In his 1996 book “Creativity: The Work and Lives of 91 Eminent People,” psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi suggested that, “of all human activities, creativity comes closest to providing the fulfillment we all hope to get in our lives.” Csikszentmihalyi proposes that creative people possess 10 antithetical traits that interact with each other in a complex manner and impact one’s overall creativity. Incorporating these creative practices into your daily life may help you increase your creative potential. Having a creative mind doesn’t mean always engaging in a focused creative or artistic task. Creative and artistic people are imaginative, curious, and spend a great deal of time at rest, quietly reflecting on the topics that hold their interest and allowing their minds to wander. In Lewis Terman’s longitudinal study of gifted children, children with high IQs were shown to do better in life overall, but those with very high IQ weren’t necessarily creative geniuses. Very few of those involved in the study demonstrated high levels of artistic achievement later in life. Csikszentmihalyi notes that studies suggest that there seems to be a cutoff point at around 120. Having higher-than-average intelligence might contribute to creativity, but having an IQ over 120 does not necessarily lead to greater creativity. Csikszentmihalyi also believes that creative people must be capable of looking at things in fresh, even naïve, ways, so they can maintain their sense of wonder and curiosity. When working on a project, creative people tend to exhibit determination and doggedness. They may work for hours on something, often staying up late into the night until they are satisfied with their work. Consider what you would think if you met an artist. Their life may sound exciting, romantic, and glamorous. However, being a successful artist is also a lot of work, which many people may fail to see. A creative person realizes that true creativity involves combining both fun and hard work. Creative types, ranging from scientists to artists and musicians, can come up with imaginative solutions to real-world issues. While others may view their ideas as mere fantasies or as irrelevant, those with creative minds find practical ways to turn their notions into reality. Creative people, he believes, are both extroverted and introverted. Research has shown that people do tend to be either more extroverted or introverted and that these traits are remarkably stable. They can be both gregarious and reticent, sociable and quiet. Interacting with others can generate ideas and inspiration, and retreating to a quiet place allows creative individuals to fully explore these sources of creativity. Creativity, he suggests, requires being both traditional and iconoclastic. This means being able to appreciate and even embrace the past as a source of knowledge, while still seeking improved ways of creating new solutions. Creative people can be conservative in many ways, yet they know that innovation sometimes means taking risks. Being open to the creative experience is also a source of great joy. It can bring tremendous happiness, and many creative people believe that such feelings are well worth the trade-off for any possible pain.
