Creativity

This might just be the third time I’d written on something related to art. The first time, I hinted at the necessity of art. I titled it, “Art, As An Antidote”. The second one was an appreciation of art, which I titled “Ode To Art”.

This time, more specifically, I’m writing on creativity, because to my understanding, it is the birthplace of art.

I must caution first that just like every other category that defines and identify people, only a small number of people fall into this category of creativity. This is largely because creativity is biologically and psychologically determined, so you may or may not find yourself relating to my descriptions of a creative person.

I hope you have a splendid time on this page.

Openness

Creativity is the use of imagination and/or original ideas to create something new - something different. Creativity being a biological and psychological thing has greatly to do with a person’s personality.

In order to be creative and bring forth new things, or re-invent existing things, you must be imaginative. To be imaginative is to be open to new ideas. In the political sense, to be imaginative is to be liberal in your approach to things that are unknown.

In the psychological sense, being imaginative is how likely you are to pursue new ideas – to think outside the box. To put it more psychologically, there is a variant of the personality that helps an individual determine how likely they are to be on the edge of creativity. This variant is one of the BIG 5 TRAITS that is called Openness.

Openness is how open-minded, imaginative, creative, and insightful a person can be. More open-minded people tend to prefer variety, seek new experiences and are curious and perceptive to their environment. Less open-minded people tend to avoid change, dislike disruption, and focus on a few specific interests.

When you scale 9/10 on this trait, that would mean that you are a genius-level type of creative, and that would put you in the 10% of the most creative people. Generally speaking, people score differently on each personality trait. Even the fact that they score differently on all 5 variants of personality types is what help them be unique – help make up their identity.

This is also the case for the people that score 1/10 on the Extraversion (outgoing, friendly, energetic, social) personality trait. These people here would go on to be introverts. But those who score 8/10 or any other ratio above 5/10 would go on to be extroverts. This is the same random distribution that applies to every other trait.

Since personality is what often determines the individuality of a person, it is safe to say that each person is different in their own personal identity. The person that fails to fall into a category of already defined and recognized modes of being is usually the type to be characterized as “one of a kind”. And it will be such a fallacious thing to say everyone can identify as “one of a kind”. Because even that quote in itself eliminates the “one of a kind” person from an established group, where everyone acts, speaks, and does the same thing.

It is rarely ever the case that a creative person doesn’t think or “act” outside the box. To re-emphasize the idea again that people aren’t all the same, I must make mention that if there was no already defined category of behaviour and things that are already known (rules and norms), there would be no “box” and there would be no “outside the box”.

A person’s personality is largely social, as it is equally biological. Therefore, not everyone is born creative, or a genius.

The Creative Types

People who score high in Openness are usually very interested in ideas (intellect) and aesthetics (beauty). They set out to do things differently. And they also tend to be highly neurodivergent. Neurodivergent is a nonmedical term that describes people whose brains develop or work differently for some reason.

Most women fall under the neurodivergent umbrella. This is mostly induced by the fact that they are highly imaginative. They are also very interested in literature and art. On average, men are interested in things, and women are interested in people. This is why men dominate the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field, and women dominate the HEAL (Health, Education, Administration, and Literacy) sector of the labour market.

The greater trait of Openness in women is why the average woman is highly interested in fantasy fiction. I know this to be true because most of my female friends either enjoy reading and writing novels that are otherworldly. They enjoy collecting books and basking in their fantasy worlds. This is a good contributing factor to why most women are neurodivergent. It also has an evolutionary backing, since most women had to stay back home, and therefore had lots of time on their hands, while the men would go down into the wild to chase animals they would need to eat. This was the case in the palaeo-lithic and early neo-lithic life of humans. Only my hypothesis, I could be wrong.

Creativity has also to do with IQ. You after all need to be smart to some extent to be creative. Because in order to bring forth new things, you must be at least some level of standard deviation from the average person. A bit of creativity and a bit of smartness makes the average genius.

Creative people must re-invent themselves from time to time, otherwise, they become too used to their current self, and they stop developing – they become a caricature of themselves, wasting the potential that lies with every other thing they can become. This is largely caused by the ego, an understanding of our self-identity which can’t afford to hurt. This is why I would define the ego as the false perception of self.

