Do you need to be an emotional person to be 'a creative'?

I went to my first music gig in ages at the weekend and it was...

Heaven!

But it got me thinking about what kind of person you need to be, in order to be a creative.

Do you need to be emotional in order to write about things that hit a note with others?

The support act on Friday night was musician Ed Tattersall who spoke about his mental health and struggling through lockdown before performing his song, Delicate Mind. Other artists like Tom Odell have spoken about having panic attacks in the past, and struggling to leave the house during lockdown, which is what Monster is all about.

But by sharing their experiences, it means the singers connect with their fans. Which is what happens with music, books, films. You make a connection.

You connect with the characters and you identify with the emotions and feelings they are experiencing. Some times you do it because you've gone through it yourself, other times it's simply because you feel empathy for them. But it's that connection that makes things like music and sport such a powerful force - a universal language with the power to connect people from all walks of life, across the globe.

But the older I get, and having worked as a journalist, it strikes me that there is a very real and clear distinction between the different 'types' of people in life.

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames for this - but I'm going to go for it anyway... but it seems like the people who are driven by business and money are very different to those driven by experiences and feelings. That's not to say there aren't businesses with a charitable side to them. Or that 'creatives' aren't driven (because they are, they have to be in order to get their art 'out there'). But business people can generally keep more of a business head when making decisions, whereas 'creatives' are definitely driven more by feelings and emotions.

I think I'm quite driven - because quite frankly it would be sooo much easier just to give up on my dreams. But I refuse to, because my dream of being a full-time, working writer, will never stop. I just have to keep going until I get there. But none of my motivation is in any way, shape or form driven by money. I'd like more money, because it would give me the freedom to do the things I would like to do. But I never come up with an idea based on how much money I think it'll make me (although having trained as a journalist it does give me a pretty good sense of what I think could work or not).

But as far as my writing goes, I know I have to feel things quite deeply to express them. I need to connect with the emotion of what I am writing about in order to make it feel authentic.

It's like comedians.

The reason they can get away with cracking sick jokes is because we all know that underneath all that dark humour, they've been through whatever it is they're joking about.

The interesting thing about emotional people is that they often don't feel like they're as strong as the bolshy, don't-care types, who seem to breeze through life not caring what other people think of them, or about pissing them off.

But there is a real strength in being gentle and emotional.

You might not like it when you walk into a room full of stressed people, but it means you can pick out the people who need help a mile off.

It also means you connect with people at a real and 'true' level.

You might have nights where you stay awake for a bit, picking apart an argument you've had at work, or with a friend.

But by not being afraid to show your emotions and your vulnerable side, you're building the foundations for a strong relationship. Because it's when you go through the hard times with someone that the bonds are made.

One of my favourite sayings is from the Native American Chief, Sitting Bull.

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength."

You could replace 'gentle' with 'emotion' and it could mean the same thing.

So, if you're a 'creative' reading this, and you identify with being a bit emotional from time to time-- Embrace it.

It gives you the ability to relate to others, and allows them to relate to you back.

It gives you the ability to write beautiful lyrics and music; words that have the power to make people laugh or cry; or to draw something that stops people in their tracks at the sheer beauty of what you have created.

And what could be better than that?

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