Which is “better” – daydreamer or realist?
You’ll find no surprises in the Huffingon Post’s list of eighteen traits of highly creative personalities: Creative people daydream, make their own hours, enjoy solitude, make use of obstacles, seek new experiences, and ask big questions. They watch people, take risks, express themselves, follow their passion, and get out of their own heads by taking on other’s perspectives. They view all of life as an opportunity for self-expression. And, of course, they lose track of time and other things.
What I found more interesting were the comments after the Post article:
Objections to distinctions
Apparently some people object to the definition of the creative mind. One person, a poet, wrote that creativity is something “anyone can hone and practice and thereby master.” And “Who would want to identify themselves as uncreative, really?” she asks.
It’s true that the list of traits in the article makes creativity sound lofty or admirable, but there are people who would be fine if you called them uncreative. In fact, some wouldn’t want to have the same mindset as I do. They’d drive themselves crazy. They are happy realists.
The Joys of Being a Realist
Realists may employ creative problem solving in their workplace, but that isn’t the same as having a creative personality. Not having a creative personality doesn’t mean they can’t or don’t follow their passions, or that they have no passion at all.
My engineer husband seeks new experiences, and makes use of obstacles. He asks plenty of big questions, but they are not the same questions that I ask. He’s observant, and likes to people watch, too but what goes on in his head is quite different from what takes place in mine.
His daydreams are not like mine. He likes routine, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have spirit. He definitely connects the dots. He’s able to see the big picture when I get bogged down.
The Downside of a Creative Mind
Defining the so-called creative person is complex and paradoxical, and it goes beyond stereotypes. It’s deeper than the right-brain, left-brain theory. Science doesn’t have the full picture of how the imaginative mind works, but it involves cognitive processes, neural pathways and emotions.
But one thing is for certain: having a creative personality is no picnic. My husband can focus all day long whereas I can’t turn my creativity on at will, which often caused problems in school or the workplace. He stores facts and details about the world that amaze me. He actually remembers the stuff he learned in grade school. I got good grades, but I had to work really, really hard to get them.
At the same time, I can remember long stretches of imaginative play from my childhood. I used to lay on the floor of the living room and imagine it was upside down, so we had to walk on the ceiling. I imagined it flooded with water so we swam from room to room, diving over the doorway arches. I was never bored. I had my mind to take me away.
I believe there are differences in the mindset of the creative person vs. the realist, none of which are better or worse. Just different. We need both in this world.
What do you think? Are there definable differences? What has been your experience?
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist.
Learn more about her award winning novel, In the Context of Love.
Learn more about her picture book, Gordy and the Ghost Crab.
A teacher I work with just thanked me for my vision. I had to think about that one. I can see that trait in myself, a creative one, yet I know a bit of the realist dwells within me, too. It is the realist who gets the words down on paper my vision sees and creates. I am writing a novel set in 1941. My character was taking a long bus ride from Detroit downriver. As she watched out the window on a slushy February Friday, another woman her age hopped on the bus and sat down next to her. That surprised me as much as the main character? Where the hell did she come from? That’s the vision thing. A new character emerges. But the realist writes it all down, catching the words as they fall from my mind. It was the realist in me who proofread my first novel, NOLA Gals so many times looking for every typo. It’s the realist who keeps my schedule straight, makes sure I’m always early, pays the bills, and buys me food. The visionary in me has a sort of double vision, immediately seeing a comparison. It’s a painting of a strange lady digging a garden in her kitchen. Yes, but do you also see Sylvia Plath? I do. A poem emerges.
It’s a tango. Reality dances with creativity. And it all works for me.