BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Creativity Creativity ever make you feel like an "outsider"?

Last week's article dealt with how having a creative personality sometimes makes people feel they never fit in. Being creative is not always easy! Have you ever felt this way? How do you cope with it? Has it been a positive or negative experience?

Very Much so Cara !

You stand out like a sore thumb because you have the vision and the energy... then you have to deal with the backward pull of jealousy.

Hi Cara,

Great article! I think one of the worst times for a creative person is at high school - at least it was for me, back in the early 1970s. We had to do so much learning by rote; or we were given a bunch of facts and had to rewrite them as essays. There was nobody who could understand why I was so bored. I really hope things are better for kids now.

Reading Margaret Lobenstine's book 'The Renaissance Soul' was a big help for me. I'd recommend it for any creative person who feels they're out in the cold.

I haven't seen your articles but by reading your article's title i can say that one should be very creative and knowledgeable for writing these kind of articles.

Negative, especially now. In college, I was thankfully with like-minded people. But after graduating, I found that other people don't necessarily understand my viewpoints. :-|

Can you send some Article related to Creativity? How Creativity stands in Education field?

Many, many times, but I've always felt like an outsider, even before I began writing.

It's been both good and bad. It's always wonderful to know what your purpose is, and feel like you're moving towards that purpose. But, sometimes, it seems like it would be interesting to just be, "normal," for lack of a better term.

I have not had a normal life, so I often wonder what it would be like to have had one. I cope by doing what I'm supposed to do: write.

I definitely get odd looks, for lack of a better description, when people find out I write full time and don't have what they deem to be a "real" job. Often, people express surprise that I spend hours everyday writing. I deal with it by explaining that it is my job, and I have to spend my time working at it just as they spend time at their accounting job, or plumbing job, or whatever it is they do!

Many times, yes. But thanks to being inspired by my family, creativity lets me back in easily. Thanks!

I love being a creative, but YES, I have always felt like an alien on my own planet.

Actually, I'm not really convinced I'm entirely human.

I think much of this can depend on the specific group of people one is with. Like JodieMT said, you can easily find a group of creative people and feel like you're all fantastic together and having a lot of fun. It can be inspiring to be surrounded by creative souls. On the other hand you can find yourself amongst people who prize "down to earth reality" and who are not as open to creative ideas. So it can be challenging there.

I think much of life is finding people who are on the same "wavelength" as you are, so they understand you and you understand them.

Variety of course is good as well! But sometimes it's nice to be in a setting where you can let your creative juices flow and enjoy that.

I think that's why writer's retreats and creative retreats are so popular! Everyone can have lots of fun being creative .

That's why I enjoy going to various "Meet Up" groups and associating with peeps with common creative interests.

Jenny What kind of a writer are you? (novels, short stories, news, poetry, technical stuff, online stuff, recipes, etc.) I also work from home in the crafting business and I frequently have people wonder "what I do all day!" I am an Independent Demonstrator for the Stampin' Up! Company. I teach people how to discover their creative side through papercrafts, scrapbooking, card making, altered & recycled art and other things using paper & art supplies. I love my job but it's difficult to explain to others how I can work "all day" doing crafts.

Dear SandraJ -

Welcome!

I think artists have always run into this problem. Poets are called dreamers and painters are told to get a "real job" . And then in the end society is stunned by Mozart and DaVinci. The artists are the ones we treasure through the centuries, not the bankers or insurance agents whose names have long since become forgotten.

So I think part of being creative is to find other creative souls to help you get through the "now" - and who know that what you are creating is something inspiring which will last.

Think of all the writers who toil away in obscurity before they get their break. I think JK Rowling was turned down 22 times before she was finally accepted by someone. She had to persevere despite the nay-sayers, and know that her creative spark was worthy.

Hi Everybody! Creativity is something that is so fluid and sometimes visceral that it is hard to explain to those who are more left-brained. All creative people have experienced feelings of being an outsider or not fitting in at some point. But that is okay! That is what shows us that we have something to share that others don't.

I make crazy art pieces using insects. And although when people see my work they love it, I always get weird responses when trying to describe what I do, so I definitely have felt like an outsider. Although in the last few years another artist named Christopher Marley (who makes collages with beetles) has become well-known so now I feel less like an outsider. Although now people have asked me if I copy him which is definitely not the case! But to all the creative types out there - keep doing what you love and don't worry about external impressions, just focus on the feelings you get from your own creativity!

Carolyn,
Your art sounds amazing! I'd love to see it. Yes, I agree about just doing what you want to do with creativity and not worrying about whether others understand it or "get it." I make mixed-media art/art journals a lot and every time I start one I am a bit nervous. Questions like, "Will this be any good?" or "Will anyone like it?" And then I think,"Who cares?" lol! You gotta plunge ahead and just make it.

The more you express your creativity, the more ideas you'll have.

I do agree that being creative is not always easy and every time not you can make what you expect. I always waits for a good time and mood and tackle peacefully all the stuff.

Hi! Cara - came here to read your article - where is it? Well while here I'll leave a comment, on this subject. Not to sound snutty but I'm shy with compliments for work well done! Just don't know what is expected of me to respond to them? So I keep response short - sometime they say is that all you can say - so I stare at them and shrug my shoulder as if to say - What do you want me to say - This will make me feel dumb or worse Soooo I have a problem with my creative availabilities. I only produce Poetry as a result. Good subject! Thanks Perry C.