Neuroscience paints a complex picture of creativity. Scientists now understand that the nature of creativity is much more complex than differences in the right- or left-sided orientation of the brain (left hemisphere = rational and analytical, right = creative and emotional). In fact, creativity is believed to involve a number of cognitive processes, neural impulses, and emotions, and we still don't have a complete understanding of how the creative mind works.
From a psychological point of view, creative personality types are difficult to define. They are complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid routine. And this is not just a “tormented artist” stereotype. Research has shown that creativity involves the interaction of many personality traits, behaviors and social influences in one person.
« In fact, creative people have a harder time recognizing themselves because they are more complex than non-creative people" Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told the Huffington Post. " What is the most paradoxical thing about a creative person... these people have a more chaotic mind».
There is no “typical” portrait of a creative person, but there are characteristic features in the behavior of creative people. Here are 18 points that are characteristic of them.
They are dreaming
Creative people are dreamers, even though their school teachers may have told you that daydreaming is a waste of time.
Kaufman and psychologist Rebecca L. McMillan, who co-authored a paper called “ An Ode to Positive Creative Dreaming", believe that mind wandering can help in the process "creative incubation" And, of course, many know from experience that the best ideas come to us when we are mentally in a completely different place.
Neuroscientists have discovered that imagination involves the same brain processes associated with fantasy and creativity.
They notice everything
A creative person sees opportunities everywhere and constantly absorbs information, which becomes food for creative self-expression. As Henry James is often quoted, a writer is one from whom "nothing escapes".
Joan Didion always carried a notebook with her and said that she wrote down observations about people and events that ultimately helped her better understand the complexities and contradictions of her own mind.
They have their own opening hours
Many great masters admit that they create their best works either very early in the morning or late in the evening. Vladimir Nabokov began writing as soon as he woke up at 6 or 7 am, and Frank Lloyd Wright made it a habit to wake up at 3 or 4 am and work for several hours before going back to bed. People with high creative potential do not adhere to a standard daily routine.
They find time for privacy
« To be open to creativity, you need to have the ability to use solitude constructively. We must overcome the fear of loneliness", wrote American existential psychologist Rollo May.
Artists and creatives are often stereotyped as loners, when in fact they may not be. Solitude can be the key to creating your best work. Kaufman links this to imagination - we have to give ourselves time to just dream.
« You need to get in touch with your inner voice to be able to express yourself. It's hard to hear your inner creative voice if you... are not in touch with yourself and don't reflect on yourself.", he says.
They “digest” life’s obstacles
Many of the most iconic stories and songs of all time were created out of heartbreaking pain. Problems often became the catalyst for the creation of outstanding works. In psychology, this is called post-traumatic growth, which suggests that people are able to use their hardships and early life traumas for significant creative growth. Researchers have found that trauma can help a person succeed in interpersonal relationships, life satisfaction, increased spirituality, personal strength, and the discovery of new possibilities.
They are looking for new experiences
Creative people love to experience new impressions, sensations and states of mind, and this is an important predetermining factor for creative results.
« Openness to new experiences is the strongest predictor of creative achievement" says Kaufman. " There are many different interconnected aspects here: intellectual curiosity, sensation seeking, openness to emotion and imagination. And all together - this is the engine for knowledge and exploration of the world, both internal and external.".
They fail
Toughness is almost a necessary quality for creative success, says Kaufman. Failure often awaits a creative person at least several times, but creatives - at least successful ones - learn not to be sad about it.
“Creative people fail, but truly good people fail often.”, Steven Kotler wrote in Forbes in a passage about Einstein's creative genius.
They ask important questions
Creative people are insatiably curious. They tend to prefer to explore life and even as they mature, they retain the interest of a discoverer. Through active conversations or individual mental reflection, creatives constantly ask themselves a lot of questions as they look at the world.
They watch people
Natural observation and interest in other people's lives sometimes helps generate the best ideas.
« Marcel Proust spent almost his entire life observing people, he wrote down his observations, and this found an outlet in his books.", says Kaufman. “For many writers, observing people is very important...”
They take risks
Part of being creative requires taking risks, and many successful creatives take risks in various aspects of their lives.
« There is a deep and meaningful connection between risk taking and creativity that is often overlooked." writes Steven Kotler in Forbes. " Creativity is the act of creating something out of nothing. It requires the publication of what at first existed only in the imagination. This activity is not for the timid. Wasted time, tarnished reputation, wasted money... These are all side effects when creativity goes awry».
They see everything in life as an opportunity for self-expression.
