The Creative Mind

What does it mean to be talented or gifted and how do identity and intelligence relate to being creative?

What if your novel remains unpublished, no gallery wants to show your painting, no one seems to want to fund or promote your idea for an app?

What if you never get an Oscar?

Do you think of yourself as creative?  Or do you think you missed that gene?  You admire others who paint or sculpt or write or create, but it’s not for you.  Or maybe you remember a teacher encouraging you as a child, but that was long ago and you no longer think you’re very innovative.

"David B. Goldstein and Otto Kroeger argue that everyone is creative.  In their new book Creative You, they give readers the opportunity to understand their creative potential.

The Writer’s Circle is an online program to help writers commit to writing, with daily accountability, feedback, support and interaction with others.

Carol Dweck, a Professor of Psychology at Stanford, writes about attitudes toward giftedness and developing creative talent - for children and adults.

She notes, "The word gifted can have a fixed-mindset feel. It suggests that intelligence or talent is simply bestowed upon children through no effort of their own and, by extension that it should flourish through no effort of their own."

Few people get things done in as consistent and impressive a fashion as Joss Whedon. His Avengers was the rare superhero movie to break box office records as it garnered critical acclaim.

"You know, it’s so easy to just get nothing done, but you’ve got to rock a little David Allen out to be able to get things done and break your list down into next actions."

"How to find your passion in life" is a question many ask. What does the research say about passion? Can passion lead to a career? How do you find it?

Psychologist Eric Maisel notes how important meaning in work and life is for creative people, and artist Alexis Smith notes she makes meaning in her art.

“I have a way to talk about whatever I want. And that’s more meaningful to me than whether people like my work or I make a lot of money.” Collage artist Alexis Smith

We need to hustle to pay the bills, but don't neglect a slow-burning project that you can make your creative masterpiece.

It takes a brave soul to educate others by revealing your own shortcomings. That is the admirable approach taken by creativity expert Douglas Eby in his new book Developing Multiple Talents, a comprehensive overview of many perspectives on creativity, from scientists to creatives themselves. The book’s title is an area of fascination with me, and I was flattered that in the book Eby cited one of my blog posts on the subject, “Creatives with Multiple Talents.”

Practice and our genes are not the only factors when it comes to developing special abilities, writes Scott Barry Kaufman

He notes, "I was sent to a special school for children with learning disabilities. I was fed a steady stream of low expectations. One day, when I was 14, everything changed. A new teacher took me aside and asked me why I was still in special education."

"Years later, here I am, a psychologist on the faculty at New York University, with books and scientific papers about intelligence and creativity, an MPhil from Cambridge and a PhD from Yale."

After her breakthough role in Juno, Ellen Page unexpectedly found herself on the Hollywood A-list. But she still prefers smaller, tougher movies – and speaking her mind

Ellen Page notes sexism in Hollywood "is constant! It's how you're treated, it's how you're looked at, how you're expected to look in a photoshoot, it's how you're expected to shut up and not have an opinion, it's how you…If you're a girl and you don't fit the very specific vision of what a girl should be, which is always from a man's perspective, then you're a little bit at a loss."

Want to have a great tomorrow? Start tonight with rituals to free your mind, cleanse your spirit and organize your business and life.

What does it mean to be talented or gifted and how do identity and intelligence relate to being creative?

Those are some of the questions explored by cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman in his new book “Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined.”

One reason for discounting our creative abilities is comparing ourselves to other people, especially well-known and successful artists. Myths about artists being "crazy" or "starving" may also influence how much we may be motivated to live a creative life.

Caffeine can help enhance thinking and creativity for many people, but there are cautions about using such a potent stimulant.

“It may be possible to reap the positive effects of caffeine without the creativity-diminishing side effects." @mkonnikova Maria Konnikova //

"Caffeine allows the brain's own stimulating neurotransmitters to do their thing with greater gusto and less restraint." Stephen Braun