Recalling the songwriting process with young Michael Jackson, producer Quincy Jones said that “Michael was so shy that he sang behind the couch with his back to me, and I sat with my hands closed and the lights turned off.”

Watching his incendiary performances on stage, most did not even realize that Michael Jackson was a deeply shy and sensitive person. The king of pop exuded energy, strength, charm on stage, but in his personal life he was extremely sensitive and lonely.

Jackson embodied the contradiction of many performers: they are incredibly open, and at the same time, extremely sensitive. Openness and sensitivity to be opposite personality traits, which not only coexist in the character of creative performers, but form the core of their personality. This paradox helps explain how performers can be bold and charismatic on the one hand, and emotionally fragile on the other.

The openness and sensitivity of creative people are often the cause of not only suffering and pain, but also great joy. Loneliness and popularity makes a person very vulnerable.

By the way, if you are suddenly overwhelmed by nostalgia and you feel an urgent need to listen to all of Michael Jackson’s masterpieces, use an easy youtube mp3 converter for your own comfort, because everyone’s headphones should have an excellent mood.

The fact that many seemingly extroverted performers are also highly sensitive people is proven by many musicians belonging to the genre of metal and rock. On stage, the musicians seem to be the prototype of extraversion: bold, loud and unbridled. But behind the scenes, they show a different side of their personality. They need solitude to recharge, and they prefer solitary activities – reading, playing instruments. Many musicians have heightened sensitivity to surroundings, sound, lighting, and smells.

Being sensitive can be both a blessing and a curse, and often requires the creative mind to spend more time alone. As psychologist Jennifer Grimes writes, sometimes people tend to block “overwhelming stimuli.” All the subjects of her research said that music is a way to express oneself, find a connection with others, and self-actualize.

Being sensitive can be both a blessing and a curse, and often requires the creative mind to spend more time alone. As psychologist Jennifer Grimes writes, sometimes people tend to block “overwhelming stimuli”. All the subjects of her research said that music is a way to express oneself, find a connection with others, and self-actualize.

A highly creative person hides the depth, complexity and contradictions of his personality behind an external facade. A very creative and highly sensitive person observes more, notices more, he needs to work out more information. Sensitive people often notice little things that others miss, see patterns where others see randomness, and find meaning and metaphor in the little things of everyday life. It is not surprising that this personality type often comes to creative expression.

A study led by psychologist Elaine Aron identified sensitivity as a fundamental dimension of the human personality. It turned out that highly sensitive people tend to process more sensory information both in the internal and in the external environment.

Let’s take a closer look at the features of creative people.

Impressionability

Creative people have a developed imagination and therefore are very impressionable. Because of this, they often succumb to power pressure – for example, they easily lose in price if there is a threat of losing an order. In such situations, it is never superfluous to ask yourself: is this threat so terrible?

Depression

Quite often, talented people fall into depressive states. Many such geniuses have various phobias: some are afraid of getting sick with an incurable disease, others are afraid to die young, and still others faint at the sight of a spider or a cockroach. Psychologists in many countries have tried to find out if depression is really a talent. After examining the data obtained from psychiatric clinics, they found that creative individuals are more likely to develop severe forms of mental illness. In addition, it has been proven that not only talent, but also such disorders can be inherited.

It’s Hard to Believe in Yourself

Even if a person is confident in his abilities, over time he begins to ask questions: “Am I good enough? Am I doing everything right? ” Creative people constantly compare their work with the creations of other masters and do not notice their own brilliance, which may be obvious to everyone else. In this regard, creative stagnation is often observed, when a person simply gives up, thinking that all his previous ideas were in vain and meaningless. At such a moment, it is very important that there is a faithful friend nearby who would help the master through this difficult period.

Time Dependency

Most of the great masters admit that they created their best work either at night or at dawn. For example, V. Nabokov took up his pen at 6 am, as soon as he woke up, and Frank Lloyd Wright had the habit of getting to work at 3 am and going back to bed a few hours later. As a rule, people with a lot of creativity rarely adhere to a standard daily routine.

Privacy

To be as open to creativity as possible, you need to learn to use solitude in a constructive way. To do this, many talents overcome their fear of loneliness. This pursuit of privacy can be an important factor in creating the best work.

Overcoming Life Barriers

Many cult works were published as a result of their creator’s experience of heart-breaking pain and strong emotions. Quite often, various problems become a catalyst that helps to create unique and outstanding masterpieces. Psychology gave this phenomenon a scientific name – post-traumatic growth. Researchers have found that often a strong shock helps a person succeed in a particular business, as well as open up new opportunities.