Nietzsche believed that life and the world should be viewed as a work of art. Creative individuals are constantly looking for opportunities to express themselves in everyday life.
« Creative expression is self-expression. Creativity is nothing more than a private expression of your needs, desires and uniqueness.", says Kaufman.
They follow their true passion
Creative people tend to be intrinsically motivated. This means that they act based on some internal desire, rather than a desire for external reward or recognition.
Psychologists say that creative people are stimulated by exciting activities, which is a sign of intrinsic motivation. Research shows that simply thinking about your reasons for doing something can be stimulating enough to boost creativity.
They go beyond their own minds
Kaufman argues that the ability to dream is still necessary to help us move beyond our usual vision and explore other ways of thinking that can be an important asset for creativity.
« Daydreaming evolves to allow us to let go of the present." says Kaufman. " The brain network associated with daydreaming is the brain network associated with theory of mind. I like to call it the "imagination network" - it allows you to imagine yourself in the future, as well as imagine other people's thoughts.".
They lose track of time
Creative individuals may find that when they write, dance, draw, or otherwise express themselves, they find themselves “ in a state of flow”, which helps them create at the highest level. It is a mental state where a person goes beyond conscious thought to achieve a state of heightened concentration and calm. Then he is practically not exposed to either internal or external stimuli that can interfere with his activities.
You find yourself " in a state of flow“When you do something that you really like and that makes you feel good.
They surround themselves with beauty
Creators, as a rule, have excellent taste and love to be in beautiful surroundings.
A study recently published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts found that musicians, including music teachers and soloists, demonstrate high sensitivity and receptiveness to artistic beauty.
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Read this article and see for yourself - there are no limits to creativity.
website adheres to the position that creativity in our lives is possible everywhere, and is constantly looking for more and more new confirmations. Over the past year, we have witnessed a variety of events that have expanded and raised the level of human imagination to unprecedented heights.
We present to your attention 10 creative people of completely different professions and lifestyles, but living with a common desire to show their talent.
The man said it, the man did it. Virgin CEO Richard Branson lost the argument, but did it beautifully. The eccentric businessman and founder of Virgin changed into a red uniform, shaved his legs and put on bright makeup on his face. And then, throughout the entire flight, he performed the duties of a flight attendant: escorting passengers to their seats, helping with luggage, demonstrating safety rules, and serving food and drinks. You can view all the pictures at
A video of a live performance of Skyfall appeared on the program “Morning at 5”, and a little later it was posted on YouTube. Twitter users actively reacted to the appearance of an unusual cover version of the composition. “The Russian military choir singing Skyfall is wonderful: from Russia with love. Adele, move aside,” tweeted user @bobbies635. "ABOUT. My. God! Now the Russian military is singing Skyfall. This is the end guys...,” writes @MLewinn.
Quitting your job simply by writing a letter of resignation of your own free will is boring and uninteresting. Another thing is to approach the process creatively and remain in the memory of your former colleagues for a long time. And so that they can then tell stories about you to newcomers. A good idea from Eliza Portfield, who came up with a series of photographs with inscriptions on a marker board. It turned out to be a whole story, thanks to which the girl will be remembered for a long time. Read the full story
Everything that is most memorable in our lives comes as a gift. Imagine: an NBA basketball game, during halftime the legendary Bon Jovi hit “Living on a Prayer” plays, a seemingly unremarkable guy catches the moment when the camera films his sector, and then the incredible happens.
The best advertisement for the sale of an old car: Arthur Apetyan from Krasnodar showed aerobatics. The large volume of text is more than offset by a sense of humor, sarcasm, sincerity and excellent command of words. Copywriters and journalists, learn. Residents of Krasnodar, buy a car. You can read the sales text itself.
The captain of the ISS crew said goodbye to space by singing a David Bowie song. Crew captain Chris Hadfield tweeted: “With respect to the genius of David Bowie, here is 'Space Oddity' recorded on the ISS. The last look at the world." The song, which he recorded while playing along with himself on the guitar, became a kind of farewell gesture from Hadfield: his mission on the orbital station had come to an end, and he would soon return to earth.
Josh Sundquist is a Paralympic skier who lost his leg at age 9. However, Josh did not despair and decided to live no matter what. He not only survived, but also began to live a full life, avoiding the doomed existence of a disabled person on a bench. He eventually took up the sport and became a skier. A couple of years later, he already competed for the national team at the Paralympic Games in Turin! Every year he comes up with something special for Halloween and this year he decided to try on the image of a flamingo. Read Josh's full story
Do you want to learn how to draw, but don't have time to take art classes? Don't know the difference between a tablet and an easel? Didn't you know that you can draw pictures with charcoal? Then you will like Rosa Roberts' book "Creative Challenge. Learn to Draw Anything"! Clearly and concisely everything you need to know to become an artist.
