The Mindful Survey: Your Inner Artist

Highlights from our reader survey on creativity.

grandfailure/Adobe Stock

Have you ever dreamed of becoming an artist?

64 percent of readers say yes, 36 percent say no

What’s your creative outlet of choice?

In order of popularity:

  1. Writing
  2. Cooking
  3. Photography
  4. Drawing
  5. Textiles
  6. Dancing
  7. Painting
  8. Music
  9. Acting

Do you believe creativity is learned or inherent?

Learned: 14%
Inherent: 46%
Not sure: 40%

Does your creativity thrive in peace or chaos?

In peace: 61%
In chaos: 8%
Doesn’t matter: 31%

Do you have a song that pumps you up when you’re doing creative work?

  • “I prefer quiet.”
  • “Anything delightfully cheesy.”
  • “‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem”
  • “Random Spotify song. One song. Then silence.”
  • “‘Dancing On My Own’ by Robyn.”

Are you more creative by yourself or with others?

74 percent of readers say "by myself" and 26 percent say "with others"

Who is the most creative person you know, and why?

  • “My son—he doesn’t play by any of the ‘rules.’”
  • “Leonardo da Vinci; he was creative on all levels. Even in science and the arts.”
  • “My cat.”
  • “Earth. She creates, and stays grounded.”

What’s the most creative thing you’ve done?

  • “Got through a shopping trip with two young boys.”
  • “Wrote and performed my own acting monologue.”
  • “Developed a software ERP system.”
  • “At age three, I removed an entire box of tampons from their tubes, tacked them all on the wall over my parents’ bed, then put all the tubes on my fingers and showed my mother.”
  • “Raised children.”
  • “Built and owned the ‘best apartment in the world’ in 2009, according to the International Property Awards.”
  • “Made a model of the solar system.”
  • “Cooked awesome food that didn’t kill anyone.”
  • “I wrote a novel.”
  • “Sold String Cheese.”
  • “Performance dancing in New York in the ’60s.”
  • “Designed a space suit.”
  • “Created a complete aluminum casting foundry.”
  • “Sang and danced in a West End musical.”

Every sunset and cloud formation is a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Where in your house do you have most of your epiphanies?

31% of people have the majority of their epiphanies in bed, and 16% have them while in the shower. 11% of people have them on the couch, while another 11% have them in their backyard. 6% report that most of their epiphanies occur in the kitchen, 3% have them in the hallway, and less than 1% have their epiphanies mostly on the toilet. The remaining 22% report their epiphanies occur in other places, most notably in the bath, while exercising, and during meditation.

illustration toilet paper with a light bulb on it

What was your favorite creative activity as a child?

  • “Making clothes for my doll from scraps of fabric.
  • I loved rummaging for scraps and still do!”
  •  “When I was supposed to nap, I would jump on the bed and make ridges and valleys in my quilt. Then I would sit quietly and imagine towns and people living between the ‘mountains.’ (I’m from Colorado.)”
  • “Needlework and cooking with my grandmother.”
  • “Daydreaming.”
  • “Making a ‘radio show’ with a tape recorder and my siblings.”
  • “Putting on plays.”
  • “Puzzles.”
  • “Designing houses.”
  • “Melting crayons,building bricks with the melted wax, and building cities with the wax bricks.”
This article appeared in the June 2017 issue of Mindful magazine.

https://www.mindful.org/something-creative-can-boost-well/
https://www.mindful.org/apply-mindfulness-creative-process/