Does creativity have anything to do with positive thinking?

Your question is not especially good because 'creativity' is a far more profound term than 'positive thinking,' which is really a rather vague pop-philosophy concept. For instance, the art of Goya could certainly produce what many viewers would call 'negative feelings,' while the art of the Victorian painter of puppy dogs, Landseer, might be called 'positive.' Even so, most people today seem to think that Goya was far greater painter than Landseer. Further, regarding things I have read about artist's personalities, some of them seemed to have a very positive outlook (again, using those fairly meaningless terms so popular in our own day) and others, equally great, had a negative outlook. For instance, art expert Philip Gilbert Hamerton, in his CONTEMPORARY FRENCH PAINTERS, flatly states that 'Ingres was personally disagreeable.' If true, it would be hard to argue that the personality trait had any negative effect on Ingres' creativity. b.p.

Funny. Didn't see the original post.

Never-the-less, (imo) creativity has nothing to do with the positive or negative. It is a separate beast that when kicked in the gut, may spew either force based upon the direction your foot is pointing in.

Now there is a creative image for you. Is it postive? Negative? Neither? Or

good one !

If you say that positive thinking is being optimistic in evaluating what you can and can't do then it is a double edged sword. It can push you to do what you may not have otherwise done or it can push you to do what cannot be done. Like robbing a grocery store then standing out side selling your stolen items.

I like this one because the first correct answer is yes and the second correct answer is no or visa versa. Is the English language not wonderful.

You wouldn't know a 'good one' even if it were shoved up your <beep>!

I want the name and number of the person who gave you a mouth.

let's put it this way, if you're in a blue funk, down on yourself, and lacking confidence(which is how i interpret 'positive thinking' or lack thereof), i don't think your output will be very creative.

In my opinion, you are over-simplifying the issue. If you have read much about the lives of great artists, then you know that a number of them had long struggles with depression. That is, the term 'depression' for the psychological state we hear so much about today is relatively new, but the symptoms are not. Often, artists and those who knew them personally have recorded the way the artists would fight their depressed feelings by plunging into their work. The important thing to understand is that the results might be what people would describe as 'negative' as well as 'positive' regarding subject of the resulting artwork, because the subject (along with the general success of the art) relates to all sorts of things concerning the artist's approach toward his work.

For instance, as to Landseer, I don't know enough about the British Victorian painter of puppies to know if he was ever depressed, but if he was, I an cononfident that he would still paint happy pictures of puppy dogs. He would not paint some terrifying vision of Cerberus simply because he was feeling down. Conversely, an artist such as Fuseli would likely not paint something 'sunny and cheerful' simply because he was in what today we would call an up-beat mood. (I am not totally off-the-wall in mentioning Fuseli in the same post with Landseer. After all, Landseer actually studied art under Fuseli!)

Anyway, it is quite clear that art has been an anecdote to depression for many people. But that only relates to the vague notion of 'positive thinking' in the sense that doing anything (as opposed to doing nothing) can be said to be positive. However, the original question, and the response I follow up here, seems to suggest that people need to get in a cheerful frame of mind before they can be creative. There is nothing to base that on. What they need is the will-power to pick up the paintbrush and go to work. For those who are fortunate, that might be the anecdote to the depressed feelings. For the truly dedicated, such feelings almost become

[Being unsure of what's meant by 'positive thinking', I looked up this site, which defines it (capitalized) as a tool to combat incorrect negative thoughts (as defined by Rational Thinking, which seems more important) with a series of affirmations: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_06.htm . ]

[This is somewhat beside the point. I don't think the original post was asking whether a generally positive outlook on life, or a sunny disposition, was helpful in promoting creativity, nor was there an issue of 'positive' versus 'negative' subject matter. Certainly a self-sabotaging attitude would be counter-productive if the promotion of creativity were desired. If one worries what others will think, or feels inadequate to the task, or fears that circumstances will conspire to destroy ones work, this can only have an inhibiting effect on creativity. So as far as that goes, I'd have to answer yes, Positive Thinking might help. But lacking Rational Thinking to objectively evaluate the negative thoughts, the mindless application of PT could lead one to invalidate negative but true thoughts- one might take on a project one is technically unequipped to tackle, or to ignore factors that need to be dealt with if one is to succeed.

As for myself, pessimism has had a salutary effect in limiting my creative urges to the point I can every once in a while finish something, instead of constantly starting new projects (something unrestrained optimism would encourage). It also keeps me aware of the pitfalls that lurk in every process. I wouldn't trade in my cynical attitude for a Pollyanna one; after all, if I predict a project of mine will come out badly and it does, I have the satisfaction of being right (and learn a lesson), whereas if it comes out well, that's okay too...]

Andrew Werby

says...

One of the best selling books of all time, right behind the bible, is Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING.

Also, the Dale Carnegie books on the subject of 'Self Determination,' or whatever they are categorized as, are still available in print, I think. And anyone who ever attended a Dale Carnegie 'Self Improvement' class knows the benefits derived therefrom.

i think you and i are interpreting the question differently. you're interpreting it as whether one has to be in a depression or exalted state or any emotion in between, to produce. i am interpreting the question as whether one is motivated or not,,,,ie, like the artist's