A Sign of Creativity That's Often Overlooked

Did you have imaginary friends as a child? If so, chances are you've grown into an intelligent, creative adult! Imaginary friends are not a prerequisite for high IQ and creativity, but they are one way that children express these traits.

We use imaginary friends to help us navigate our unfamiliar worlds: the one inside our heads and the one around us. As we get older, the friends sometimes show up as entities such as "Kitty", to whom Anne Frank wrote her journal.

I often use journaling as a way to dialogue with my subpersonalities, or "masks." It's amazingly effective! In Gestalt therapy, a similar technique is employed orally, with the client changing seats each time the speaker changes. It gets to information that we can't can't access while thinking in our everyday patterns, which is why we go into therapy in the first place!

Also as adults, we tend to pick role models that we haven't even met, and ask ourselves, "What would Oprah do?" or "What would Bill Gates do?" Writers of fiction know they've hit the mark in character development when the characters start to take on what seems like lives and minds of their own. My guess is that this is made possible by our subpersonalities, too.

The ability to imagine others and/or others' responses in given situations should be celebrated! It's a wonderful gift from the muse and from our inner healer that can serve us well throughout life!

Be well,

Susan

P.S. Whether you live around the globe or around the corner, you can email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for a complimentary trial tele-coaching session!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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