The Creative Temperament- crazy or not?... YOU DECIDE!

“The creative person is both more primitive and more cultivated, more destructive, a lot madder and a lot saner, than the average person.”
Frank Barron


I asked a reliable source this morning what they thought this meant.  Here was their response: "It takes reaching inside to find your  animal instincts, to take the most basic of elements and pull them together to form a Creation.  And while the creative person may seem full of chaos, and hell bent on destroying themselves, when channeled and focused, out of the chaos comes something remarkable and amazing."

Another friend said, and i quote:

"Surround yourself with those creative people, and your life will never be dull!" Oh how true. Creative people are known for their off the wall, silly and quirky sense of humor. Many creative people are the 'life of the party'. And you NEVER know what a creative person may pull out of their sleeve! By surrounding yourself with creative individuals, you will experience the ride of a lifetime!

Now, while my office and craft area are may not look 'quite' this bad, my office is a definite reflection of the creative chaos I live in. The rest of my house is clean. But my creative space chaos! It is with white knuckles that I cling to the quote: "out of chaos comes order" Nietzsche. The most fun part of my creative chaos is when a family member needs something, and as they stand there looking with utter dismay at what they see as a disaster, I calmly go to the exact spot of the item they are needing and with a smile of purely delicious triumph hand it to them! The fun part, seeing the look of dismay turn to a look of complete and utter disbelief! This alone shows that what may appear as chaos to others is merely order to me. In my chaotic space, I may find bits and pieces of paper that I use to design a card. I may find a piece of music that I have wanted to learn and begin to practice. I may find a sheet of paper and a pencil, and pen a poem or thought for a new writing project. Chaos, CRAZY? no... a sign of complete and utter Sanity and Creativity!

As a musician/artist/ author, I am a definite right brain thinker! And so proud of it. After all, I am lumped in with some of the most famous RIGHT BRAINERS: Einstein, Bach, the Beatles (love my Paul Mcartney), Leonardo Davinci! Many of these individuals were considered eccentric, slightly crazy! Now I am not claiming to touch the creative achievements of any of the above, but I am proud to join their ranks... and yes I know many of my friends think I am just as 'crazy'!, but what they see as crazy, I see as creative thinking leading to a masterpiece! I just believe that people who think with their right brain get a bad rap, instead of a pat on the back for what we contribute to society. In learning a piece of music, there is a lot of 'creative and colorful' language that goes on, a lot of emotional tears, and temperamental stomping, a lot of growling and groaning... but in the end, the creative process allows me to bring forth something that is truly beautiful and worth all of the effort. Was I conflicted and full of chaos during the creative process?- YES. Was it worth all of the pain, time and effort put into creating the finished product? -YES. Many people would scream 'YE GODS' and run if they caught me in the beginning stages of my creative process, but once the process is complete, the above mentioned individuals will sit with rapt attention as I perform or share my creation.

SO! Before labeling one of your creative, right brain thinking, chaotic friends a complete 'crazoid', just remember... we are NOT CRAZY, we just operate on a different level. We have much to offer society in the form of music, art, books, crafts, and passion. AH, the passion, artists are some of the most passionate people you will EVER meet. So, I encourage you, before labeling those of us who are creative, as 'crazy', look deeper and see that we struggle to create something beautiful that we want to share with you, as our friend, and the with the world as a whole!




Express your love to a Musician, Artist, Author, Cook etc. today, and you may be surprised at the beauty and laughter they can add in abundance to your life!




Creatively Yours,




Patti