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As a creator, you have a passion for expressing yourself. You stray from the norm and you prefer it that way. You spend a lot of time in your own mind, exploring the realm of possibility—wondering what else could be out there and what could be improved with a new approach. You are driven by a strong desire to manifest your wildest imaginations in reality, whether that means creating a physical object with your hands or bringing your dream project full circle.
As a leader, you inspire creativity in those around you. You value the space of collaborative creation, and you are able to think outside the box. You see a realm of possibilities that others cannot imagine, leading your team toward creative solutions and exciting innovation. You have your feet on the ground and your head in the sky, possessing the dual gifts of creativity and practicality that allow you to not just think of creative solutions, but follow through and make them happen. You work very well in spaces that give you stability and some boundaries while also allowing you to do things your own way.
You take pride in all of your creations and everything that you do, and you hold yourself to high standards; mediocrity is not in the cards for you as a creator. When a subject, skill, or project piques your interest, you put all of your passion into mastering it, and this drive can propel you to be an expert in your field.
Because you constantly have one foot planted in reality and the other in a dreamscape of possibilities, you know that you can do anything you dream up if you put your mind to it. You feel most fulfilled when you are able to pull an idea out of thin air and turn it into something concrete. You are passionate about your work and commit yourself to excellence, often preferring to polish one task to perfection before you consider moving on to the next.
You fear being unoriginal, being mediocre, and not being true to yourself. Fear is a healthy emotion that alerts us when it is time to get prepared. Fear alerts us to the fact that something needs assessing. When you live in the space of fear it can become paralyzing and confusing. The feelings of anxiety and overwhelm can present themselves as guarded and tense. The opportunity is to embrace the fear as your friend. Shift the shallow breath to a deep breath and ask yourself, “Is this fear justified?” If so, “What do you need to prepare for?” It is also an opportunity to shift your story. Are you telling the story of high standards vs perfectionism, exploration vs aimless drifting, or eagerness vs impulsivity?
So, before you read the shadow side, I invite you to see this as an opportunity for growth. Feedback is often not your friend as it can be twisted by your inner critic to feel like an unfair judgment of your worth. Your intentions are pure, yet they can create discord in your collaboration.
When the creator is not serving you to be your best, your preference for stability can be at odds with your desire to express yourself and take creative liberties as you see fit. Your preference for originality and your imaginative mind spark exciting innovations and they are a valuable asset, but others may perceive reluctance to follow the rules as arrogance or simply being difficult, which is not what you intend.
Your commitment to excellence is one of the traits that can propel you toward success in your field, but as a double-edged sword it can sometimes get you caught up in perfecting one task and unable to move on to the next. This can actually impede your progress. The high standards to which you hold yourself and your work are undoubtedly appreciated by your team, but there are times when spending an excessive amount of time on one thing can seem inefficient and frustrating to those around you.
In a team environment, people value and appreciate your creative spirit and the ideas that you help generate. If you stay too long in this creative space, however, grand ideas can become too much for others to execute, leading them to be abandoned. Balancing your time between expansive creativity and refining practices will allow you to act rather than imagining and bring the idea to life. Learn to let it be good enough and move into the next iteration.
As a creator, you take the utmost pride in your work, seeing it as an extension of yourself. This attachment to what you create and commitment to doing the best job possible are admirable qualities that allow you to produce excellent work, but because you put so much of yourself into everything you do, feedback from peers on your work can feel like personal attacks. This can lead you to reject conflicting opinions, but collaboration is important when working toward shared goals, and listening to those around you can sometimes shed new light on a situation and get your creativity flowing to find new solutions.
Life is not always easy for the creator. Your fear of mediocrity can make you overly critical of yourself and your work to the point that you feel defeated when you deem something as imperfect, even when those around you are impressed. You often find it easier to express your emotions through creative outlets rather than opening up to those around you, and when this keeps you from confronting problems directly it can be a great emotional burden, leaving you feeling stuck or ignored. You enrich the lives of those around you with beauty and imagination, and there are people who would love to get a look into the fantastic world that is your mind to help you with any issues, so do not be afraid to let others in sometimes.
Mozart, Steve Jobs
Tris Prior in Divergent
