Chad M. Barrett

Earlier this week I began to ponder the question of whether creative people can be organized. I began to question the notion that creative people aren't, or cannot be, organized. I consider myself both creative and organized, so I googled the question and developed the following answer.

If you think of an organized person as someone that knows where something is when needed, then I think you can conclude that creative people are organized. Perhaps, if we articulate a difference between organized and cluttered, then we can allow creative people to be organized but maybe cluttered. For example, I know people that organize using piles. (I admit I use a bit of this.) When you go into their office you are struck immediately by the piles lying everywhere. If those people can put their hands on an important document when needed, then I think we should consider them organized.

I think that some creative people organize creatively. The result may be a cluttered space where everything has a place and can be easily retrieved. I am not a person that likes clutter. I like clean spaces, but I don't think that someone that is cluttered is necessarily disorganized. They have found an organizational style that suits them.