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marked by the ability or power to create : given to creating; having the quality of something created rather than imitated : imaginative; managed so as to get around legal or conventional limits; also : deceptively arranged so as to conceal or defraud… See the full definition

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characterized by, tending to, or introducing innovations; introducing or using new ideas or methods; having new ideas about how something can be done... See the full definition

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adept or prolific at producing inventions : creative; characterized by invention; having or showing an ability to think of new ideas and methods : creative or imaginative... See the full definition

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Newsela | Young inventors get to try out their new ideas at innovative summer camp

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First-time inventors get a chance to try out their new ideas at Virginia summer camp

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Special bottle for babies with feeding problem

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Newsela | Students design tool to help their peer write more comfortably

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Newsela | U.S. will join forces with Mexico and Canada to host the 2026 World Cup

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Newsela | Dream Jobs: Ice cream art director

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Simone Biles wins six medals at Worlds, sets new record

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Biles secured six medals at the gymnastics World Championships in Qatar, becoming the first woman to do so in 30 years and the first American ever.

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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. But what does it take to be a creative person? Are some people born creative, or is it a skill that you can develop much like a muscle?

In his 1996 book "Creativity: The Work and Lives of 91 Eminent People," psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi suggested that, "of all human activities, creativity comes closest to providing the fulfillment we all hope to get in our lives."

Csikszentmihalyi proposes that creative people possess 10 antithetical traits that interact with each other in a complex manner and impact one's overall creativity. Incorporating these creative practices into your daily life may help you increase your creative potential.

This article discusses the 10 characteristics of a creative mind as well as some tips for how you can become a more creative person.

The Creative Mind Is Energetic and Focused

Creative people tend to have a lot of energy, both physical and mental. They can spend hours working on a single task that holds their attention, yet seem to remain enthusiastic all the while.

Having a creative mind doesn't mean always engaging in a focused creative or artistic task. Creative and artistic people are imaginative, curious, and spend a great deal of time at rest, quietly reflecting on the topics that hold their interest and allowing their minds to wander.

A Creative Person Is Smart and Naïve

Creative people tend to be smart, but research has shown that having a very high IQ is not necessarily correlated with higher levels of creative achievement-personality traits are important, too.

In Lewis Terman's longitudinal study of gifted children, children with high IQs were shown to do better in life overall, but those with very high IQ weren't necessarily creative geniuses. Very few of those involved in the study demonstrated high levels of artistic achievement later in life.

Csikszentmihalyi notes that studies suggest that there seems to be a cutoff point at around 120. Having higher-than-average intelligence might contribute to creativity, but having an IQ over 120 does not necessarily lead to greater creativity.

Balancing creativity with practical knowledge means knowing which ideas to pursue and which to rework or abandon. This skill set is an important aspect of being a creative person.

Csikszentmihalyi also believes that creative people must be capable of looking at things in fresh, even naïve, ways, so they can maintain their sense of wonder and curiosity.

The Creative Mind Is Playful and Disciplined

Csikszentmihalyi notes that a playful attitude is one of the hallmarks of creativity, but this lightheartedness and excitement is also mirrored by a paradoxical trait: perseverance.

When working on a project, creative people tend to exhibit determination and doggedness. They may work for hours on something, often staying up late into the night until they are satisfied with their work.

Consider what you would think if you met an artist. Their life may sound exciting, romantic, and glamorous. However, being a successful artist is also a lot of work, which many people may fail to see. A creative person realizes that true creativity involves combining both fun and hard work.

An artistic or creative person may come across as carefree, however they can also be incredibly hardworking and driven when it comes to pursuing their passion.

A Creative Person Is Realistic and Imaginative

Creative people like to daydream and imagine the possibilities and wonders of the world. They can immerse themselves in imagination and fantasy, yet remain grounded enough to turn their daydreams into reality. They are often described as dreamers, but that doesn't mean that they live with their heads in the clouds.

Creative types, ranging from scientists to artists and musicians, can come up with imaginative solutions to real-world issues. While others may view their ideas as mere fantasies or as irrelevant, those with creative minds find practical ways to turn their notions into reality.