The book "The Great Creative Challenge" by Rose Roberts
Briefly about the author:
Rose Roberts is an artist, teacher and founder of the Sketches network of art workshops.
She studied fine arts in college, and in 2009 began teaching painting and drawing. Rosa participates in exhibitions and sells her works.
What is this book about?
"Big creative challenge. Learn to draw anything" - this is a short but detailed encyclopedia for beginning artists!
The book provides useful information concisely, consistently and constructively! No extra water. A clear structure of presentation from simple to complex.
The beginning of the book is devoted to the basics: the type of brushes, paints, easels, and other things. Each type of material: graphite, charcoal, pastel, acrylic, oil, watercolor, is discussed in detail in separate chapters. Brief and to the point.
Those who studied in art schools know all this. But those who have not studied will receive the basics for further practice!
Chapter "Working surfaces"
After a brief overview of the materials, there is a section on “Style and Techniques”.
It covers the main points that are needed for drawing.
Much of the book is devoted to practical lessons. All lessons are divided into sections: still life, landscape, portrait, marina and so on. And each section consists of several lessons with sequential steps on how to draw. A nice addition before each lesson - the required materials, time spent on work and level of difficulty are indicated!
An example of how to draw a rose with watercolor pencils
What struck me about the book was that the author has mastery of drawing with any material! The book contains examples of how to draw a rose with watercolor pencils, how to draw a landscape with a pen and white pencil, how to draw the sea with black ink, how to draw a portrait with charcoal, and the Tower Bridge with oil!
An example of how to draw a portrait with charcoal
And the last pages of the book with words of gratitude from the author, which usually no one reads, reveal Rose as an interesting, sociable person with good humor!
Rose Roberts
Quotes from the book:
“All people have the ability to draw, and you just have to decide to get to know this part of yourself.”
"Anything that leaves a mark on paper can be considered a drawing tool."
Pros of the book:
- cover design
- paper texture
- bright, rich photographs
- clear, concise narrative structure
- abundance of useful information and step-by-step lessons
Conclusion:
I recommend the book “The Great Creative Challenge” by Rosa Roberts for study and practical exercises to everyone who wants to learn how to draw! And for those who already know how, the book will be a short cheat sheet on the basics of drawing with different types of paints.
About the book
Artist Rose Roberts is sure that all people have the ability to draw, and you just need to decide and get to know this...
About the book
The book contains useful tips and step-by-step lessons to help you express yourself creatively. You'll quickly master the skills of drawing with charcoal, ink, acrylic and watercolor, and start with a light warm-up and finish with a finished painting. This guide to unleashing your creativity is packed with illustrations and 18 step-by-step lessons, from landscapes and portraits to still lifes and seascapes.
Artists are omnipotent people, they can make strokes light or meaningful, playful or serious, they create people, buildings or raccoons playing snowballs out of nothing. Admit it, you've always wanted to draw. Depict the surrounding and imaginary worlds. But we plague ourselves with doubts: “What if I don’t succeed and I’ll be ashamed?” or “The teacher told me that I’m bad at drawing, and she’s right. There’s no point in even trying, although I really want to.”
Artist Rose Roberts is sure that all people have the ability to draw, and you just need to decide and get to know this part of your self.
The first half of the book is devoted to the basics of painting, composition, color, and the second contains step-by-step lessons. As many as 18 pieces! From the simplest charcoal orange to a man in motion and a watercolor cityscape. Don’t be alarmed, you won’t need a lot of materials, but there is a desire to experiment with shape, line and color combinations of watercolors or pencils. Each lesson has a difficulty level - from one “tassel” to five.
Trust me, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish with a few simple rules, a few basic materials, and a little inspiration!
Still in the book
This book contains practical advice, visual illustrations and detailed master classes. An entire art course under one cover includes:
- Features of working with acrylic, oil, watercolor pencils, ink
- 50 shades of gray: everything about drawing with charcoal
- Study of working surfaces for drawing
- Let's draw... with an eraser!
- Night landscape, city landscape, seascape, fortress landscape
- How to quickly create the illusion of depth in space
- Enhance and smooth texture
- Ratio of verticals, horizontals and diagonals
- How to give a line character
- Drawing on a grid
- Still life (absolutely stunning master class with an elephant figurine)
- Drawing of a man in motion
- Dozens of nuances that you should pay attention to during the drawing process
- Hints for beginners and more experienced
... 250 pages that are written to reveal artistic talents in any person.
