But what does it take to be a creative person?
Csikszentmihalyi proposed that creative people possess 10 antithetical traits that interact with each other in complex ways.
In other words, many of these traits are opposites, yet they work together to inspire greater creativity.
The Creative Mind Is Energetic and Focused
Creative people are engergetic, both physically and mentally.
Having a creative mind doesn’t mean always engaging in a focused creative or artistic task.
It also means taking time to refill your creativity reservoir.
Very few of those involved in the study demonstrated high levels of artistic achievement later in life.
Balancing creativity with practical knowledge means knowing which ideas to pursue and which to rework or abandon.
This skill set is an important aspect of being a creative person.
When working on a project, creative people tend to exhibit determination and doggedness.
Consider what you would think if you met an artist.
Their life may sound exciting, romantic, and glamorous.
A creative person realizes that true creativity involves combining both fun and hard work.
They can immerse themselves in imagination and fantasy, yet remain grounded enough to turn their daydreams into reality.
He believes that creative people are both extroverted and introverted.
These traits are alsoremarkably stable.
Creative people tend to exhibit characteristics of both introversion and extraversion at the same time.
They can be both gregarious and reticent, sociable and quiet.
Creative people tend to be able to embrace both their masculine and feminine sides.
We often think of them as non-conformists and even a little bit rebellious.
Csikszentmihalyi believed that it is impossible to be truly creative without first internalizing cultural norms and traditions.
Sometimes creativity requires being both traditional and iconoclastic.
Creative people can be conservative in many ways, yet they know that innovation sometimes means taking risks.
But, just being passionate about something does not necessarily lead to great work.
Imagine a writer so in love with their writing that they are unwilling to edit a single sentence.
Creative people are both able to enjoy their work, while also critically examining it.
Creative people are devoted to their work, but they are also able to be objective about it.
Being opento the creative experience is also a source of great joy.
Five common traits of creative people include being high-energy, disciplined, imaginative, passionate, and sensitive.
New York: HarperCollins; 1996.
2021;65(2):185-195. doi:10.1177/0016986220934401
