I was not your usual kid. I was a mass of contradictions.
I would spend hours on something, working a task over and over until I got it right, but couldn’t be bothered with homework. I spent a great deal of time by myself, reading and imagining, but could also spend long afternoons and evenings playing with friends. My moods would vacillate: at times I would be withdrawn while at others I would lead the charge amongst friends in games of make-believe.
These, and other quirks of personality, have followed me into adulthood. (Yes, even the sound effects; how else can you properly bedevil a cat?) My behavior, at different times, is introverted and extroverted, humble and arrogant, iconoclastic and conservative, naïve and cynical.
So, when I ran across a post about “10 Paradoxical Traits of Creative People,” I was intrigued. Reading through, I quickly started ticking off the boxes on each item.
Based on Creativity: The Work and Lives of 91 Eminent People (HarperCollins, 1996), written by University of Chicago’s Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the post distills the professor’s 30 years of experience and research down to a glib Top Ten List of traits common to the creative mind.
Creative people, it seems, are a mass of contradictions. True, I don’t peg the meter on all ten, but I rated myself between 8 and 10 on all of them.
Why does this paradoxical nature have such a strong correlation with creativity? Csikszentmihalyi ascribes it to adaptability, an elasticity of thinking whereby the creative mind takes an idea–new or old–and stretches it into new shapes and applies it to new purposes.
So, how many of the boxes did you check off?
k
Reblogged this on Gabbie Blog.
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I definitely think that all of these can describe me. I kind of feel, though, that this is like a horoscope; it really fits everyone to some extent, so it can never be wrong.
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Hello darlin’. Haven’t seen you for a while.
Yes, I get that feeling. I once took a “How much of a [specific astrological sign] are you?” test.
I took all twelve tests.
I was a perfect [specific astrological sign], in all twelve.
I call hokum. On this, I’m not so sure, but I’m skeptical.
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Yeah, I have been busy. I’m honestly not sure what I’ve been doing, because it seems like nothing has gotten done, but somehow I haven’t had any time at all.
Personally, I think that horoscope writer’s know that they’re making stuff up. I expect that this writer is probably sincere, but the original writer just picked a topic because he wanted to write a book, and thought a “top ten” list would be a good addition.
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Yep. Right there with you. An 8 or 9. But I’m not sure we’re all that simple:)
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Simply complex?
I do wonder about lists like these. I mean, did he interview/study people who were not particularly creative?
k
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