The Creative Mind Is Extroverted and Introverted

While we often fall into the trap of categorizing people as solely extroverted or introverted, Csikszentmihalyi suggests that creativity requires combining both of these personality types.

Creative people, he believes, are both extroverted and introverted. Research has shown that people do tend to be either more extroverted or introverted and that these traits are remarkably stable.

Creative people tend to exhibit characteristics of both introversion and extraversion at the same time.

They can be both gregarious and reticent, sociable and quiet. Interacting with others can generate ideas and inspiration, and retreating to a quiet place allows creative individuals to fully explore these sources of creativity.

A Creative Person Is Proud and Modest

Highly creative people tend to be proud of their achievements and accomplishments, yet they are also aware of their place. They may have tremendous respect for others who work in their field and the influence that those previous innovations have had on their work. They can see that their work is often remarkable in comparison to that of others, but it is not something they focus on.

Csikszentmihalyi observes that creative people are often so focused on their next idea or project that they don't fixate on their past achievements.

The Creative Mind Is Masculine and Feminine

Csikszentmihalyi believes that creative individuals resist, to at least some degree, the rigid gender stereotypes and roles that society often tries to enforce. Creative girls and women tend to be more dominant than other girls and women, he suggests, while creative boys and men tend to be less aggressive and more sensitive than other men.

Creative people tend to be able to embrace both their masculine and feminine sides. This means they can simultaneously be sensitive and nurturing (often labeled as feminine), as well as assertive and dominant (often labeled as masculine).

A Creative Person Is Conservative and Rebellious

Creative people are "out-of-the-box" thinkers by definition, and we often think of them as non-conformist and even a little bit rebellious. Csikszentmihalyi believes that it is impossible to be truly creative without having first internalized cultural norms and traditions.

Creativity, he suggests, requires being both traditional and iconoclastic. This means being able to appreciate and even embrace the past as a source of knowledge, while still seeking improved ways of creating new solutions. Creative people can be conservative in many ways, yet they know that innovation sometimes means taking risks.

The Creative Mind Is Passionate and Objective

Creative people don't just enjoy their work-they passionately love what they do. But, just being passionate about something does not necessarily lead to great work. Imagine a writer so in love with their writing that they are unwilling to edit a single sentence. Creative people are both able to enjoy their work, while also critically examining it.

Creative people are devoted to their work, but they are also able to be objective about it. They are willing to take critiques from others, which allows them to separate themselves from their work and find areas that need improvement.

A Creative Person Is Sensitive and Joyful

Csikszentmihalyi suggests that creative people tend to be more open and sensitive, characteristics that can bring both rewards and pains. The act of creating something, of coming up with new ideas and taking risks, often opens people up to criticism and even scorn. It can be painful, even devastating, to devote years to something only to have it rejected, ignored, or ridiculed.

Being open to the creative experience is also a source of great joy. It can bring tremendous happiness, and many creative people believe that such feelings are well worth the trade-off for any possible pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a creative mind called?

A person with a creative mind might be called innovative, imaginative, trailblazing, groundbreaking, pioneering, or visionary.

What are the five traits of a creative person?

Five common traits of creative people include being high-energy, disciplined, imaginative, passionate, and sensitive.

What are the signs of a creative mind?

Signs that you might have a creative mind include:

Being open-minded

Being disciplined

A strong sense of independence

A willingness to take risks

An ability to adapt to changing situations

A sense of playfulness

Curiosity and a love of learning new things

How do you activate your creative mind?

Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings at the moment and build self-awareness, which can improve creativity.

Let your mind wander: Allowing your mind to wander and engaging in daydreaming can lead to fresh ways of thinking

Seek creativity: Read novels, watch movies, and visit art museums. Experiencing other people's creativity can often inspire your own sense of creative thinking

Minimize distractions: Look for ways to reduce distractions in order to free up your mind to focus on creative thoughts

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Csikszentmihalyi M. Creativity: the Work and Lives of 91 Eminent People. New York: HarperCollins; 1996.

