20Things Only Highly Creative People Would Understand创新高手才能明白的20件事

文/凯文·凯泽 译/周臻

By Kevin Kaiser

There’s no argument anymore.Neuroscience confirms that highly creative people think and act differently than the average person.Their brains are literally hardwired in a unique way. But that gift can often strain relationships.If you love a highly creative person,you probably experience moments when it seems like they live in a completely different world than you. Truth is, they do. But trying to change them isn’t nearly as effective as trying to understand them.It all begins by seeing the world through their lens and remembering these 20 things:

1. They have a mind that never slows down.

The creative mind is a non-stop machine fueled by intense curiosity.There is no pause button and no way to power it down. This can be exhausting at times but it is also the source of some crazy fun activities and conversations.

2. They challenge the status quo.

Two questions drive every creative person more than any others: What if? and Why not? They question what everyone else takes at face value. While uncomfortable for those around them,it’s this ability that enables creatives to rede fine what’s possible.

3. They embrace their genius even if others don’t.

Creative individuals would rather be authentic than popular. Staying true to who they are, without compromise, is how they de fine success even if it means being misunderstood or marginalized.

4. They have dif ficulty staying on task.

Highly creative people are energized by taking big mental leaps and starting new things. Existing projects can turn into boring slogs when the promise of something new and exciting grabs their attention.

5. They create in cycles.

Creativity has a rhythm that flows between periods of high, sometimes manic, activity and slow times that can feel like slumps. Each period is necessary and can’t be skipped just like the natural seasons are interdependent and necessary.

6. They need time to feed their souls.

No one can drive cross-country on a single take of gas. In the same way,creative people need to frequently renew their source of inspiration and drive. Often, this requires solitude for periods of time.

7. They need space to create.

Having the right environment is essential to peak creativity. It may be a studio, a coffee shop, or a quiet corner of the house. Wherever it is, allow them to set the boundaries and respect them.

8. They focus intensely.

Highly creative people tune the entire world out when they’re focused on work. They cannot multi-task effectively and it can take twenty minutes to refocus after being interrupted, even if the interruption was only twenty seconds.

9. They feel deeply.

Creativity is about human expression and communicating deeply. It’s impossible to give what you don’t have, and you can only take someone as far as you have gone yourself. A writer once told me that an artist must scream at the page if they want a whisper to be heard. In the same way, a creative person must feel deep if they are to communicate deeply.

10. They live on the edge of joy and depression.

Because they feel deeply, highly creative people often can quickly shift from joy to sadness or even depression.Their sensitive heart, while the source of their brilliance, is also the source of their suffering.

11. They think and speak in stories.

Facts will never move the human heart like storytelling can. Highly creative people, especially artists, know this and weave stories into everything they do. It takes longer for them to explain something, explaining isn’t the point. The experience is.

12. They battle Resistance1 every day.

Steven Press field, author of The War of Art, writes: “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” Highly creative people wake up every morning, fully aware of the need to grow and push themselves.But there is always the fear, Resistance as Pressfield calls it, that they don’t have what it takes. No matter how successful the person, that fear never goes away. They simply learn to deal with it, or not.

13. They take their work personally.

Creative work is a raw expression of the person who created it. Often, they aren’t able to separate themselves from it, so every critique is seen either as a validation or condemnation of their self-worth.

14. They have a hard time believing in themselves.

Even the seemingly self-confident creative person often wonders, Am I good enough? They constantly compare their work with others and fail to see their own brilliance, which may be obvious to everyone else.

15. They are deeply intuitive.

Science still fails to explain the How and Why of creativity. Yet, creative individuals know instinctively how to flow in it time and again. They will tell you that it can’t be understood, only experienced firsthand.

16. They often use procrastination as a tool.

Creatives are notorious procrastinators because many do their best work under pressure. They will subconsciously, and sometimes purposefully, delay their work until the last minute simply to experience the rush of the challenge.

17. They are addicted to creative flow.

Recent discoveries in neuroscience reveal that “the flow state” might be the most addictive experience on earth. The mental and emotional payoff is why highly creative people will suffer through the highs and lows of creativity. It’s the staying power. In a real sense, they are addicted to the thrill of creating.

18. They have difficulty finishing projects.

The initial stage of the creative process is fast moving and charged with excitement. Often, they will abandon projects that are too familiar in order to experience the initial flow that comes at the beginning.

19. They connect dots better than others.

True creativity, Steve Jobs once said,is little more than connecting the dots.It’s seeing patterns before they become obvious to everyone else.

