30 Characteristics Of Creative People

Many people don’t consider themselves to be the creative type (which may or may not actually be true, of course), and they therefore tend to hold those who are creative as “special”.

A natural question to ask, then, is, what is it about creative people that makes them creative?

The answer is, perhaps unsurprisingly, not straightforward, because it appears that creators are complex beings with a whole host of apparent contradictory characteristics.

This article looks at some of these traits, and while you may or may not possess some of them yourself, they do point the way at behaviours you could adopt that would help stimulate the creativity that is likely hidden deep within you.

Ambiverted

You might think that people are either introverted (i.e. drawing energy from within) or extroverted (i.e. drawing energy from without), but creative people are often more of a half and half mix, or ambiverts, exhibiting traits of both groups (e.g. both talkative and reticent, getting ideas from their interactions with others as well as from quiet reflection).

Androgynous

Creative people often display characteristics of both females and males. For example, studies have shown that creative males are frequently more sensitive and less aggressive than other boys and men, while creative females are often more dominant than other girls and women.

They are therefore less concerned with the concept of gender-specific roles.

Articulate

Many creative people are well able to express themselves clearly and precisely, with a good command of their language.

Childlike

Children have a natural sense of curiosity and wonder regarding the world around them, which is something that many people grow out of as they become older, and the practicalities of life take over (e.g. having to pay your bills).

But creative people somehow retain these childlike (not childish) qualities, and use them as inspiration for their art.

Complex

By this, I mean they are better able to understand the intricacies of the world, and how everything is connected and fits together, which means they also see the infinite possibilities that exist.

Critical

Creative people tend to be objective about their own work, accepting constructive criticism, and are therefore likely to offer it to others, whether it’s requested or not – because they are driven by the need to create something that is good as it can be.

Depressive

There is a well-known association between creative people and being depressed and tormented.

This may not be unexpected when you consider that these people are often more sensitive to the world around them and have a heightened sense of what’s right and wrong.

Disciplined

It requires a certain type of discipline to keep going, even when you run into problems along the way.

Dreamers

Many creative people are inspired by a desire to create a better world, not just for themselves but for everybody.

Some might even call them idealists, and while they may use their creativity to help build that new world (e.g. new tools, new services), others may use it to highlight the problems with the world we currently live in.

Energetic

Creative people have a certain energy about them, both mentally and physically.

They may appear to be highly animated, and can keep going for hours, if what they are doing interests them sufficiently.

Ethical

A creative person is likely to have high personal standards and have integrity, and will therefore demand those qualities in others.

Flexible

They are able to look at problems from multiple perspectives, which helps them to come up with the best solution or outcome possible.

Focused

Whatever energy they may have, they are able to focus it very precisely when the need arises (e.g. when working on their creations).

Happy

Creative people are often shown as being tormented souls, but creating something – not just the finished item but the process too – can be a source of great joy for them also.

Humorous

They may have what seems to others to be an inappropriate sense of humour. Alternatively, they will find humour in things that most other people don’t.

Intelligent

Research found that having a higher than average IQ may contribute to creativity, but once your IQ creeps over 120, it does not necessarily lead to higher or “better” creative output.

Modest

They often don’t really think about their past creations too much, mainly because their head is full of new ideas they want to work on.

They also accept that their ability to create is in part dependent on those who have come before them, and may even dismiss praise with words like “Oh, it was nothing.”

Objective

A truly creative person wants to create the best possible piece or art or solution that they can, which means they are open to constructive criticism and are able to see their work from an objective perspective too.

Passionate

Being creative requires a certain passion, a fire that ignites them to take action and turn their thoughts into something more tangible.

Persevering

In spite of the high-energy and playfulness creative people exhibit, they will also keep going until they have created something they are happy with, however long that might take.

Playful

Creative people are naturally playful, lettings their imaginations run wild.

They ask questions like, “What would happen if…” or, “Supposing I combine this and that…”, allowing them to come up with new ideas.

Polymath

They may have a wide range of interests and knowledge and skills, which they draw on freely when coming up with their ideas and solutions.

Proud

This one may not be a surprise, because who isn’t proud when they’ve accomplished or created something?

Realistic

Even though creative people may be dreamers and idealists, they are also often grounded in the real world.

That is why a lot of what they create is designed to solve real-world problems.

Rebellious

In part related to their idealistic tendencies, creative types are often non-conformist and rebellious – they see a world with problems and want to fix them, even if that means making people uncomfortable with the new ideas that ensue.

This may be also apparent by the way they dress, the language they use, their choice of music or food, the friends they surround themselves with, or the places they like to go, for example.

Risk-Taking

When you challenge people’s perceptions of what the world can look like, you run the risk that your ideas will be rejected.

Creative people don’t let this stop them, because nothing can stifle their imagination.

Sensitive

Although creative people are often objective about their work, in their desire to make it as good as they possibly can, they can also be hurt by negative comments about what they have created – or if their work is completely ignored.

Traditional

You can’t be rebellious without having something to rebel against, and creative people are usually fully aware of the status quo, including traditions and social norms.

Likewise, if you want to create a new or better way of doing something, you have to be familiar first with the old ways (and the problems inherent in them).

Under-Achieving

Even though they may be smart, creative people often don’t do well at school or in any job that they find boring.

This is partly because monotony does not suit them at all, and partly because their mind is likely always on some idea they are thinking about.

So they put up with these things because, however passionate they are about their art (or the problem they’re trying to solve), they know life still has to be lived (and paid for).

Uninhibited

Their rebellious nature often means they will not care too much about what they say or how they say it – their ideas are what is important to them.

Conclusion

As you can see, creative people are a complex cocktail of characteristics that are sometimes surprising and apparently contradictory.

Of course, not all creative types display all of the above, and you may also be thinking, well, this describes most people.

It seems that way, because you may be building a composite image of a person that includes all of the above traits, but in reality, most people appear to fit in one camp or the other (e.g. introverted or extroverted).

This is why many creators make others uncomfortable – humans love to pigeonhole people (and things) by assigning labels to them, because we are generally scared of the unknown, and once we can put a name to something, it somehow makes it familiar to us and reduces our fear.

However, creative people don’t neatly fit into our standard pigeonholes, which means we don’t really know how to deal with them – hence the discomfort.

So, what use is all of this is you want to be more creative?

After all, you are born, or grow up, with certain characteristics, and they are fixed, aren’t they?

Well, yes and no.

This gets to the heart of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

The CBT model says that you can change how you behave by changing how you think – and vice versa.

And it’s the vice versa bit that is of interest here.

If you can adopt some of the behaviours typical of creative people (e.g. curiosity, playfulness), you can change how you think, thus becoming more creative yourself.

So, pick a few traits you’d like to claim as your own, and engage in activities that are associated with those traits. The more you participate in those activities, the more you’ll start thinking in those creative ways.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Six Thinking Hats