I don't normally re post other people's blog posts here but when this one came up in my Facebook feed earlier in the week, it resonated so much I thought it was worth sharing with you. The writer Matthew Schuler talks about the theory of Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s as to why other people sometimes have trouble understanding us 'creative' types - which is in fact that we have complex and contradictory personalities.
Every one of the points raised in this article are true of me to a greater or lesser degree especially that rather than being at one end or the other of the introvert/extrovert spectrum, creative people combine and balance the two characteristics equally. Ask anyone who has known me any length of time and I bet they will tell you I'm the extrovert 'life and soul of the party' type and yes, I have that in me. But I also have a deep seated need for long bouts of 'alone' time...to be with my thoughts and ideas and of course to work and I know other people often struggle to understand that dichotomy. The concept of the "big Brother House' is probably my worst nightmare. A ride might look like great fun but if I can't get off at a time of my choosing then I won't get on in the first place.
Have a read and see what you think...If you're creative I'm sure you'll find something here that's relevant to you and if you know someone like this then maybe it will help you understand them a little better...I'll certainly be getting a few people to read it and am even considering buying the book...
http://www.matthewschuler.co/why-creative-people-sometimes-make-no-sense/
Lesley
The Gossiping Goddess
I was listening to radio 4 this morning and they were saying that certain creative types score high on the psychosis scale, they mentioned the introvert/extrovert point you made above, I thought it sounded like me!
ReplyDeleteA soon as I linked there and spied the photo, I recalled the gist of this article. Very much worth re-reading, Lesley :) Now trying to remember how I had stumbled onto it the first time (thought it was via Luann Udell, but that turned out to be a dead end).
ReplyDeleteI was struck again by the author's note of the "ability to enjoy the process of creation for its own sake". That trait has dogged me my entire life: at school, through several careers, in all my art endeavors. Too bad it has taken me nearly fifty years to see it as a positive rather than a negative :( Also the pride/humility quandary, which I had previously judged as my "strange" propensity to hide my best work from prying eyes.
Thank you for sharing good point of view Lesley =)
ReplyDeleteLesley, thanks for sharing this. My contradictory nature has often been perplexing to me. It's wonderful to know that there are many others with that yin/yang personality. I'm in good company.
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