2. Beaty RE, Benedek M, Wilkins RW, et al. Creativity and the default network: A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest. Neuropsychologia. 2014;64:92-98. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.09.019

3. Jauk E, Benedek M, Dunst B, Neubauer AC. The relationship between intelligence and creativity: New support for the threshold hypothesis by means of empirical breakpoint detection. Intelligence. 2013;41(4):212-221. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2013.03.003

4. Terman LM, Oden MH. The gifted child grows up: Twenty-five years' follow-up of a superior group. JAMA. 1948;137(12):1095. doi:10.1001/jama.1948.02890460091043

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People with a creative mind often possess a set of paradoxical traits that contribute to their ingenuity. Learn more about how to tell if you are a creative person.

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How to pronounce CREATIVE in British English

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Absolutely!
Like poetry, song, and prose of all kinds, quotes have a unique way of reaching to the core of what humans have learned about themselves for centuries. With the help of adults who take time to discuss good creativity quotes with kids, children can reflect on their own inner genius and ways to apply their gifts in the world.

Creativity is the ability to generate and communicate original ideas and appreciate the nature of beauty. It fosters imagination, innovation, and a sense of aesthetics.

Parents nurture the evolution of children's ideas at home and teachers inspire creativity in the classroom when they encourage young people to express themselves through unstructured play, writing, poetry, magic, acting, photography, art, digital media, etc. When adults notice and praise youth for thinking outside the box and taking risks, the imaginations of young people blossom.

Many children don't recognize their own creativity. They limit the idea of creativity to a product, like art or poetry. But creativity is a process in which everyone participates and benefits. Some of us express creativity in the way we dress, the recipes we concoct, the doodles we create, or how we make people laugh.

Quotes about creativity can stimulate children to explore themselves in new ways - to discover the meaning of beauty, playfulness, and imagination in their lives. Wise people from throughout history have talked about the importance of creativity, from 13th-century poet, Rumi, to today's beloved children's author, J. K. Rowling. Research shows that creativity is one of eight core abilities that drive successful kids.

This article is the eighth of a nine-part series on how adults can promote learning and development using inspiring quotes for kids. You may wish to read the introductory article to learn how the collection of 200 quotes are related to The Compass Advantage, a framework for positive youth development.

The following creativity quotes are short, simple, and memorable. Children from elementary through high school will find meaning in these quotes appropriate to their level of development and understanding.

25 Kid-Friendly Quotes About Creativity

Solitude is creativity's best friend, and solitude is refreshment for our souls.

Naomi Judd

You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.

Maya Angelou

Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Rumi

Be daring, be different, be impractical; be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.

Cecil Beaton

You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.

Shonda Rhimes

Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

Albert Einstein

True creativity often starts where language ends.

Arthur Koestler

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

Joseph Chilton Pearce

Creativity is the place where only you can go. Your discovery there will be wonderful for you will have discovered yourself.

Catherine Hall Tauginbaugh

A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.

Frank Capra

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

Sylvia Plath

We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

J.K. Rowling

The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything.

Anatole France

Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.

Lewis Carroll

If you don't see the book you want on the shelf, write it.

Beverly Cleary

Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.

Robert Bresson

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

Michelangelo

My alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz. It's the letter I use to spell yuzz-a-ma-tuzz. You'll be sort of surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond 'Z' and start poking around!

Dr. Seuss

Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from.

Jodie Foster

There is something in this world that every individual can do. God has created all of us with something unique to contribute.

Leymah Gbowee

The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.

Linus Pauling

If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied.

Alfred Noble

You won't change anything significant in the world if you try to be like it. Change comes when you do something different.

Shannon L. Alder

Those who do not think outside the box are easily contained.

Nicolas Manetta

Creativity Quotes: Discussion Starters

The following discussion starters are just a few of many that can be used by parents, teachers, and after-school program leaders to engage children with quotes about creativity.

How would you define creativity?

What are your favorite creativity quotes from the list? Why?

Describe a creative person you know or have learned about. What do you most admire about that person? Why?

Do you see yourself as a creative person? Why or why not?

How does nature connect people to creativity?

What are some of the many ways people express creativity in their everyday lives?

What are the positives and negatives of being creative?

