Have you ever wondered how an artist like Salvador Dali came up with the paintings that he did? Have you ever stared at an MC Escher painting and wondered what the heck is going on in that guy’s head that he was able to not only think of the works that he created but actually make them? How are their creative minds different from your and other minds?
Recently I went to the Escher exhibit at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and found myself completely mesmerized and astounded by every piece of work I stood in front of.
Not only was I taken aback by each painting I couldn’t believe that in his entire lifetime he created over 500 works of art that were just this amazing. It made me think about my creative mind versus his. I have to admit I definitely was leaning towards the belief that his mind is a lot more creative than mine. LOL
So let’s dive in and see what’s different about creative minds across the board
Creative minds are always learning. They never rest on what they know. They are constantly reading and researching and watching videos and engaging their brain as much as they can. Apparently those studies that say we only use 10% of our brain are not actually true.
It has been scientifically proven that most of the time we use 100% of our brain capacity. However I’d like to think that some people may use less or may not know how to access their entire brain to its fullest. And that may be what’s different about people with creative minds. People with creative minds are constantly driving to learn more.
This website says that, “Mental activity is just as important as physical activity and should not be neglected. As we get older, we are at a higher risk for cognitive impairments such as memory loss, neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and more. Keeping the brain fit impacts overall health and helps increase longevity while warding off cognitive decline. Here are a few things you can do to boost brainpower.”
So this one way that creative minds are on the right path.
Creative people accept failure as part of the process and keep going. The movie my son really liked was National Treasure, and in it Nicolas Cage’s character reminds one of his colleagues that “it took Thomas Edison a thousand tries to see how not to make a lightbulb” It was paraphrasing, but what Edison did say was, “I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”-Thomas Edison
So it makes sense that when creative people SEE the work in their head they BELIEVE it can happen and they don’t quit until it’s done. He was later quoted as saying,
“When I have finally decided that a result is worth getting, I go ahead and make trial after trial until it comes.” You have to admit that his dedication and determination are inspiring.
Daydreamers, Creativity and Problem Solving
If all it took to have a creative mind was to be a daydreamer then I would be at the top of the list! I am often caught staring off into space or casually drawing loops and circles on a piece of paper while thinking about nothing and everything all at the same time.
The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating article about daydreaming and creativity. In it it says, “…scientists have begun to outline the surprising benefits of not paying attention. Sometimes, too much focus can backfire; all that caffeine gets in the way.
For instance, researchers have found a surprising link between daydreaming and creativity—people who daydream more are also better at generating new ideas. Other studies have found that employees are more productive when they’re allowed to engage in “Internet leisure browsing” and that people unable to concentrate due to severe brain damage actually score above average on various problem-solving tasks.” So there, now you have it, mindless internet trolling has benefits for my creativity! See!!! LOL
Have you ever witnessed firsthand the intense amount of curiosity a creative mind has? I have watched a young child dissect a toaster oven with the most patient, meticulous, and focused amount of concentration I’ve ever seen.
Turn around and ask that same child to work on a one-page math worksheet and 5 hours later it’s finally done. LOL I know that they say that, “curiosity killed the cat” but in our circumstances curiosity is the driving force behind creativity and vice versa.
It’s all about the tinker toys. As a kid I loved to play with Tinker Toys. I love to put them together and create things. My brother loves to play with them also. And we definitely have two different types of brains!
However we always seem to find ways to merge our two Creations together and make it work. I think that making these types of connections is significant for a person with a highly creative mind. They just seem to do it better than some and in a very unique way.
Combining Powers Can Be True Genius
When it comes to the collaboration of creative minds I definitely take the cake on this one. I love meeting other people and finding out what they do for a living. My brain spontaneously combusts with ideas for them that they could use to enhance their businesses or their jobs. It’s weird but it’s something I do and I think I do it very well.
My friends all joke that I know way too many people and that I am the “social butterfly of Houston”. And in some respects they are correct.
But whatever it is about me I just love meeting people and hearing what they do for a living and learning about them and about their jobs; every time I meet somebody and I know somebody else who does the same thing I like to connect them together. Or when I find people who do different things that could be merge together I get really excited and I make things happen
Big questions, boundaries and space . . .
I know that one thing about my creative mind is that I have a really hard time saying no. And I think that that tends to overwhelm my brain with too many thoughts and figures all at one time.
Being able to say no and practice it in order to set healthy boundaries is critical for creative minds. I definitely know that as I’ve been getting older I need quiet time to myself to recharge. And if I commit to too many things too often then my creativity is definitely Zapped.
Give yourself space. Like the Chicago song, “everybody needs a little time away”, we all need physical and emotional time outs. People with creative minds are often found isolating or withdrawing from things around them in order to recharge, regroup, or allow their creative juices to do their work.
Some people call this introversion, some people call this isolation. For me, I see these timeouts as definitely healthy for my psyche and my creativity.
Creative minds are spectacular
People with creative minds are always looking for new opportunities and experiences. I like to fuse glass. And when I tell people that I am a glass fuser they’ll always refer to those glass blowing shows that are on streaming services right now. I have to tell them that there’s a difference between fused glass stained glass and glass blowing.
When I finally got to visit a glass blowing studio, I was completely mesmerized. I could have sat there for hours watching them do these things. I had so many questions and so many observations. I was thinking about how I could meld, what I do with what they do and come out with something new. This is how my creative mind works and I’m pretty sure it’s how other creative minds function as well.
Creative minds are spectacular. I would love to sit down with some of the famous people whom I wanted to emulate as I was growing up. They follow their passions, not caring if anybody else supports them or thinks that their ideas are crazy. They just go for it. And I think that is something that I sometimes struggle with. I’d like to think of myself as a footloose and fancy-free kind of gal but I definitely know that at times I can be judged for my ideas or projects. And then sometimes I simply say I don’t give a S**t.
Happy arting y’all!