I have felt, pretty much forever, that I don't fit into any mold. That I don't fit into societies personality standards very well. For the most part, I've learned to deal with it. It is always refreshing when I come across someone who understands me; which is very rare and usually is another artist.
I recently ran across this article about Ten Paradoxical Traits Of Creative People and was surprised to find that it fits me to a capital 'T':
1. Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but they're also often quiet and at rest.
2. Creative people tend to be smart yet naive at the same time.
3. Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility.
4. Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a rooted sense of reality.
5. Creative people tend to be both extroverted and introverted.
6. Creative people are humble and proud at the same time
7. Creative people, to an extent, escape rigid gender role stereotyping - When tests of masculinity and femininity are given to young people, over and over one finds that creative and talented girls are more dominant and tough than other girls, and creative boys are more sensitive and less aggressive than their male peers.
8. Creative people are both rebellious and conservative.
9. Most creative people are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well.
10. Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment.
(see the full article here)
I think curiosity fits in there somewhere.
An artist has to be willing to say, 'What if I do this?' But that question doesn't have an off button for me. Every once in a while it gets me into trouble. Today, for instance, would be one of those times.
My daughter had a doc appointment today. Once inside the building, we have to take an elevator to get to the doc's office. The elevator door is always slow to close so I always push the 'door close' button, but today, I saw that to the left of that double arrow 'door close' symbol was another white button. Two white buttons; two arrows pointing inward. So, I think to push both white buttons. Maybe both buttons are 'door close' buttons? That was when I realized that I was wrong. The left button set off a bell that scared the life out of me. Thankfully, it only went off for as long as I pushed it; which was only a quarter-second. We were on our way out, so upon exiting the elevator, I looked both ways and beat it to the door and my car. Probably didn't escape the security cameras though.
My daughter said with a plain, dead-pan face at first, "Mom, you always do stuff like that." Than she smirked a smile.
It's true. I do always do that kind of stuff. I can't help it. I'm a very tactile person. One time I grabbed a beautiful, feathery, handmade headdress and placed it on my daughter's head. She protested, of course, but it was so amazing, I just couldn't help it. I saw it when we turned the corner of a display booth. There were about four lined up on the wall behind the booth.
I snapped a few pictures of them first and grabbed the one that I thought was the most beautiful. Well, they were for sale...NOT. It turns out that the man sitting next to it not only made it, but owned it and was going to wear it in the tribal show that was about to be put on for an audience.
OMG! I was horrified that once again, my curiosity got the better of me. I was so embarrassed and apologized profusely to the man's wife. The man just sat there while his wife handled the whole situation.
It is a matriarchal society at this Indian reservation. I probably wouldn't have learned that little tidbit about that reservation if I hadn't done what I did.
Thankfully, she ended up choosing grace after she saw that it was an innocent mistake and I had not intended on being disrespectful.
The man never said a word.
That was a few years ago and it has taken me that long to be able to see the humor in it. That faux pas was a doozy. Thankfully, the big ones are few and far between.
I think I have the picture of the headdress still...
Read more funny stories:
A Lesson In Fashion Turns Into A Funny Tattoo Story
Mission Impossible-Almost
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