Introvert Personality and Creativity

The introvert personality is often overlooked by the rest of the world. By nature, they are the ones who mostly listen rather than speak. They can be criticized for not being more gregarious or outgoing like their extrovert counterparts. But the truth of the matter is, there is room for both. And that’s fantastic. Introverts make up one third to half of the planet’s population. Some of the biggest contributions to arts, science, engineering, and society in general, have come from introverts.

Photo Credit: Pixabay – StockSnap

An inc.com article from 2015, listed 23 of the most successful introverts in history. Among them are names like Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Bill Gates, and Dr. Seuss, to name just a few. One could argue that those people are (or were) constantly in the limelight. They were indeed, but that’s hardly where they were the most comfortable. Many of them have said their moments of genius or their strongest creativity came from the time spent alone.

Some of today’s A-list actors absolutely hate doing interviews or red-carpet events.

Think Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, David Letterman, and Michael Jordan. And while being in front of crowds of people isn’t where introverts are the most comfortable, some, like the A-listers, learn how to manage around others and under a spotlight.

In Susan Cain’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, she states, “It’s not a bad thing to go to a meeting and, even if you feel uncomfortable, push yourself to speak,” Cain noted. “We all do have to act out of our true character sometimes. But it’s not healthy to act out of your true character most or all of the time.”

Where extroverts express themselves outwardly, introverts express themselves through creativity, whether it be through the arts, science, engineering, or writing. Introverts utilize the power of quiet moments to do their best thinking and creating. They don’t need an endless stream of constant chatter. In fact, small talk is usually painfully agonizing and a waste of time. They think before they speak and only speak if there’s something worth saying. Large gatherings can be exhausting. And the best careers for introverts would be any that allow as much (if not more) alone time than collaborative work.

One of the biggest misconceptions about introverts is that they’re anti-social.

I would venture to say that most are not. They just prefer the company of a friend, maybe two, for a quiet dinner rather than a night of clubbing or large parties. Another big misconception is that introverts are shy. I’m sure some may be. But introversion and shyness are two different things.

Constant noise and chatter is exhausting for an introvert. (Photo Credit: 123RF.com Image ID: 81931762 Copyright: Mykola Kravchenko)

An introvert personality type doesn’t go out to a large social gathering because they get emotionally drained after spending time with too many people. A shy person actually wishes they could go but is afraid of interacting with others. A person can overcome being shy. An introvert cannot. Introversion is as much a part of who you are as is your gender.

In Quiet, Cain discusses the damage that can be done by stigmatizing introversion. By automatically assuming that outgoing extroverts are better suited for leadership, society misses out on the brilliance that introverts can offer. Think Abraham Lincoln or Barack Obama. An introvert leading a team of extroverts would allow for their team’s ideas to be heard and possibly benefited from. Whereas an extrovert may find a team willing to follow because of their gregarious nature, but the team will be less likely to offer their own ideas.

It’s not that one is better than the other. Just different.

Two sides of the same coin. You need both heads and tails to have the monetary value. Just like this world needs both introverts and extroverts to go around. Both have things of value to offer.

One of the things I detest the most is when people tell me that I need to get out more and meet new people. No, I don’t. Why? What for? I’m perfectly happy with my small group of friends that I see every now and then. For years, comments like that made me feel like something was wrong with me. My 20’s and 30’s were especially hard. I’d force myself to go to parties or clubs and I’d only end up miserable and exhausted. In my 40’s, I stopped caring what other people thought I should or shouldn’t do and ended up creating some of the best animal portraits of my freelance art career.

If you’re thinking that maybe you are an introvert personality, you’re probably right. Be true to yourself and listen to your instincts. Seek as much quiet time as necessary for sanity’s sake. You may have to step out of your comfort zone on occasion and you should probably learn how to handle those times with as much grace as possible. But also learn how to recharge sufficiently in between. Recharging will probably come naturally but learn how much you need for your sanity and your health. Stress isn’t healthy and an introvert trying to be an extrovert is as stressful as it gets.

Seeing as how some of the most brilliant creators are introverts, let’s close with Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak’s example. He would basically come out of his office to pow-wow with colleagues briefly and then retreat to his office where he would be alone to work his magic. His advice as stated in his book, iWoz reads, “I’m going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone. Not on a committee. Not on a team.”