How do people learn to become creative?

Creativity in Action

In what ways could your creativity help others?

What problems in the world, such as those related to affordable housing or alternative energy, would creativity help contribute to solutions?

Your Favorite Quotes About Creativity?

Do you have any favorite quotes about creativity that engage children and teens in dialogue about imagination, inspiration, inventiveness, playfulness, originality, the nature of beauty, or humor? We'd love to add to our collection by inviting you to share your quotes in the comments section below.

Additional Activities and the Wisdom Archive

There are many fun activities using quotes that can become learning opportunities for children. One activity is to have children develop their own quote that might inspire others. They could choose one of the abilities in the Compass Advantage on which to focus their original quote. Quotes can become artwork to be posted at home or school.

Children can be invited to think about other human values, like humor, tolerance, justice, respect, optimism, etc. They can search the Wisdom Archive, a wonderful quote search engine, for quotations that speak to them. A listing can be compiled of quotes with the most meaning, or posters can be created for home or school. Ideas are only limited by children's imagination!

Articles in the "Quotes for Kids" Series

Quotes for Kids That Promote Healthy Development ( Series Introduction)

Quotes About Curiosity That Inspire Kids' Life-Long Learning ( Curiosity)

Motivational Quotes for Kids That Help Build Positive Relationships ( Sociability)

Quotes About Resilience That Foster Children's Determination and Self-Confidence ( Resilience)

Self-Awareness Quotes That Help Kids Explore Their Inner Selves ( Self-Awareness)

Integrity Quotes That Teach Kids the Importance of Character ( Integrity)

Quotes about Goals That Motivate Kids Toward Success ( Resourcefulness)

Creativity Quotes That Inspire Kids' Inner Genius ( Creativity)

Kindness Quotes That Teach Kids to Care ( Empathy)

Published: September 24, 2018

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Creativity Quotes That Inspire Kids' Inner Genius | Roots of Action

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Absolutely! Like poetry, song, and prose of all kinds, quotes have a unique way of reaching to the core of what humans have learned about themselves for centuries. With the help of adults who take time to discuss good creativity quotes with kids, children can reflect on their own inner genius and ways to apply their gifts in the world.

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Find out which famous people are from Arkansas. Including authors, musicians and a president.

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The 100 Most Influential People in the World

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These are TIME's 100 most influential pioneers, leaders, titans, artists and icons of 2018

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BrightSide - Inspiration. Creativity. Wonder.

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It's no secret that as kids we have more creativity, and we look at the world with wonder and curiosity. As adults, we think we've gained the power to make a difference, and we start to look down on those wide-eyed kids with big dreams. But we're usually totally wrong.

We at Bright Side found proof that age doesn't matter when we talk about changing the world.

10. Jack Andraka

This boy was born in 1997 (when Men in Black came out). He was an ordinary kid until a close family friend died from pancreatic cancer. This inspired Jack to look for a way to identify early stages of cancer.

At the age of 15, he invented a new type of sensor to spot the presence of cancer cells, which proved to be less expensive, much faster (x168), and more accurate (25-50%) than all other tests. As the old story goes, he was rejected by almost 200 labs until he was finally endorsed by Dr. Anirban Maitra at John Hopkins.

9. Ann Makosinski

In 2013, a 16-year-old Canadian high school student created the Hollow Flashlight, a flashlight that converts body heat into light without any batteries or kinetic energy. She was deeply moved when she learned that a friend in the Philippines had problems at school: there was no light at night, the only time she was free to do her homework.

Ann spent just $26 on her prototype materials, and she aims to provide her gadget for free to people in developing countries.

8. Alex Deans

Born in 1997 (what a truly efficient year), Alex (at age 12) created the iAid, a navigation device to help the blind. He had once helped a blind woman to cross the street, and it struck him that there was no device to help the blind walk independently around their own neighborhood.

Alex taught himself to program and soon created the iAid, a handheld navigation device that used GPS and a compass to detect any obstacles and guide blind people in the right direction.