Who is this book for?
For everyone who wants to draw.
From the author
“Many people have to suppress their creative impulses, putting them in last place after work, family, everyday life and a thousand different things. The desire to express oneself in art can be perceived by others as frivolity, self-indulgence. Painting and graphics help us perceive the world around us as a set of forms , space, color and light. Developing this vision is very important for those pursuing a career in art or design, but it is also useful for amateurs.
Painting and graphics help us perceive the world around us as a combination of form, space, color and light. Developing this vision is very important for those pursuing a career in art or design. But it will also be useful for amateurs.
Unfortunately, many people have to suppress their creative impulses, putting them in last place after work, family, everyday life and a thousand different things. The desire to express oneself in art may be perceived by others as frivolity, self-indulgence. We plague ourselves with doubts: “What if I don’t succeed because I don’t have the ability, and I’ll be ashamed?” or “The teacher told me that I’m bad at drawing, and she’s right. There’s no point in even trying, although I really want to.”
All people have the ability to draw, and you just need to decide and get to know this part of your self.
In the hectic age of computers, smartphones, the Internet and the media, we are forced to constantly switch our attention, and focusing on the object we are drawing is an opportunity for calm contemplation that we so lack.
In Russian, a “challenge” is a challenge or test. Take the risk of changing your usual reality and take part in a small creative challenge. Are you ready mentally? Then, go ahead!
"Great creative challenge"- for those who are ready to plunge into the exciting world of drawing.
Honest book
This large, beautiful book with high-quality illustrations does not promise you miracles or a “masterpiece in three hours,” but honestly talks about the world of drawing for beginners. Drawing in the era of gadgets is an opportunity for quiet contemplation, and drawing is the tangible fruit of your labor. Precisely labor. In drawing, as in any activity, there is a rule: the more you practice, the better your results.
Let's learn materiel!
The book follows the most important rule of classical education: first theory, and then practice. Thanks to this logic, a vague but inspired mess is not created in the reader’s head, but the concept of the world of drawing in principle is gradually built up.
Rose Roberts first tries to give the reader a very detailed idea of the materials, accessories and subject of the image. This approach will allow a beginner to figure out what’s what in this vast world, and decide what and with what he would like to draw. At the end of each chapter devoted to a particular material, a short exercise is offered.
However, these exercises have no practical application if you do not have the opportunity to perform them in a studio, where a lot of materials are provided for free to try. Otherwise, you can spend half your salary just preparing for the challenge. Although at the beginning of the book the author calls to be content with the little and the most necessary, so we can assume that these exercises are theoretical and recommendatory in nature.
A separate chapter is devoted to color. Unfortunately, this basic issue is covered rather chaotically, and it is not clear to a beginner why the complementary color for blue is orange, and for yellow it is purple. The illustrations given for this chapter, alas, are illogical, although very colorful.
From theory to practice
The most important advantage of the lessons is that the drawings in them are real. Looking at them, the reader understands that these are drawings by a mere mortal, and not by an artist with an academic education and thirty years of experience. They are not perfect, but they are attractive, they are alive. Your hands don’t give up, but they itch, and the thought ripens in your head that anything is possible.
The analysis of chiaroscuro occurs so clearly that it is useless to resist understanding this topic. After the first lesson, it becomes clear how to make an ordinary circle into a voluminous orange, and this is just the beginning!
Many (not just beginners) artists are afraid to draw a person’s face and figure. The book devotes quite a lot of space to the image of a person. And one simple truth is conveyed: even an imperfect drawing of a person is beautiful because it carries our feelings.
Overall, the book will appeal to those who have been planning for a long time, but kept putting it off. The author does not make drawing a fun, meaningless game. Everything is serious here: a lot of theory and a lot of practice. The lessons are constructive. And their presence makes it possible to direct your activities along a given course, and not wander around the house in painful thoughts of “what should I draw.”
And, of course, the book is aimed at beginners, which is what the idea of the challenge implies.
The book is worthy of your attention because it contains:
● good theoretical basis;
● overview of most existing artistic materials and features of working with them;
● interesting lessons: seascape, still life with an elephant, family portrait and many others;
● image of a person in motion;
● drawing on a grid;
● nuances that you should pay attention to during the drawing process;
● 250 pages with useful text and beautiful pictures.
Buy the book “The Great Creative Challenge”
The book “The Great Creative Challenge” is available for purchase in paper form in the Ozon.ru online store for 1,260 rubles or in electronic form for 230 rubles.