THE CREATIVE PARADOX BY JOHN STROZSAK

I have never really seen myself as a creative person. For people that know me well, that probably doesn’t make any sense. I’ve done a lot of creative work in my life: writing, drawing, building, singing, traveling; the works. They would point to any number of these aspects of my life, and tell me to look in a mirror. Clearly I do “creative” things, so why wouldn’t I feel like I’m creative?

Well, I’ve spent a lot of time looking in the mirror, and the funny part is I’d tend to agree with them. I am a “creative person”. I just haven’t ever felt like one. I know I have the capacity to be creative, my whole life is evidence of that.

But to be creative is to be different, and with being “different” comes judgement. You have nobody to look to for guidance but yourself as a creative. The reason I’ve never felt like a creative person is because it's simply paradoxical in nature. To view yourself as a “creative person” instantly groups you with other creatives, which no longer makes you different. You can paint the most wonderful and original painting ever, but you aren’t the only painter out there. True creativity is measured by uniqueness, but I don’t see anything that unique about myself or what I’ve done so far. Humans are hard-wired to seek acceptance, but how can you be different, and fit-in?

I’ve never really felt like a creative person, and that’s totally okay. I’ve always felt like me.