Here are Ten Things I’ve Learned about being a Creative

I’m reading a book that is changing my view of how I see myself in the world. I feel like someone has opened the birdcage door and I’m free to come and go as I need to. The person keeping the bird in the cage was me, but noticed that I was also the bird.

I look back over the years or even the past few weeks and I see someone who was sad a lot because she never felt like she belonged anywhere.

It’s true. I don’t belong around certain types of people and I’m embracing that reality to its fullest. It’s okay. These people aren’t my people and will never understand me nor those who are like me.

It takes different strokes to move the world, right, so we can’t all be the same or that would be quite boring.

I’ve been reading “The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin and it is helping to give me clarity in how I, as a creative person, see things differently than others. I feel things to the tips of highest mountain tops, so when I feel something that moves me in a good way, I can’t help but to want to be bursting with love and joy. But, on the flip side, if you have something bad to say, I probably will feel it as negative, draining, or even attacking towards me. Sometimes, I’ll even take it personally when that isn’t how it meant, at all.  

I’m learning that as a creative, we are simply wired differently. but we are not alone. Others who are creative might have learned this a lot sooner than I did in life, so I don’t feel so lost anymore. I know where I need to turn when I’m feeling the ups and downs of life now.

I always trust the timing of things and tonight was no different. I located an old stash of images on my computer and randomly picked one to open up and look at to try to understand why I saved these. And, there was my answer, staring me in the face.

Creative People

1.       Easily bored

2.       Risk takers

3.       Color outside the lines

4.       Think with their heart

5.       Make lots of mistakes

6.       Hate the rules

7.       Work independently

8.       Change their mind a lot

9.       Have a reputation for eccentricity

10.   Dream big

“We feel, and so, we make.” – Ardently Angela