7. Malala Yousafzai

The youngest individual ever to receive the Nobel Prize was born in Pakistan. She lived in a small town ruled by the Taliban, which banned girls from receiving any education or attending school. At the age of 11, she was writing a blog for a local BBC station, voicing her desire for girls to continue studying.

When she turned 15, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while she was riding a bus to school. She survived the attack and was sent to a hospital in Birmingham, UK, where she now lives and runs a number of education projects.

6. Anne Frank

Anne Frank wrote The Diary of a Young Girl, one of the world's most widely known books. Her family went into hiding for 2 years when the persecution of the Jewish population increased, but they were eventually arrested by the Gestapo and sent to a concentration camp.

She died at the age of 16 in a camp just a couple of months before the end of the war. Her diary was published in 1952 by her father and was translated into over 60 languages. She wanted to be a journalist but didn't survive to witness her diary be praised for its literary merits.

5. Elif Bilgin

At the age of 16, and after 2 years of research and failed attempts, a girl from Turkey finally developed a process that turns banana peels into bioplastic. This could potentially reduce petroleum-based pollution.

In her journal, she wrote that Thailand throws away 200 tons of banana peels per day, which could be put to much better use. She started experimenting and ended up winning the 2013 Science in Action Award (Google's $50,000 competition).

4. Boyan Slat

A 16-year-old teenager from the Netherlands was shocked to find lots of plastic while diving in Greece. He chose to explore ocean pollution as his high school science project. At the age of 18, he presented a system that uses ocean currents to make plastic concentrate itself, reducing the process of cleaning the ocean from millennia to years.

A number of organizations and companies praised his invention. Boyan is the youngest person ever to receive the UN's highest environmental award.

3. Louis Braille

You've probably heard about the Braille system of reading and writing for the blind or visually impaired. It was created by Louis Braille, a 15-year-old French inventor. When Louis was 3 years old, an eye injury left him blind.

Despite his blindness, he exceeded in his education and got a prestigious scholarship to join the Royal Institute for Blind Youth. There he started to work on a system that would help blind people to write and read quickly, which he presented to his peers at the age of 15.

2. Easton LaChappelle

A 14-year-old teenager made his first robotic hand using LEGO and fishing wire. He didn't stop there, using 3D printing technology and his mainly self-taught knowledge of robotics to turn his prototype into an affordable and practical device.

As a result, NASA became very interested in his work and invited him to join their Robonaut team. He's only 17 and has already worked for NASA. That's a pretty impressive résumé!

1. Philo Farnsworth

A 14-year-old farm boy who excelled in chemistry and physics once consulted his high school teacher about one particular idea he was thinking about. The idea was so complex he had to draw a diagram on the board, which the teacher copied down to study later.

The boy was encouraged to keep working on his idea. 7 years later, in 1927, Philo Farnsworth developed and patented the world's first fully electronic television.

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It's no secret that as kids we have more creativity, and we look at the world with wonder and curiosity. As adults, we think we've gained the power to make a difference, and we start to look down on those wide-eyed kids with big dreams. But we're usually totally wrong.

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Who is the most famous athlete on the planet?

It's a question sports fans have often asked themselves, and after analysing 600 of the biggest sportsmen and women in the world, ESPN believes it has an answer.

In order to produce its World Fame 100 list, the media giant used three metrics to determine popularity:

1. Search score (how frequently is a player's name typed into search engines on the internet?)

2. Endorsements (how much money has the athlete generated from his or her own brand value?)

3. Social media followers (how many millions of followers does the athlete have on his or her biggest social media channel?)

Once all of these factors were taken into acccount, ESPN was able to whittle the 600 strong list down to a top 100.

Scroll down to see the 18 most famous athletes in the world, ranked in ascending order:

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The 18 most famous athletes in the world in 2018

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Some of the most famous athletes in world sports like UFC fighter Conor McGregor, tennis champion Roger Federer, and FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi all rank prominently in ESPN's World Fame 100 list - and we've laid out the top 18.

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Walt Disney was an American motion picture and television producer and showman, famous as a pioneer of cartoon films, including Mickey Mouse, and as the creator of the amusement parks Disneyland and Disney World.

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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password.

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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password.

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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password.