Key Qualities of Creative People

From Fanning the Creative Spirit: Two Toy Inventors Simplify Creativity by Maria and Charlie Girsch © 1999 by Creativity Central

They are:

-willing to generate lots of ideas.
Just write down anything that comes to you, without stopping to edit them. See a situation from multiple angles and think out of the ordinary. Who cares if a solution doesn't seem practical (or sane)? Write it down anyway!

--curious.
Think "Why?" "Why not?" "How come?" "What if...?" "I wonder..." and "How about if I (we)...?)" and "How does this work?"

--aware and observant.
Slow down and take the time to notice the details. They can tell you about a person/place. Use your senses. An ink stain on someone's hand? Blue eyes and freckles? A table with papers and bills scattered on top of it?

--improvisers and risk-takers.
When life throws you a curve ball, swing anyway. Life doesn't happen the way we expect it, but we can control our reaction to it. Sometimes the best solutions are the ones thought up on the spot. Take opportunities when you find them. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

--able to see the "old" in new ways.
Spend a few hours with a child. Their sense of wonder and innocence can surprise you. A "boring" cardboard box can be a bus, a spaceship, a train, a house, a race car, a turtle shell, a chair, a tea trolley...you get the idea.

--dreamers.
Practical is fine for the real world, but the impossible can inspire new inventions. Visualizing new ways of doing things can change the world.

---fun loving.
A sense of humor lightens the heaviest soul. It's also catching...when the members of a group are relaxed, ideas flow between them.

--able to live with ambiguity.
Sometimes there are no answers to life's questions and that can unsettle even the most steadfast person. If you can accept that discomfort, you can push through it to find a creative spark.
All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010