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A World of Creativity

Disclaimer: Elise Ho, aka “Dr. Ho” is a Holistic Health & Life Coach. Dr. Ho is NOT a medical doctor, licensed therapist, lawyer, or a bevy of other things. Products or services that Dr. Ho believes in are the only ones that she recommends. Dr. Ho may receive compensation, product, or an affiliate commission on anything you see on this site. This is a personal Website solely reflecting Dr. Ho’s personal opinions. Statements on this site do not represent the views or policies of any organization with which I may be affiliated.

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A world of creativity is a beautiful place to live but it may also be a place in which one feels that it is completely unfamiliar.

To step into this beautiful world one may find comfort in understanding it better.  

Research shows that creative people have certain characteristics in common but they are traits that are often seen as contradictory. These are outlined in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work, Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention.

Creative people are very energetic.

They always have ideas and are anxious to work on them but a person who is creative can also be quiet, calm and introspective.  This is part of their process. It allows them energy to create but also the ability to think.

Creative people can work long hours and never seem to get bored.

Many creative people will simply lose track of time and happily work very long hours.

“Despite the carefree air that many creative people affect, most of them work late into the night and persist when less driven individuals would not.”

Creative people tend to understand reality well but enjoy living in a world filled with imagination.

They also tend to be both introverted and extroverted.  This is an interesting reality not often shared by most people. A creative person can often be seen sitting back and observing but they may just as well be the center of attention. 

A truly creative person may be both pretentious and unassuming.

This is easy to understand when you think of an artist who is anxious to show off their brilliance. However, they are also incredibly grateful for your enjoyment of their masterpiece.  

A creative person can be both discriminating and complimentary of their own work.

This is especially difficult for non-creative people to understand. In fact, this may be because they often do not recognize their creative counterpart. Conversely, they may believe that the creative person is simply being analytical in their process. 

“Perhaps the most important quality, the one that is most consistently present in all creative individuals, is the ability to enjoy the process of creation for its own sake. Without this trait, poets would give up striving for perfection and would write commercial jingles, economists would work for banks where they would earn at least twice as much as they do at universities, and physicists would stop doing basic research and join industrial laboratories where the conditions are better and the expectations more predictable.”

Are you living in a world of creativity?

Please comment below or email me at elise@elisecohenho.com.

Originally published in Inspiring Women Magazine, April 2014.

 

Please use the comment section below to share your tips, questions, and/or thoughts about this post.

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Naturally Yours,
Elise Ho
Ph.D., D.N. Psych.
Behavioral & Mental Health Specialist

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22 thoughts on “A World of Creativity”

  1. I like your description.

    Some of the seemingly opposites in your list of characteristics are not only due to the stage of development of an idea, but also due to the personality of the creative person. No one has ever called me energetic. But I do lose track of time when I’m on a roll, and can get a tremendous amount done in a relatively short time.

  2. Oh so true… I recognise those traits Elise… and like Sonia, I never realised I had these creative instincts for much of adult life but now I recognise when I am in my ‘creative’ mode because I am your model above.

    I am practising being creative in everything I do, but when I don’t get all those vibes above I can recognise I am out of my creative zone.

    Great to see ‘Creative’ in print 🙂

    Jacs

  3. Elise

    very interesting and Creativity is a wonderful thing. It is interesting to categorize this and those behaviors.

    I suspect everyone comment on this post is in the creative bucket!

    Thanks for sharing.

    Andy

  4. I think everyone is creative, Elise, and to some extent share the qualities you’ve outlined here.

    I guess, like anything else, “creative” people are the ones that utilize their creative instincts, as opposed to so many others who suppress them in order to put their energy into other pursuits.

    You’ve given an interesting profile of the creative person, and one I’m sure that we all recognize in people around us, as well as in ourselves.

    1. Hi David.I agree that everyone has creativity inside of them but, unfortunately, not everyone recognizes their creativity. This may be due to the fact that mist people think of “artistic” when they think of “creative.”

  5. I have been told I am creative, but don’t always think of myself that way as I am not an artist. I love ‘doing things’ that are practical ways of making my life more interesting and ‘doable’
    I enjoyed your article Elise – gave me a different aspect.
    I loved this quote…….“Perhaps the most important quality, the one that is most consistently present in all creative individuals, is the ability to enjoy the process of creation for its own sake.”
    That struck home with me.
    Thankyou for a great read.
    Liz

  6. Very interesting, Elise, thank you.

    I can certainly relate to working “late into the night and persist when less driven individuals would not.” and to enjoying what I do. but I don’t consider myself as particularly creative. I have lots of ideas for online business but have yet to come up with something totally unique.

    I tend to be introverted but maybe blogging is my extrovert side coming out?

  7. Erika Mohssen-Beyk

    Hi Elise ,
    this is a very nice description of
    creative people ,
    I never thought of it like this ,but
    can see me in this very good.
    I like to dream and imagine and enjoy it.
    If I am doing things I forget the time
    and I enjoy the process and it does not
    matter to me if it brings a profit or not .
    Thank you

  8. Hi Elise!

    I found this article most fascinating as I am often told that I am very ‘creative’ but have never really thought of myself this way.

    Your descriptions of a creative person and the fact that they are both Introvert and Extrovert rings true with my however 😉

    I am a dreamer. I love to write and create things with my imagination. I’m known to doodle and used to be quite artistic and creative with poetry.

    Reminding me of a ‘me’ I’ve left behind was rather awakening.

    Thank you!

  9. Hi Elise,

    Gosh, I think you described my characteristics here! Yes, I am a creative person. When I work I tend to lose track of time.

    No matter where I am, my mind goes to something more creative. I can be sitting in a restaurant and think to myself how they could get their business to a higher level.

    I’m the extrovert, and my husband is the introvert, but we are both creative. Each morning as we ease into our day with our coffee, we talk about business. How we are going to approach this or that. Creative ideas just pour out every day.

    I just loved this article!

    -Donna

  10. Hello Elise, HUM Quite the question? I do tend to think that I am living in a world of creativity!! Yeppers Looks like I fit the bill so to say LOL

    Loved this post, Thanks for sharing.. Chery :))

  11. “A world of creativity is a beautiful place to live but it may also be a place in which one feels that it is completely unfamiliar.”

    absolutely in the same way that you can feel lonely in a crowd

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About The Author

Dr. Elise Ho

Dr. Elise Ho

Dr. Elise Ho is a Holistic Health & Life Coach with a special interest in emotional health, life alignment, and energy flow.

Elise will partner with you to align your mindset, your energy, your home and your career so that you can live your life's desire with freedom and love.

Elise offers 30 years of experience and multiple certifications and degrees including a Ph.D. in Natural Health and a doctoral degree in Naturopathic Psychology.