The creative being

I recently read an interesting article about highly sensitive/creative-types and actually gained a little insight about myself.  I found I actually identify with alot of these characteristics. 
Not sure how I feel about that yet. 
Anyway I thought I'd share some of it for any of you other creatives or those of you that love one :) 

Creatives often feel and perceive more intensely, dramatically, and with a wildly vivid color palate to draw from, which can only be described as looking at the world through a much larger lens.
Without a substantial filtration system firmly in place to screen out most of the busy noise, these people tend to receive a far greater amount of stimuli directly into their psyches.

I certainly get overwhelmed easily in about every sense, even visually although that is the best way I learn or remember things.  Send me to the grocery store looking for a certain item and I may stand there in the aisle attempting to find the right one forever.  Even looking at all those labels can be a bit much for me, I just tend to examine every detail and can often get swept away by some thought completely unrelated to my task. 

Creatives might find themselves more easily overwhelmed, and often live chaotic lives, affecting not only personal relationships, but also their own productivity.
Over-stimulation can sometimes manifest further into anxiety or depression, bogging down their ability to cope with every day stressors or life’s challenges.

Do I live a chaotic life?  Maybe.  I don't think my life itself is overly chaotic compared to anyone else's but I do feel chaotic often.  This is something I am working on, being intentional about finding peace and rest.

 Pearl Buck once described the highly sensitive person as...

“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them…a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death.”

 I think this sums me up pretty well.  The intensity in which I feel things is easy for me to recognize. I tend to avoid the news.  A tragic act can linger in my mind for quite some time and I visually place myself in that situation and what it must have been like to experience it.  I am the last to let go of an argument.  Hubsy can move on from a disagreement in just a few minutes but for me the sting of conflict lingers.  That's not to say that I am unforgiving, it just takes me longer to get back up to the normally happy place I live in.  Any mistakes I think I have made end up haunting my mind more than they probably should.  It has been a long process for me to take it easy on myself.  I am learning how to be my own best friend :)

This might then bring up an important question: Do people create in an attempt to process, and survive, a condition that overwhelms them?
Pearl Buck also mentions, “Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create—so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off…They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.”

Oh my does this point speak volumes!  The need to create something is indeed ingrained in my every day.  Be it a making meal, re-decorating a corner, creating a blog post, you name it.  I am much happier on days where I have released into a creative outlet.  The thought of a life where my ability to create is drastically restricted almost makes me panic.

These points may seem a little dramatic but it does seem that a high level of sensitivity
and the creative mind go hand-in-hand.
What do you think? 
Can you relate?

If you would like to read the entire article you can find it here.