The Pros of Paradox

Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a few forwards as the saying goes. I had to switch phone numbers this week. Since cell number portability has already come to the US, this seems so 1990s. But now I get to take advantage of my Google Voice invitation that just came. Google Voice is très cool, so I definitely think I moved forward overall. If it interests you, word is you can get an invite a couple weeks after requesting it these days. It took me several months BTW. And now I have no more phone confusion. Listgirl sent me a link the other day about what makes for a creative personality. As I read through that, I thought "yes, yes, this is me!" But looking closer, a lot of the statements were vague enough that many if not most people would agree with most of the statements in there. But that didn't stop me from thinking about where I match up. So here is some self-reflection on the intersection between me and the traits of a creative person.

1. Androgyny. Listgirl and I have said for years that the two of us are both highly androgynous in personality. I like sports, speed, getting sweaty, salty meat and lots of manly things. But I'm not afraid of "girly" things like shopping, cooking, and watching Gilmore Girls.
2. Exhibits both convergent and divergent thinking. My engineering background makes me a problem solver. I am nothing if not a science-based, think-it-through type. But I am comfortable brainstorming, seeking unusual solutions, looking for others' points of view, and settling for a "good enough" answer.
3. Grounded in reality and flies into imagination/fantasy. I used to read only non-fiction in an attempt to learn, learn, learn more. But I couldn't keep that up. Eventually, I feel too constrained by reality if I don't have some avenues of escape. So I mix in the fiction along with movies etc to provide imagination jumping-off points.
4. Rebellious and conservative. To this day, I am a boundary pusher. I always think it a challenge to see what I can get away with while still appearing the obedient one. This quirk certainly exhibits in music performance. I love to mix things in that don't "fit" to see if people notice, if it bothers them, etc. "Conservative" here is in the context of the art form. I so often read about people who eschew musical training because it will "stifle their creativity." It never fails to chafe. I have one question to those with that point of view: How do you know?

OK, enough of that. I could go on but I'll spare you. Self-reflection is great, but too much of it prevents one from moving forward after all. Until next week!