{"id":1935,"date":"2010-03-17T22:20:56","date_gmt":"2010-03-18T06:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=1935"},"modified":"2013-09-27T13:05:46","modified_gmt":"2013-09-27T21:05:46","slug":"youre-not-mad-youre-creative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/youre-not-mad-youre-creative\/","title":{"rendered":"You’re Not Mad, You’re Creative"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Beth” courtesy of Michael Nye<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

‘”Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it is stupid.”<\/em> Albert Einstein.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ever been told you\u2019re a perfectionist, too sensitive or that you dream or think too much?<\/p>\n

To have a high degree of creative intelligence is a gift \u2014 but because our society, schools and workplaces privilege more conventional and conformist intelligences, it is not always experienced that way. If you, or your nearest and dearest, do not understand what it means to becreatively intelligent, in everyday terms, a great deal of suffering can ensue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a society that doesn\u2019t appreciate them, creative abilities are often labeled and experienced as liabilities,\u201d says Mary Taylor, LCSW, of the Creative Intelligence Centre. \u201cHighly creative people often face a lifetime of hardship and psychological pain because they do not see themselves or their abilities clearly. \u00a0The abilities of highly creative people are frequently hidden under\u2026emotional, occupational andrelationship difficulties.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the [creative] person is all too aware of their problems, they are often unaware of their abilities. \u00a0This, allied with the fact that they live in a society that prefers linear, rational thinking and behaviour, makes them try to fit into situations that don\u2019t suit them \u2014 and thenblame themselves when that doesn\u2019t work out. Hence: \u201cI\u2019m too sensitive\u201d; \u201cI\u2019m too much of a perfectionist\u201d; \u201cI think too much\u201d.<\/p>\n

These erroneous conclusions can do \u201cmajor damage\u201d to self image, says Taylor, and \u201dattempts made at correcting a problem from this vantage point are frequently unsuccessful because the initial interpretation was in error. Their deepest turmoil often stems from the fact that although they feel they are capable, they are unable to bring their talents into the world in a recognizable or tangible form. They often feel confused in their attempts to figure this \u2018puzzle\u2019 out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over time, self-blame and lack of understanding leads many bright, creative people into marginalized lives as adults \u2014 underemployed,dissatisfied and often in tremendous psychological pain.<\/p>\n

First Stage Problems (Issues that stem directly from the ability itself)<\/strong><\/p>\n