# Will creative people fair better?



## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

In a less than ideal situation, do creative people have an edge? Those who create and come up with innovation are usually outside the box more often than not during normal times. When the world steps out side the box would this inclination to creative or innovate help or hinder them?

I can see it both ways and think that overall the creative type would probably fair better than most. I have a hunch they see the world differently than the average person and that could be a plus...or not...lol


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

I guess when I think of "creative" I think "artist" who - no - will not have an edge. Now if you think of creative as the person
who figures out how to make the best beer and whiskey with the limited resources available - yeah - that dude will do allright.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Beer and Whiskey....lol
Thats exactly the person I was thinking about...the one that can see potential where others don't and can make it happen...


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

I have no doubt that creative people would come out ahead. Seen it first hand on some of the ingenious ways off road riders came up with to get home, from pinching off a broken brake line with a vice grips and hooking several batteries together to weld. Many people who have seen that armored vehicle that DHS purchased think how could we ever defend against something like that, a group of creative people will look at that and say we need to make one of those.

Creativity is the major part of my SHTF plan, I truly believe that if I can hold out for a month I will be able to come up with what I need.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

I think if you look at history, . . . it is the creative persons who have advanced, . . . non creative did the status quo thing, . . . and it didn't work out so well for them.

For example: Russian ingenuity ends with sattelites, . . . German ingenuity sank with the Bismark, . . . English ingenuity sits atop some dungeon with the queen mother, . . . Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese ingenuity is simply "monkey see, . . . monkey do", . . . French ingenuity ends once the wine is bottled.

American ingenuity: telephone, telegraph, television, (tell a woman), computers and computing, the most advanced ships on the seas, the most advanced aircraft in the sky, and several trips to the moon and back, safely. There are many, many more also, . . . but these are the ones everyone knows about.

Yes, . . . creative people built the one nation almost everyone else wants to get into or be at least a trading partner with, . . . the USA.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## mulle46 (Nov 9, 2012)

Depends on how the person is creative. If they see stuff that takes a long time, multiple millions/billions to develop, I say no, they aren't useful for SHTF scenarios, but if their ideas are easy, quick, simple, then yes


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Ripon said:


> I guess when I think of "creative" I think "artist" who - no - will not have an edge. Now if you think of creative as the person
> who figures out how to make the best beer and whiskey with the limited resources available - yeah - that dude will do allright.


 Well said. The artist type will fail the blacksmith will survive . Yes different types of creative


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Smitty901 said:


> Well said. The artist type will fail the blacksmith will survive . Yes different types of creative


I agree at least at first but once there is some type of organization I think there will be a place for others with skills in painting, singing and storytelling. History shows that in bad times there was a place for traveling artist like the Troubadours and Trobairitz in the middle ages, but yes if things get to bad like the black plague that ended the traveling Troubadours the that type of skill wouldn't be of much use.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

dwight55 said:


> American ingenuity: telephone, telegraph, television, (tell a woman), computers and computing, the most advanced ships on the seas, the most advanced aircraft in the sky, and several trips to the moon and back, safely. There are many, many more also, . . . but these are the ones everyone knows about.
> 
> Yes, . . . creative people built the one nation almost everyone else wants to get into or be at least a trading partner with, . . . the USA.
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, they have bred a lot of creativity out of people in the US. There are some but not nearly as many as their used to be. That's one of the reasons we are losing the innovative products to other countries. Well, except for China, they just steal what they want.

I can remember a time when something said made in Japan, you knew it was cheap stuff, including cars. Now the Japanese control many markets and own a decent portion of our debt.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

Crap I thought I would pass this one by but....

Creative people have a imaginative thought process.

Innovative people introduce new things or methods. 

IMO the innovative will rule, it isn't the person that dreams how something can be done but the one that puts it into action.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Montana Rancher said:


> Crap I thought I would pass this one by but....
> 
> Creative people have a imaginative thought process.
> 
> ...


Come on you are playing with words Innovation is the implementation of the creative idea.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

rickkyw1720pf said:


> Come on you are playing with words Innovation is the implementation of the creative idea.


I like you, thanks for thinking this through.

Would you rather have someone who imagines all that is possible and does nothing about it or someone who takes what is available and produces something useful.


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## Meangreen (Dec 6, 2012)

A scalpel or a sledge hammer, each has it's potential and uses.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

creative people will always fare better in every aspect of life except being a slave. We suck as slaves.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

Leon said:


> creative people will always fare better in every aspect of life except being a slave. We suck as slaves.


I think we are playing with words here, is creative and resourceful the same thing? If so I think we are in agreement. But a person that write songs and paints picture although creative will not do well SHTF


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

Montana Rancher said:


> I think we are playing with words here, is creative and resourceful the same thing? If so I think we are in agreement. But a person that write songs and paints picture although creative will not do well SHTF


I think the word you are looking for is 'artistic' and those types they might still have uses. Everyone loves a good tune in the off grid silence. Not too practical though.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

I think Leon is right with the word artistic. Creativity and Innovative go hand in hand, like having a rifle that is accurate and precise without both it isn't much good.


