A and B walk into a room. A isn’t creative, but B is.
They’re obviously both in the same room, and they both see chairs, a table, a shelf, and so on. But while A is checking out the color of the cushions and thinking about where they’re going to sit, B has noticed that the chair doesn’t work because it’s too low for the desk and the color of the wall is off because it makes the room look small and stuffy. B isn’t being picky or difficult.
Their brain just works differently.
People will tell you that being creative is a blessing, and it is.
But it can also be exhausting sometimes. Creative people are always the first ones who see that something’s broken or messy; they always notice when things don’t work right, and that mindset is everywhere for them. It kicks in when they see a messy drawer, as well as when they’re trying to find a way to fix a shelf that won’t stop wobbling.
This can make them the most valuable person in the room, but it can also make them the most annoyed by far.
That “Something Feels Off” Moment Usually Starts With a Small Detail
Creative people are incredibly interesting. Even if you’re not watching them design or fix something, just talking to them and seeing how their mind works is seriously amazing. And it can be a huge help in your career.
I’ve got a friend in Massachusetts I’ve known most of my life.
She’s always been tinkering with things around here, trying to make everything work better, smarter, more efficiently. The office setting and a regular 9-to-5 definitely weren’t for her, so she actually became a contractor. An electrician, to be exact. And although she’s enjoying it a lot, the studying that comes with it can be pretty hard on her because it’s simply too drab.
We talked recently while she was preparing for another exam, but instead of studying, she spent hours gardening and decorating her yard.
I told her, “Dude, you’ve got to prepare for your Massachusetts systems contractor licensing exam already so that you can pass the exam on the first try instead of failing and having to retake it multiple times”, but her mind would always wander off when it was time to sit down and study facts. So, you see, being creative can be complicated sometimes.
And actually, being creative doesn't come out of nowhere. It’s not like random people get these random thoughts that just plop into their minds. Talk to anyone, and they’ll tell you it usually doesn't start in an exciting way. They’ll find something that bothers them in some way, and then they’ll try to make it better.
To be fair, most of us notice when things are off, but you kind of learn to live with it.
Yeah, that coffee table doesn’t really go with the rest of the room, but you spent so much money on your house already, so you get used to it.
But a truly creative person won’t do that. They’ll try to see how to make it better, what else they can change about the room, etc. They’re not satisfied until it’s just right. And over time, the brain gets even better at noticing stuff that’s inefficient or mismatched.
The Habits That Make Creative People Notice the Things That Others Miss
It may seem like having a creative thought is like a lightning strike. It's just… Happens. But most of what makes creative people the way they are comes from habits that train their brains to see what other people miss.
And before you ask why you would bother with this, well…
Because it can make you a happier person? How’s that?
They Look at How Something Works, Not Just How It Looks
You see a shelf is beautiful; I see a shelf is beautiful.
Someone creative will see it’s beautiful, too, but they’ll also notice how straight it is, how much it wobbles, whether the color matches the rest of the space, whether it can hold enough stuff, etc.; and if something ends up not being right, they’ll try to fix it.
They Imagine Different Uses for Everyday Things
Why can’t a glass jar be more than a jar? It can hold paint brushes, or it can be a small vase.
An old ladder can be a bookshelf or a towel rack. A creative person will ask what something could be instead of what it already is, and thinking this way helps them solve problems with what they have at hand.
They Pay Attention to Problems That Happen Over and Over
If the same annoying thing happens again and again, that’s a clue for them. If they’re late for work every morning because they can’t find their keys, they’ll create a spot for them by the door. They’re not happy with coping.
They look for clues, and they don’t stop until the issue has been handled.
Conclusion
You could say that creative people are just better at observing stuff, and then they’re willing to do something about the things they don’t think work properly. But I think there’s also that inexplicable ‘something’ that makes their brains work just a little differently.
With that being said, I still think that you can get better at this if you adopt some habits.
If you weren’t born creative, you might not be a world-famous artist, but you can still pay attention to what’s going on around you and not settle for things you don’t like.
Every time you improve something, you get a little better at being creative.
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