 Creativity is a spice of life. Being creative can be extremely rewarding. It enables you to come up with innovative ways to simplify otherwise difficult activities. What's more, in the long run, creativity helps you get the fulfillment you seek. Mihai Sinshen Maihalyi, a founding father of positive psychology, testifies that, among all human endeavors, creativity comes closest to giving us the fulfillment we hope for in our lives. So how can you get creative? What makes some people more creative than others? Are people born creative? Or can you learn it? How can you increase your creative energy? In this video, I'm going to share with you 13 surprising traits of highly creative people. 1. Curiosity The saying, he who asks questions never get lost, can never be underestimated in creativity. Think of anyone you know who always asks questions. They are probably very creative. Creative people are very hungry for knowledge. They want to know the how, what, who, where, and why of everything. They are always interested in the past and try to find ways to better the future. They are experts of collecting the opinions of others before making a decision. You can easily find creative people reading random books on something they're not even into, just for its sake, or just asking a lot of questions. That's what curiosity makes you do. Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, speaking on the subject said, Much of what I stumbled into by curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. 2. They are very open to change. It is one thing to learn. It is another to accept. A significant difference between creative and non-creative people is their willingness to accept change. Highly creative people are very accepting of the change. They are not rigid in their thinking or beliefs. They are ready to make use of new knowledge and discard old ones. They are willing to try new methods. They are very dynamic, and this enables them to change the status quo with their innovative ideas. Ideas evolve over time. It takes a creative person to keep adopting to the new perspectives flowing from the concept. 3. They are quick in moving on. To be creative, you don't need to be stuck up on things that happen around you. Creative people don't take things too seriously. This helps them bounce back quickly from failures and motivates them to do better. For one, artists can quickly turn a mistaken splash of paint into a beautiful piece of art. They can take jokes and easily laugh at themselves. They are playful and full of energy. They accept that mistakes happen in the course of executing ideas. They do not dwell on them. They instead look for opportunities to leverage the current situation for something better. 4. They follow through on their plans. Ever wondered how innovators like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos pull through with their ideas in the face of many distractions? Simply put, they follow through on their plans. Focus and discipline are the watchword for creative people. They persevered even when others doubted them. They worked endlessly at making their ideas a reality. Creative people also sacrifice their time and resources into their plans. They don't back off easily and put in the effort which ultimately shows the world what they are capable of doing. All creative, successful people have had dreams which they followed religiously until they all came to pass. 5. They make smart goals. One unique fact about creative people is that they set individual goals. They don't just make plans. They make smart plans. Their goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals. They don't just plan to achieve, but they set realistic goals and make plans to meet them step by step. This can also involve setting daily targets. They understand that they may not attend the highest heights of their career with their current skills. They therefore learn intentionally with the goals of improving themselves for the future. 6. They sleep on their plans. Yes, they do. Creative-minded people take their ideas to bed with them. In 1993, Deidre Barrette, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School, asked her students to imagine a problem they were trying to solve before going to sleep and found that they were able to come up with creative solutions in their dreams. This proved that your brain works unconsciously to prefer the best ideas to tackle the problem while sleeping. So, yes, sleeping can help you become creative, but only if you identify a problem you want to solve and begin to think of possible solutions before going to bed. Sleeping can actually boost your creativity. Ruminating over problems can help your subconscious mind provide solutions. Creative people know this and they maximise it to their advantage. 7. They go the extra mile. You know, some people can just do unexplainable things to cause a change. They are creative thinkers. They go to the extra mile and think out of the box. Their thinking is even sometimes outrageous. Creativity is a gift that many possess, but sometimes do not dare to wield. Creativity can be a tool of impact in the right hand. What do you want to be remembered for? Great writers, poets and artists have each occupied a space of influence. Some even went to prison for what their works represented. 8. They are non-conformists. Many creative thinkers do not think or act in ways that conform to beliefs and traditions. They are rebellious and always find ways to do things. This enables them to see things from different perspectives. By doing this, they become more innovative as they do not always see things the way they are expected to. This is a crucial trait of creativity that society tries to stifle. Half of the time, they will try to shut you down. They just never get it until it is finished. Conforming can mean not being creative in the modern dispensation. With Canva, everyone can become a graphic designer. Art is gradually becoming a digital function. Creative people must create unique things the world is yet to see to stand out. This can mean defying natural art forms and sometimes doing something completely unexpected. Creativity is confined to art though. Creating policies that can effectively tackle the COVID-19 pandemic is as much as creative as anything as well. 9. They are eccentric. Highly creative people are always different. They still stand out of the crowd because of their unique dressing, thinking and speaking. When people choose A, they choose B and can convince you why B is the best option. Not surprisingly, the odd ones in the group usually come up with the most inventive ideas that no one ever thought of. Creative people are not crazy. They are just different. They have unique insight and perspectives into problems and are not afraid to try new solutions. 10. They know their work. Creative people are very aware of their capabilities and achievements. They acknowledge their accomplishments and have strong faith in themselves. They never doubt themselves because they know that they can devise ways to overcome serious challenges. Most creative people have made their peace with failure. They acknowledge that it is something everyone deals with. This makes them more confident in their dealings and actions. 11. Stereotypes and gender rules don't apply to them. You can attest that many innovative thinkers out there have broken the boundaries of gender. That's why these days you can find so many people achieving feats that were previously thought impossible for their gender. Many internalized stereotypes have been disputed because people thought outside the box. Have you ever imagined yourself living in another planet? Ongoing research may prove it's possible. Yes, creative thinkers at work. 12. They aren't always the smartest person in the room. Creative people aren't always A-grade students. They don't always have the right answers to questions or graduate with the best grades. In other words, they aren't very intelligent. This was proven by a 2013 study that creativity is not determined by intelligence. In fact, people with average IQs display more creativity in their lives than those with higher IQs. So, don't look down on yourself. You too can be creative. Creative people just ask more questions. They want to understand the wise more than others. If you question the status quo long enough, you may end up actually doing something about it. 13. They listen to good music. Good music does wonders for the brain. Harmonious songs and instrumentals aid in relieving from stress and provide inspiration for innovative ideas. Good music also helps with memory. If you associate a song with a particular event, you are less likely to forget it than if there was nothing attached to it. If this video inspired you, subscribe to our channel. We love you.