文/凱文·凱澤 譯/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. ■

沒什么好爭論的了。神經(jīng)科學證實，創(chuàng)造力高的人，其思維和行為與眾不同。他們的大腦天生就與人不同。但這種天分可能常常造成人際關系緊張。

如果你喜歡一個非常有創(chuàng)意的人，你可能會有這樣的經(jīng)歷——某些時候他們似乎與你生活在完全不同的世界里。事實是，他們就是這樣。不過，試圖改變他們遠不如試圖理解他們有用。

那就先來通過他們的視角看看世界，記住這20件事：

1.他們有從不減速的頭腦。

有創(chuàng)意的頭腦是一臺受強烈好奇心驅(qū)使、不會停歇的機器。沒有暫停按鈕，沒法關閉電源。有時可能會讓人疲憊不堪，但一些瘋狂的趣事和談話也來源于此。

2. 他們挑戰(zhàn)現(xiàn)狀。

有兩個問題是每個創(chuàng)意者都問得比其他人多的：“如果……會怎樣？”和“為什么不？”。他們質(zhì)疑其他人只憑表面判斷的事。這種能力會令周圍人不舒服，但就是它讓創(chuàng)意得以重新定義可能性。

3.他們欣然接受自己的天賦，即使別人持否定態(tài)度。

創(chuàng)意者寧可選擇真實也不從眾。哪怕被誤解或被邊緣化，保持真實自我，不妥協(xié)，是他們所定義的成功。

4. 他們很難堅持。

創(chuàng)造力高者通過思維跳躍和啟動新事物來獲取動力。當他們的注意力被隱約出現(xiàn)的令人興奮的新鮮事物所吸引，現(xiàn)有項目就會變成無聊的埋頭苦干。

5.他們的創(chuàng)造具有周期性。

創(chuàng)造力有節(jié)律，在間或狂熱的高亢與感覺沉淪的低落間流動。每個時期都是必要且不能跳過的，就像四季相互依存且必不可少。

6.他們需要時間養(yǎng)精蓄銳。

沒人可以加一次油就駕車穿越全國。同理，創(chuàng)意者需要經(jīng)常更新自己的靈感和動力源。通常，這意味著一段段的獨處時光。

7.他們需要空間去創(chuàng)新。

擁有合適的環(huán)境是創(chuàng)造力達到峰值的關鍵。它可能是一個工作室、一家咖啡店，或者房子里一個安靜的角落。不管是哪里，允許他們設定界限并尊重他們。

8.他們精力高度集中。

創(chuàng)造力高者在專注工作時會屏蔽整個世界。他們不能有效地一腦多用，一旦被打斷，哪怕只是20秒，可能就需要20分鐘來重新集中精力。

9. 他們深入感受。

創(chuàng)造力關乎人類表達和深入溝通。自己沒有的東西不可能給予他人，自己感受多深，才能帶給他人多大觸動。一位作家曾經(jīng)告訴我，如果想要人們聽到輕聲細語，藝術家就必須對著書頁尖叫。同樣，創(chuàng)意者必須深入感受，才能深入溝通。

10.他們生活在快樂和抑郁的邊緣。

因為深入感受，創(chuàng)造力高者經(jīng)常會由快樂驟轉(zhuǎn)悲傷乃至抑郁。他們敏感的心，既是輝煌之源，也是痛苦之根。

11.他們用故事來思考和敘述。

擺事實永遠不會像講故事那樣讓人動心。創(chuàng)造力高者，尤其是藝術家，了解這一點，會將他們的構想融入各種創(chuàng)作。解釋某些事需要花費他們更長的時間，解釋不是重點，經(jīng)歷才是。

12. 他們每天都在與“阻抗”斗爭。

《藝術大戰(zhàn)》的作者史蒂文·佩爾斯菲德寫道：“我們大多數(shù)人有兩種生活：現(xiàn)實世界的生活，以及內(nèi)心向往的生活。兩者之間矗立著抵抗?！眲?chuàng)造力高者每天早晨醒來，就充分意識到他們需要成長和自我推動。但總存在著那種恐懼，即佩爾斯菲德所說的阻抗，害怕他們無法達成自己的愿望。無論個人多么成功，那恐懼永遠不會消失。他們只是學會處理它，或置之不理。

13.他們把自我融入作品。

創(chuàng)造性作品是其創(chuàng)作者的一種本質(zhì)表達。他們常常無法把作品與自己分割，所以，在創(chuàng)作者看來，每一條評論不是對其自我價值的確證，就是對其自我價值的非難。

14.他們很難相信自己。

即使看似自信的創(chuàng)意者也經(jīng)常自問：我夠出色嗎？他們不斷將自己的工作與他人比較，看不到自己的光彩，即使對其他人來說可能顯而易見。

15. 他們有著很強的直覺。

科學依然無法解釋創(chuàng)造力的運行機制（怎么做）和產(chǎn)生緣由（為什么）。 然而，有創(chuàng)造力的個體本能地知道如何一次又一次徜徉其中。他們會告訴你，這說不清，只有親身體驗。

16.他們經(jīng)常把拖延當作手段。

創(chuàng)意者是臭名昭著的拖延者，因為許多人在壓力下才能做到最好。他們會下意識，有時更是故意，將工作拖延到最后一刻，就為了體驗挑戰(zhàn)的沖擊。

17. 他們沉迷于創(chuàng)意流。

神經(jīng)科學的最新發(fā)現(xiàn)顯示，“涌流狀態(tài)”可能是世間最令人上癮的經(jīng)歷。正因為能獲得精神和情感的回報，創(chuàng)造力高者才能承受創(chuàng)作狀態(tài)的高低起伏。這是持久力。真正意義上說，他們是沉迷于創(chuàng)作的興奮。

18.他們難以完成項目。

創(chuàng)意產(chǎn)生的初始階段是快速變化且充滿興奮的。他們常常會拋棄太過熟悉的項目，就為了體驗最初產(chǎn)生的初始創(chuàng)意流。

19.他們連點成圖的能力優(yōu)于他人。

史蒂夫·喬布斯曾經(jīng)說過，真正的創(chuàng)造力幾乎就在于連點成圖，即在其他人尚未明了之前，就已看到圖案。

20.他們永遠長不大。

創(chuàng)意者渴望以孩童的視角看事物，永遠不會失去好奇。對他們來說，生活就是探秘、冒險和保持童心。其他的一切僅僅是存在，而不是真正的生活。 □