Carl Jung said that our true self is what we imagine ourselves to be – what lies in the future. I think this is very true because even you can look into the mirror and see all your insufficiencies. But then you develop a future image of yourself and then slowly gravitate towards it. It is a scary idea, but your true self lies in the future. It lies in the realm of potential – the realm of all things that could be but are yet to be because you lack discipline and belief in yourself.

This is why you see writers try their hands at comedies, articles, tragicomedies, farce, slapsticks, soliloquies, novels, poems, etc. The same reasons musicians try their hands at different genres of music, and different fields of the entertainment industry. Same reasons comedians and YouTubers go on to try music or acting. They are all driven by the creative impulse to reinvent themselves to see what more they can become. When we say to someone that “you have potential”. That phrase doesn’t lie in a materialist capture of anything. It lies in the metaphysical world of all the possibilities that lie ahead, waiting only to be achieved by those who dare to dedicate and commit themselves towards reaching it.

This is also why creative people wither and hate themselves when they are not able to create. Their creativity sustains them. It breathes life into them. In extreme cases, creative people cannot live without their art – their creation.

Romantics at heart, creative people are driven to seek beauty in every form. Their passion for creativity knows no bounds, as they chase novel experiences, bask in the wonders of art and literature, and revel in the aesthetic pleasures of the world. They are avid readers, ardent lovers of art, and connoisseurs of music, unbound by genre or style. Their thirst for the unconventional, and their insatiable appetite for the classics make them true enthusiasts of creative endeavours. They lose themselves in the magic of every page, every brushstroke, and every note, immersing themselves in the wonders of the world with a heart full of passion and a soul full of love.

Creativity is a seductive siren's call, captivating those with an unquenchable thirst for artistic exploration. These true aficionados are enraptured by the beauty that surrounds them, forever spellbound by the magic of art and literature. They are the Literati, the intellectuals, and the critical thinkers who reflect upon the reality of society. When the creative impulse takes hold, it's like a curious seed planted deep within, beckoning you to explore. Ignore it at your peril, for it will haunt you like an unfulfilled desire. So listen closely, let the mermaid's song lead you to your heart's desires, and unleash your inner artist.

Behold the paradox of creativity - a curse to some, a blessing to others. You can either bear its weight or deceive yourself by confining your imagination within the bounds of comfort. Choosing the latter means clinging onto order while neglecting the beauty of chaos. It's like Yin rejecting Yang, a failure to merge the complementary forces of life. So dare to break free from your comfort zone, and let your creativity unleash its full potential, for it is the key that unlocks a world of endless possibilities.

The Journey Into The Unknown

If you are not high in Openness, it might not be easy for you to relate to this part.

It is difficult for people who aren't high in openness to understand it curiosity or openness as a trait. It is like telling a colour-blind person to look at a painting. Almost the same as telling an introvert to enjoy spending time in social settings, or telling an extrovert to try staying indoors and not talk to anyone. It is not impossible, but it is difficult. I will do my best to simplify it.

I’ve read once before that people who are high in Openness are usually on the verge of Chaos. I never understood that any better until last year when I was dealing with anxiety. I had to engage in some psychotherapy with a therapist in training before I could get out of it.

It was caused by my exposure to new knowledge of the world that blew up my conception of the world. I was driven heavily by a keen sense of curiosity. This started earlier in 2022 when the ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities) strike began. The 8-month strike granted me enough time to begin studying aggressively.

From philosophy to psychology, physiology, evolutionary biology, depth psychology, international relations, behavioural biology, power and politics, history, etc, I studied each as much as I could. Without even knowing it, I’d gone about 8 months of learning something every day. I never knew what I was getting myself into.

My previous conception of the world was blown away. I saw the world anew. This gave me anxiety for a while. But when I came out of it, my friends noticed that I had changed. I was more confident, more articulate, and smarter. I paid for all of these advanced aspects of my being with some sanity. Perhaps this is what Aristotle meant when he said, “There is no great genius without some touch of madness”. I quite literally went through hell and back. But I learned a lot. They changed me.

There is this quote by one of my favourite psychologists, Carl Gustav Jung, which goes a little something like, “What you want will be found where you want to look”. Knowing myself, and how rational I was, I definitely wouldn’t have taken this route if I knew that I would end up never being the same. Because you can unknow the things you know, and you also become what you practise.

