Many actors, writers and other creative people are considered shy or introverted, or identify themselves as one or both. These are not the same thing, of course, although many people may talk about others, or themselves, as “shy” when they are perhaps introverted. More on the distinction later.
But why would Introversion fit so well with creative expression?
Psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Jung identified introversion as a core personality trait, and The Myers & Briggs Foundation page “Extraversion or Introversion” describes qualities such as:
“I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world.
“I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with.
“I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing when I decide to act.
“Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the idea of something better than the real thing.”
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Psychologist Cheryl Arutt on artists and sensitivity
“Artists need a really good skill set to be able to take care of themselves, and navigate painful feelings.” – Cheryl Arutt
Musician Sting said, “Do I have to be in pain to write? I thought so…I tried that for a while, and to a certain extent that was successful.
“I was ‘The King of Pain’ after all. I only know that people who are getting into this archetype of the tortured poet end up really torturing themselves to death.”
See related article Pain and suffering and developing creativity.
Also see article Psychologist Cheryl Arutt on Mental Health and Creative People.
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One example of introvert or shy qualities is J.K. Rowling – who notes on her website that she first had the idea for Harry Potter in 1990 when she was traveling alone on a train:
“I had been writing almost continuously since the age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before.
“To my immense frustration, I didn’t have a pen that worked, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one…”
She added, “I did not have a functioning pen with me, but I do think that this was probably a good thing.
“I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, while all the details bubbled up in my brain…”
Continued in longer article:
Introverted, Shy or Highly Sensitive in the Arts.
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See related post: J.K. Rowling on creative imagination – which includes a video clip from her Harvard Commencement Address.
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Douglas Eby (M.A./Psychology) is author of the The Creative Mind series of sites which provide “Information and inspiration to help creative people thrive.”
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