Creativity Test (Either you're creative or...)

either-or creativity test

When I was younger I had a vision of a place where I could go to feel whole. We were told that we were either right brain or left brain dominant, extraverted or introverted, athletic or smart, spiritual or realistic, creative or… not. And the list goes on. It is time to take the creativity test and there are no right answers.

Could I not be an analytical creative? Is it possible to be an introverted extrovert? Can I be an athletic honor student?

As I sat down to write this, I took a quick right-brain left-brain test. Would you believe that I scored smack dab in the middle? I believe it, mostly because I never felt at home on one side of the coin or the other.

My latest challenge is feeling like I can either focus on being a mom or on being a business owner.

growing up one way or another

Growing up people asked if I preferred math and science or english. I never knew what to say as I loved both. You were as likely to find me on the dance floor as the soccer field, of course until I had to make a choice. I loved to draw, act, write, run, jump, and build things.

I wanted to cook in the kitchen with my mom and work on the cars with my dad.

None of this mattered much for the first 18 years of my life because my parents encouraged me to be well-rounded and supported any hobbies I had. My dad was my basketball coach and also fondly tells stories of the art collage I built on the ceiling of my bedroom.

I hung out with the jocks as well as the nerds and no one seemed to mind.

Eventually, I was headed to college faced with the decision of what I want to be when I grow up. My art teacher suggested art school, my calculus teacher suggested engineering, and part of me wanted to be a physical therapist and a basketball coach. I think the aptitude tests said I should be a mentor. But what could I possibly mentor people on when I didn’t even know who I was?

Finally, my calculus teacher helped me decide on Architectural Engineering. Knowing my passion for both art and math she thought it might be a good blend for me. In many ways it was.

Halfway through college, I began a minor in Communication Studies to further balance the Engineering. I loved every minute of it even though I didn’t quite fit in with the extroverted and emotive non-engineers. So I bounced back and forth from one side of the campus to the other never quite at home.

rewriting the test

The same fate awaited me in the real world as I began my career. It’s hard to find a job description to be both artist and engineer, communicator and creator. Eventually I became self-employed and now I invent my own job description.

I can be anything I want to be, just like my parents always promised. The interesting thing is I still feel limited by choosing one thing or another. Everything seems broken into either-or.

Either you’re successful or you’re happy. You make a lot of money doing something you’re not passionate about or you are broke but passionate. Either you work in corporate America and wear a suit to work or you are an entrepreneur wearing jeans. You’re focused on your career and don’t have time for your hobbies or you’re a dirtbag climber.

What if we didn’t feel the need to categorize everything and make assumptions? What if we didn’t have to chose? And what if there was no creativity test, only being creative?

room for everything

Remember that vision of a place where I could go to feel whole that I spoke about at the beginning of this? It was a building that supported activities of all kinds and more importantly their integration and crossover. The artists hit the gym and the nerds took time to meditate.

People saw a need to balance their mind (both sides), body, and spirit. It was a place I would fit in with other people who don’t identify as either-or. It was a place where people who were right-brain dominant could go to develop their left brain. Where creatives benefit from analytics and vice versa.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of reading about topics such as mindset, limiting beliefs, and daily habits. One thing that it has all made me realize is that either-or is not the best way to find ourselves. We are more than either-or.

We’re not this. We’re not that. We are each our own unique combination of interests that may or may not fit into one category or the other.

There is no creativity test, we simply have to allow and train ourselves to be creative. It’s not a question of whether or not we are creative. The question is, how are we uniquely creative?

connection, compassion, and creativity

In fact, I was listening to Mel Robbins talking about research around personality traits such as introversion and extroversion being fluid. So even if we are one way or one thing today, it might not be the same tomorrow. It is a good argument to not get too attached to one identify of ourselves.

That all reminds me of learning about the Song of the Self (Atma Shatakam) in yoga. The song starts off listing all the things “I am not” and gets rid of identities in order to make room for more connectedness.

Perhaps if we loosen our grip on our identities then there is more room for everything within ourselves. And wouldn’t it be great if that also helped us feel more connection to and compassion for other people. Creativity is not a test or an identity.

And it’s definitely not out of our reach.

Either you agree or…

building a life

Thanks for taking the time to be here and for taking our creativity test. We hope these thoughts make a difference in your day! I’m teaching a yoga and creativity retreat on Sunday March 17th at the Evergreen Lake House contact us if you’re interested and I’ll help you get signed up!

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I’m Brenda Bergreen, one grateful half of a husband and wife photography team specializing in outdoor weddings and other adventures. Capturing people in nature and the mountain lifestyle is a passion that became a dream (that became a goal) that became a life.

Based in Evergreen, CO we travel throughout the state as Colorado mountain and adventure wedding photographers. We also frequently travel to California and other wedding destinations to document your love in a variety of memorable settings. Don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know how we can help! Be sure to follow us (weddings instagram & adventures instagram) and/or like us (facebook) to stay tuned.

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