In Nigeria, this is what you’d categorize as “E don carry me go where I no know”. Or in modern English, this is what it means to “Fuck around and find out”.

The truth is, when you are at a place where you don’t know, you learn a lot, and you incorporate the new knowledge into making your character stronger and better. Although, I wish I’d done this consciously. But I said before that you can’t resist creativity’s (Openness) siren calls. It beckons unto you. It lifts your consciousness. So, maybe unconsciously being driven by my sense of curiosity and creative impulse was the right way to go.

The same curiosity drove Adam and Eve into taking a bite out of the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, which then opened their eyes to the true nature of life. They were very comfortable in their Garden of Eden, which is synonymous with order (Ying). Then they were cast out into chaos (Yang). Too much order is too rigid and oppressive, but too much chaos is dangerous and destructive. Real artists are always on that edge of rigidity and danger. There is a thrill that comes with knowing you won’t die when you take a leap of faith. This is where you find artists. They die off when there is nothing for them to do or discover.

Existentialist philosopher Fyodor Dostoyevsky once mentioned that humans are not built for order. We like trouble: we seek it. He said if you gave man everything he could ever want. He might be grateful for a while, but he will grow bored, and he will ungratefully smash everything into pieces just to make sure something unexpected happens, just to prove that he is not insane, and he isn’t stuck in some sort of matrix. Humans love novelty. But the creative and open people pursue and deliver it. This was my journey into the unknown, and it made a better me.

To Be, Or Not To Be

In order to grow sometimes, old parts of you must burn off, so newer and better versions of you can emerge. Sometimes, you get in your own way because you are not comfortable with stepping out of your comfort zone. Out from Order into Chaos, where you learn new knowledge – where you challenge yourself. You have a story to tell. You have to grow.

While I was having anxiety, I wrote down some dark thoughts I had. I turned them into a soliloquy series on this platform. I’ll link them at the end. The point here is that I started writing then (actively at least), and from then, I developed a keen interest in further pursuit of knowledge, and to also see where writing can take me.

With all that I’d learnt in 8 months, I invented myself into a writer, and after about 40 weeks of writing, I developed a vision of taking my love for knowledge and the exploration of my personality into being a podcast host. I launched the podcast this month. But it is on pause until I finish my exams in July. I don’t plan for my journey to end here, as I have already envisioned myself as something different in 2024. I am also taking some courses on cinematography and content creation.

Life is an adventure. Mine clearly started without my permission. But for the first time, I feel alive.

Speaking of Creativity and Openness, since they are mostly biological, but they can be harnessed and curated by different things. As it is, the only way to do that is either through psychedelics or other hallucinogens.

This is what most researchers have shown. People that dealt with psychedelics developed an instant interest in nature and the nature of reality. They loved art and appreciated music.

I know some creative people that are very optimal when they are high. This is the moment they are able to make the most out of their openness and creativity. They are somehow able to tap into the transcendent.

There is much evidence to support that most mythology gods were created by people under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms. This is a very viable explanation. There are some Greek gods that one wouldn’t ever say that they were created by reason and logic – that would be a weak argument. They were created by something other than that. If it was reason or logic, that would be science. And I’ll tell you that science didn’t create Zeus.

There is even evidence to support that the Ancient Egyptians had some mushrooms and such in their incense. This gives them some kind of otherworldly experience. But some people that are high in openness feel this type of experience when they read a book, listen to a song, or watch a particular type of movie.

If you are a natural creative, I would advise that you look within and never be afraid of trying your hands at new things. You will never even truly know yourself until you pursue your interests. And if you don’t have any interest, the only way to find it is to try new things – to put yourself in new places. Never be afraid of re-inventing yourself and growing into a better version of yourself. You can train yourself to be more than you are.

The Encore

The story of every creative person is whether to be or not to be. You have a story to tell. This is my story. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you are going through any hardship, never be afraid of opening up to someone. Always remember too that vulnerability is not weakness.

You can find me using the below links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bigphaze_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigphazepodcast/

Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4dATRxX5blGaIo10tQNN0Y?si=0b1ed6674b0343b4

Thank you for reading. I hope to see you again next week. Cheer!