a little silly, but the list of highly creative people who were advocates of long walks is too hard to ignore.
Celebrated authors Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, William Wordsworth, and Henry David Thoreau were all fans of walking.
Thoreau once said, “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”
The link between creativity and walking is even backed up by a Stanford study. Researchers found that a “person’s creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when walking”.
But what came first? The chicken or the egg?
Does walking make you creative, or are you creative because you walk?
That’s a question for another day, but if you are big on walking, it is another thing you might be doing because you’re naturally creative.
5) Playing an instrument, painting, or writing
This one will be no surprise to most of you, so I’ll keep it short.
Most creative people need an outlet through which they channel their creativity.
This often comes out in activities like playing an instrument, painting, or writing.
If you engage in hobbies like these voluntarily, you are likely a naturally creative person.
That’s not to say that you are not creative if you don’t do any of these things. You might be doing this next thing and still be considered creative.
6) Getting lost in movies, music, or art
Even if you don’t create art, if you are a naturally creative person, you almost certainly get lost in art.
Again, this could be movies, music, or literature. It doesn’t really matter what form it takes.
These art forms transport creative people to other worlds and help to satisfy their need to think creatively.
While most of the signs so far have been quite positive, there are some downsides to being creative, as outlined in the next point.
7) Struggling to find a job that you feel comfortable in
Naturally creative people don’t enjoy being boxed in by a bunch of rules.
Systems help us be productive and efficient but they limit creativity.
This is one of the reasons that the most creative companies that really think outside the box are the small ones; they are the startups that don’t have a lot of rules, bureaucracy, and limiting structures.
But how does this relate to you finding a job you like?
Most jobs at established companies are not creative.
And these jobs are most of the jobs. Most Americans, for example, work at large companies as opposed to small ones.
Because of this, it can be difficult to find a job that values unconventional thinking.
If you are a naturally creative person, you may find yourself moving jobs often in search of one that allows you to be creative.
8) Dressing unconventionally
While not every creative person engages in dressing unconventionally, many do.
If your choice of clothing is different from most people around you, it could be a sign that you are naturally creative.
For some, dressing is a creative outlet in a similar way that playing an instrument is. We don’t have to look to only fashion designers or popstars for evidence of this.
Visual artist Andy Warhol once said, “Fashion is more art than art is.”
Celebrated writer Oscar Wilde wrote, “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.”
For others, it can be an indication of their out-of-the-box thinking and rebellious nature.
A good example of this is Steve Jobs, who is famous for wearing a black turtleneck and jeans for the majority of his career.
While Jobs’ uniform may not seem that unconventional today, keep in mind he began doing this when a suit was the accepted uniform of most company founders and CEOs.
The bottom line
So there you have it.
I hope you found this post enjoyable to read, and it helped to shed some light on how naturally creative you might be.
Until next time.