20. They will never grow up.

Creatives long to see through the eyes of a child and never lose a sense of wonder. For them, life is about mystery, adventure, and growing young.Everything else is simply existing, and not true living. ■

没什么好争论的了。神经科学证实，创造力高的人，其思维和行为与众不同。他们的大脑天生就与人不同。但这种天分可能常常造成人际关系紧张。

如果你喜欢一个非常有创意的人，你可能会有这样的经历——某些时候他们似乎与你生活在完全不同的世界里。事实是，他们就是这样。不过，试图改变他们远不如试图理解他们有用。

那就先来通过他们的视角看看世界，记住这20件事：

1.他们有从不减速的头脑。

有创意的头脑是一台受强烈好奇心驱使、不会停歇的机器。没有暂停按钮，没法关闭电源。有时可能会让人疲惫不堪，但一些疯狂的趣事和谈话也来源于此。

2. 他们挑战现状。

有两个问题是每个创意者都问得比其他人多的：“如果……会怎样？”和“为什么不？”。他们质疑其他人只凭表面判断的事。这种能力会令周围人不舒服，但就是它让创意得以重新定义可能性。

3.他们欣然接受自己的天赋，即使别人持否定态度。

创意者宁可选择真实也不从众。哪怕被误解或被边缘化，保持真实自我，不妥协，是他们所定义的成功。

4. 他们很难坚持。

创造力高者通过思维跳跃和启动新事物来获取动力。当他们的注意力被隐约出现的令人兴奋的新鲜事物所吸引，现有项目就会变成无聊的埋头苦干。

5.他们的创造具有周期性。

创造力有节律，在间或狂热的高亢与感觉沉沦的低落间流动。每个时期都是必要且不能跳过的，就像四季相互依存且必不可少。

6.他们需要时间养精蓄锐。

没人可以加一次油就驾车穿越全国。同理，创意者需要经常更新自己的灵感和动力源。通常，这意味着一段段的独处时光。

7.他们需要空间去创新。

拥有合适的环境是创造力达到峰值的关键。它可能是一个工作室、一家咖啡店，或者房子里一个安静的角落。不管是哪里，允许他们设定界限并尊重他们。

8.他们精力高度集中。

创造力高者在专注工作时会屏蔽整个世界。他们不能有效地一脑多用，一旦被打断，哪怕只是20秒，可能就需要20分钟来重新集中精力。

9. 他们深入感受。

创造力关乎人类表达和深入沟通。自己没有的东西不可能给予他人，自己感受多深，才能带给他人多大触动。一位作家曾经告诉我，如果想要人们听到轻声细语，艺术家就必须对着书页尖叫。同样，创意者必须深入感受，才能深入沟通。

10.他们生活在快乐和抑郁的边缘。

因为深入感受，创造力高者经常会由快乐骤转悲伤乃至抑郁。他们敏感的心，既是辉煌之源，也是痛苦之根。

11.他们用故事来思考和叙述。

摆事实永远不会像讲故事那样让人动心。创造力高者，尤其是艺术家，了解这一点，会将他们的构想融入各种创作。解释某些事需要花费他们更长的时间，解释不是重点，经历才是。

12. 他们每天都在与“阻抗”斗争。

《艺术大战》的作者史蒂文·佩尔斯菲德写道：“我们大多数人有两种生活：现实世界的生活，以及内心向往的生活。两者之间矗立着抵抗。”创造力高者每天早晨醒来，就充分意识到他们需要成长和自我推动。但总存在着那种恐惧，即佩尔斯菲德所说的阻抗，害怕他们无法达成自己的愿望。无论个人多么成功，那恐惧永远不会消失。他们只是学会处理它，或置之不理。

13.他们把自我融入作品。

创造性作品是其创作者的一种本质表达。他们常常无法把作品与自己分割，所以，在创作者看来，每一条评论不是对其自我价值的确证，就是对其自我价值的非难。

14.他们很难相信自己。

即使看似自信的创意者也经常自问：我够出色吗？他们不断将自己的工作与他人比较，看不到自己的光彩，即使对其他人来说可能显而易见。

15. 他们有着很强的直觉。

科学依然无法解释创造力的运行机制（怎么做）和产生缘由（为什么）。 然而，有创造力的个体本能地知道如何一次又一次徜徉其中。他们会告诉你，这说不清，只有亲身体验。

16.他们经常把拖延当作手段。

创意者是臭名昭著的拖延者，因为许多人在压力下才能做到最好。他们会下意识，有时更是故意，将工作拖延到最后一刻，就为了体验挑战的冲击。

17. 他们沉迷于创意流。

神经科学的最新发现显示，“涌流状态”可能是世间最令人上瘾的经历。正因为能获得精神和情感的回报，创造力高者才能承受创作状态的高低起伏。这是持久力。真正意义上说，他们是沉迷于创作的兴奋。

18.他们难以完成项目。

创意产生的初始阶段是快速变化且充满兴奋的。他们常常会抛弃太过熟悉的项目，就为了体验最初产生的初始创意流。

19.他们连点成图的能力优于他人。

史蒂夫·乔布斯曾经说过，真正的创造力几乎就在于连点成图，即在其他人尚未明了之前，就已看到图案。

20.他们永远长不大。

创意者渴望以孩童的视角看事物，永远不会失去好奇。对他们来说，生活就是探秘、冒险和保持童心。其他的一切仅仅是存在，而不是真正的生活。 □