Having a creative mind allows us to do new and exciting things and engage ourselves in a way that takes us one step closer to reaching our full potential.

Unpredictability is often said to be the essence of creativity. And creativity is, by definition, surprising. Creative people are sensitive, visionary, impulsive and genuinely see things differently – often times more clearly than the average individual. That creativity is formed by a whole host of characteristics: intellectual, emotional, motivational and moral, making those people more open to the world around them.

The well-known perceptual phenomenon called inattentional blindness (the failure to notice a fully-visible, but unexpected object because attention was engaged on another task, event, or object) is a characteristic uncommon in creative people. They are the mindful daydreamers, imaginatively gritty, passionately introverted, openly sensitive, playfully serious, logically intuitive and more.

Studies reveal that creative people are better able to lead positive change in organizations and are better equipped to inspire followers. While we love learning how these leaders turned the tide in their industry or organization, recent research suggests that most creative people aren’t given the opportunity to lead.

Other identifiable uniqueness:

  • own a great deal of physical energy, while often quiet and at rest.
  • are smart yet naïve at the same time
  • combine playfulness and discipline
  • alternate between imagination and fantasy, yet have a rooted sense of reality.
  • tend to be both extroverted and introverted
  • are humble and proud
  • likely both rebellious and conservative
  • are passionate about their work, yet extremely objective about it as well

Creative-minded people seem to find an unusual synthesis between healthy and pathological behaviors. It has been found that the average writer was in the top 15% of the general population on all measures of psychopathology while also scoring extremely high on all measures of psychological health. They are able to juggle seemingly contradictory modes of thought—cognitive and emotional, deliberate and spontaneous and this allows them to draw on a wide range of strengths, characteristics and thinking styles in their work.

Studies show that creativity enhances the appeal of both men and women with average-looking faces.