Scratching That Itch

From the time I was a little girl, I always felt I was different. I knew I was emotional. Sometimes, I could barely control my emotions. Tears would come at the most inopportune moments and I didn’t understand why.

During my dating days, I occasionally heard someone else say, “You’re different”. It took a while to understand that this was often meant as a compliment. Of course, by that time I was well aware that I didn’t fit in with cliques of people.

In my mid-twenties, I was working as a secretary for an accounting firm and writing fiction. Writing was immensely satisfying. It also helped me understand what was different about me, why I preferred to write than socialize (although I did my share of disco dancing and pub nights back in the day). I began to appreciate the fact that I was a creative person, that creativity meant more to me than parties, hanging out, or shopping. Needless to say, this didn’t win me any popularity contents and, truth be told, I lost a couple of friends along the way. Yet, I felt compelled to keep writing, to express myself on the page, and to eventually share it with others.

By the time, I reached my late twenties and work associates learned that I was a writer, I wasn’t that surprised when one of them said, “I could tell right away that you are a creative person”. Maybe he was just trying to be nice, or thoughtful, or insightful. As it turns out, though creative people do have definite traits, according to a blog in EliteDaily. Three of them are:

. they see the world differently than others

. they are introverts and tend to be loners

. they’re more emotional

After nearly six decades on this planet, this is hardly news to me. The blog also confirmed what I’ve long believed. Creative people absolutely need to create. As the blog states, if they don’t, it’s like an itch that can’t be scratched.

I think one of the reasons so many people are writing or pursuing singing careers and other artistic endeavors is because they acknowledge that itch. There’s also a demographic element at play here. In general, baby boomers now have more time to explore their creativity. Experts claim that everyone is creative. It’s just that the itch is much stronger for some than others. Sure, many artists want to make money from their creativity, but I doubt that this is the sole driving force for truly creative folks.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to find and enjoy the company of people who have the same type of itch. Surrounding myself with writers means that I’m not so different anymore…and that’s just fine.

Debra