Almost everybody has heard of creative people — writers, artists, scientists and engineers, to name just a few. Their work often makes them stand out from the crowd, and their success is celebrated as something that’s not easily achieved by everyone. But what exactly is it that creative people have that others don’t?
One theory is that they have very high intelligence. Another is that they have a combination of traits that make them natural problem solvers. Unlike less creative individuals, who are mainly confined to thinking, creatives tend to be both thinkers and doers, and they’re able to generate a large number of ideas (as many as 300 per hour). This helps them come up with unique solutions to problems that other people may miss.
They’re also very curious about everything around them and tend to have broad interests in unrelated areas. They like to people-watch and often do their best writing while out and about. And they’re able to see patterns and relationships between different things that others may miss.
Their sense of playfulness is another crucial trait. This means that creatives enjoy learning new things, making mistakes and exploring different outcomes. They’re not afraid to be a little bit silly and don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s not that they don’t have a sense of responsibility, but it’s more important to them to explore their possibilities and find a way to express themselves through their work.
Another crucial attribute is their sensitivity to pain and discomfort. This is a part of the process of creating, as it requires them to push their boundaries to the edge of what is possible and risk being hurt by the inevitable setbacks. An inventor can feel pain when a badly designed machine doesn’t work, and a writer can be hurt by bad reviews of their work.
Creatives are also very resilient and have a strong sense of perseverance. They understand that they may face adversity in the course of creating their work, but they won’t give up and instead will use it as an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. This is why you’ll often hear that creatives, such as J.K Rowling or Elon Musk, were rejected a number of times before they found success.
Finally, they’re very empathetic and can easily put themselves in other people’s shoes. This helps them better understand the struggles that their clients and peers go through, which in turn allows them to design better products and services. As a result, they are able to anticipate the needs and desires of their customers and build successful brands.