To Be Creative Is to Be Misunderstood

I have this belief that creative people struggle more with being misunderstood than “normal people.”

Why is this?

Because creative people think “outside of the box.”

The truth is that they are often unaware that such a “box” even exists.

Because creative people ask dangerous questions.

Because creative people test boundaries — not to be rebellious, but rather to simply explore.

Creative people ask questions and can sometimes come off as ignorant or silly. But the truth is they are quite curious about everything.

Creative people are daring and willing to fail — a quality that makes many people uncomfortable.

Last of all, creative people are unique — they’re individuals — and this fact threatens the status quo more than any other.

Because they are so different, creatives can be perceived as a threat to institutions. And this is unfortunate, because many organizations are in dire need of more creativity.

They’re just scared of the people who might bring it.

Because the world is full of bureaucracy and systematic ways of approaching life, creatives often find themselves frustrated with attempts to fit in or be assimilated.

And so, for the most part, creatives are tragically misunderstood. At best, they are seen as a means to an end — a cog in the machine of producing propaganda for a cause. At worst, they are perceived as a threat that needs to be eliminated.

There isn’t a pretty way out of this predicament. To be creative is to be misunderstood. That’s all there is to it.

What alternative is there in a world of conformists and wannabes?

And after all, who wants to fit in?

Time to be creative. Time to be misunderstood.

Recommended reading: Creative People: Are We As Creative As We’d Like to Think We Are?