Living life to the... Full Blastest (if that is even a word)

Before reading the article The Creative Personality by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (quick say it three times as fast as you can...) my outlook on life was to "life life to the fullest." I now hope to take the "full blast" approach of living life, as our author describes it (p. 1, 1996). These ten amazingly creative individuals also take the same approach to living. When I grow up I hope to be half (heck who am I kidding... a fourth) of the person these people are!

1. Creative people have a great deal of physical energy but are also quite at rest.
When I think about this particular creative personality I can't help but imagine a country singer (and for this purpose I will imagine my favorite country star, Kenny Chesney). Musicians who perform on a daily basis have an amazing energy about them. At the same time they also have an incredible ability to rest and chill out while writing the next great love song.

2. Creative people tend to be smart yet naive at the same time.
Although my husband is not a celebrity (although he is a star in my eyes!) he certainly fits this description. He is a super smart guy but even with all those brains he can still find a way to fall for the easiest tricks in the book. I won't throw him under the bus just yet... just trust me on this one.

3. Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility.
Lots of movie stars come to mind when this trait is described. Celebrities as a whole tend to live this type of life style. While they are very disciplined in developing their craft they are notorious for partying so hard they end up on the cover of the latest US Weekly.

4. Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a rooted sense of reality.
The person who developed the first reality show was the king (or queen) of this philosophy. If you don't believe me just flip through the channels on any given night. Reality TV is everywhere!

5. Creative people tend to be both introverted and extroverted at the same time.
Johnny Depp comes to mind when I think of this description. He seems like the quietest, most shy guy when you see him on interviews or in magazines. It is hard to believe he can transform into the eccentric, out there characters he is best known for (Edward Scissor Hands, Jack Sparrow, The Mad Hatter).

6. Creative people are humble and proud at the same time.
My favorite team of all time is the New York Yankees. I have been in love with them since my grandmother first told me about listening to their games on the radio as a child. Anyhow I digress... Derek Jeter is my absolute favorite player. Believe it or not it has nothing to do with his devilish good looks but everything to do with his amazing, Hubble attitude. At the same time he is proud of his hard work and he gives back to his community encouraging kids to reach their up most potential no matter their circumstances. Jeter is an amazing role model and even better ball player.

7. Creative people, to an extent, escape rigid gender role stereotyping.
Hilary Clinton, Bev Perdue... both women who became "the first women" to do their jobs. It takes a lot of creativity to accomplish such a task... that and a ton of courage!

8. Creative people are both rebellious and creative.
Lindsey Lohan anyone? Successful actress... seriously rebellious.

9. Most creative people are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well.
The Microsoft giant, Bill Gates, comes to mind when I think about this characteristic. Imagine the hard work, determination, and objectivity that had to in place in order to create the empire he has created?!

10. Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment.
Once again my mind goes to the great country singer. This time I think of Johnny Cash. Pain and suffering can be found throughout many of his songs but think of the enjoyment he must have had throughout his life (post the drugs and June of course).