A few days back, I was talking to one of my old advertising friends, and I confessed to him, of how my perception of ‘creativity’ and creative people has changed in the last couple of years. From a time when I thought that only ‘copywriters’ and ‘visualisers’ were creative, to now… when I am convinced that every person is / can be creative.
From creativity being the fundamental human desire to do things differently to it being a power to take a given and peg it where we haven’t seen it before. From it being the talent to make something beautiful and desirable to it being the will to make what is already there into something better. The definitions of creativity are as many as creative people in this world, but what doesn’t change are the characteristics of creative people. Across the world, across professions, across cultures and across age groups, the characteristics that define a creative person, remain the same. Let’s look at these.
Characteristics of Creative People
1. Creative people are curious.
2. Creative people seek problems, find them interesting and see them as opportunities.
3. Creative people enjoy challenge.
4. Creative people are optimistic.
5. Creative people are able to suspend judgment.
6. Creative people are comfortable with imagination.
7. Creative people are emotionally acceptable.
8. Creative people challenge assumptions.
9. Creative people don’t give up easily. They persevere and work hard.
And while trying to cross check this list with what experts in this area have to say, I came across this very interesting article by Michelle L. Casto. Read on.
~ Arun Verma
