Do you wake up at 5 AM with ideas brimming in your head? Do you find yourself at dinner with friends and slowly drifting back to observe silently what is happening around you?

If you recognized yourself, you may be a highly creative person. Find out the 10 habits that highly creative people have in common.

They love daydreaming

 

In a performance oriented society, daydreaming may be considered by some to be time wasted and non productive. However, neuroscientists have found that daydreaming involves the same brain processes associated with imagination and creativity.

Daydreaming can lead to sudden connections and insights. Having the mind wander increases our ability to recall information in the face of distraction. Who doesn’t get those sudden ideas under the shower for example?

They observe what’s around them

Creative people observe and absorb everything around. They see opportunity everywhere. Their creative spark is constantly ignited as nothing is lost to them.

They are curious of people they meet and gain much insights by simply observing others.

A walk in the forest, a color in a painting, a song they hear on the radio, can all create connections towards new ideas.

They welcome solitude

“In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone,” wrote the American existential psychologist Rollo May.

Artists are often seen as loners, and although not exactly right, solitude is often necessary to allow for the release of creative energy.

A creative mind needs time to be able to both wander and reflect upon oneself to express itself.

They lose track of time

All creative people find themselves in a near state of trance when they are at their peak of creativity. Whether they are painting, writing or building a new collection they get into a zone of effortless concentration.

When someone is in this state, they’re almost immune to any internal or external pressures and distractions.

They forget to eat, they can go on until late at night. They are performing an activity that they enjoy but also that challenges them to push forward.

They overcome life’s obstacles

Hardship creates that space for subsequent wonder . Similarly, it seems creative people are able to use these life drama challenges to grow and create great art.

Researchers have found that trauma can help people to grow in the areas of interpersonal relationships, spirituality, appreciation of life, and seeing new possibilities in life.

Seeing things in a new way is very conductive to creativity.

They are curious

Creative people are curious. They generally maintain a sense of curiosity about life all throughout the years.

Whether by asking a lot of questions or by solitary mind-wandering, creative people look at the world and want to know why it is the way it is.

They explore

Creative people love new experiences, sensations and states of mind. This is a significant predictor of creative output.

Intellectual curiosity, thrill seeking, openness to your emotions. Diversity of experience is critical to enable a large reservoir of emotions.

Creatives like to shake the status quo, experience new things, and avoid the monotonous or mundane life.

They take risks

Part of doing creative work is taking risks, and many creative types love taking risks in various aspects of their lives.

Creativity is the act of making something from nothing. It requires making public those ideas that were created by imagination.

This is not a job for the faint of heart. Creative people stand firmly on their beliefs and are willing to accept the consequences of their actions, be it success or failure.

They fail

Since they often fail, resilience is practically a prerequisite for creative success.

Doing creative work is often described as a process of failing repeatedly until you figure out the right way of doing something.

Creatives learn not to take failure too personally.

They are passionate about what they do

Creators tend to be intrinsically motivated. They are motivated to act from some internal desire, rather than a desire for external reward or recognition.

Creative people are energized by challenging activitie. Reaching their own set of goals is their own reward and these goals also tend to be quite ambitious.

Do you consider yourself a creative person? Do you recognize someone you know in these traits? Do you have other examples of creative behavior? Share your experiences in the comments below.