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## JPARIZ (Feb 25, 2013)

Seneca said:


> In a less than ideal situation, do creative people have an edge? Those who create and come up with innovation are usually outside the box more often than not during normal times. When the world steps out side the box would this inclination to creative or innovate help or hinder them?
> 
> I can see it both ways and think that overall the creative type would probably fair better than most. I have a hunch they see the world differently than the average person and that could be a plus...or not...lol


With all the issues surrounding "political correctness" these days you really need to define "creative".


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Not artistic...It could be but not where I was going with it....rather along the lines of this example; there are tool makers and all tool makers are tool users, there are tool users but not all of them are tool makers...one creates the tool while the other simply uses it. 

It takes imagination to create or invent something new or useful. So maybe I should have asked if imaginative people would fair better. It seemed pointless because imaginative people by their very nature create and innovate.


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## JPARIZ (Feb 25, 2013)

Seneca said:


> Not artistic...It could be but not where I was going with it....rather along the lines of this example; there are tool makers and all tool makers are tool users, there are tool users but not all of them are tool makers...one creates the tool while the other simply uses it.
> 
> It takes imagination to create or invent something new or useful. So maybe I should have asked if imaginative people would fair better. It seemed pointless because imaginative people by their very nature create and innovate.


Yes, creative / innovative people would have a vastly superior advantage in both survival and in combat. 
In a survival situation Macgyver could build an airplane out of a paperclip & shoelace then fly to civilization.
In a conflict it's relatively easy to predict the average person's next move but when someone thinks outside the box, it's nearly impossible to get a step ahead of them. The opposition is similar to a one legged man in a but kicking contest.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

Seneca said:


> Not artistic...It could be but not where I was going with it....rather along the lines of this example; there are tool makers and all tool makers are tool users, there are tool users but not all of them are tool makers...one creates the tool while the other simply uses it.
> 
> It takes imagination to create or invent something new or useful. So maybe I should have asked if imaginative people would fair better. It seemed pointless because imaginative people by their very nature create and innovate.


Yes it does, me and my pal Hank made several solar generators THAT WORK out of junk, literally one has scotch tape holding the panels down. That thing will charge a laptop in direct sunlight. We built it literally out of crap we found just to see if we could do it. We done it. Been there, done that. I would not discount hippies or dreamers or artists simply because they have huge imaginations and bring something to the table that soldierly or survivalist types might not. Cody Lundin is the prime example. The last episode of dual survival their rescue chance drove by them, flipped them off and went "get out of the road, hippies!"

I about laughed my ass off.

But they aren't useless. I myself am still (among many other things) quite artistic. I play guitar and piano, and bass, and saxophone. I am still currently a novelist and writer/author. I am getting back into teaching survival classes, which in itself is an art and a skill. I draw digitally, with a pen and wacom tablet. I was raised in a Tang Soo Do school, which is a martial ART. The samurai had to earn several black belts to call themselves samurai- one of which was _flower arranging_. Their teachers believed that an eye for art and beauty enhanced their perception in battle. It's true, make no mistake about it. 15 million Japs couldn't possibly be wrong over the period of 1000 years. The skill was called _Tachibana_.

I think, (and I'm right) that all viable skills are useful in some way. Say we find in our bad-ass fortress SHTF community a couple chicks wandering the roads and they approach the compound wanting in, we ask them who they are and what they can bring to the table. They answer that they are musicians. Now think about this for a second- you got maybe 30 guys, people, families or whatever amid a very tense and daily struggle for survival, mouths to feed now including theirs...imagine how droll and frustrating that would be. Now imagine taking these measly two chicks in who play guitar and sing, only to have them remind you of the former world and comfort / entertain you in the local mess hall during your dinner with an unplugged live rendition of 'dust in the wind' while you eat your meal and contemplate the events of your day.

Hello, radio? Elvis? All gone if off grid. You better have CD's and battery powered players and amps...that's only going to last so long. You ever wonder why there are still mariachi bands that work mexican restaurants? You WILL miss music and entertainment, that is a fact. What if you want to remember what your baby daughter looked like at 4 months? Better get a painter off grid or you can kiss that image goodbye- digital cameras kinda need electricity and batteries to do that.

There are so many ways that artists and musicians affect our lives that we take for granted these days. Even a hippie can be given a day job working a hoe in the field and do it right. What a farmer CAN'T do right is pen a lovely and catchy song and perform it on command. I would urge strongly that you not discard the idea of welcoming a beatnik or a musician to your fold because they DO bring something to the table that none else can- _solace_. It takes a special kind of person to gather the attentions of those around them and raise their morale. I myself would have LOVED someone to serenade me at my hospital bed. I was in a lot of pain and despair. All I had to comfort my splintered broken ass was a crappy few local TV channels. Supernatural sucks by the way, I saw every episode there.


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## JPARIZ (Feb 25, 2013)

Wait a sec... about the chics. Are they hot looking? We might want to wait for another batch before we go squandering our resources.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

JPARIZ said:


> Wait a sec... about the chics. Are they hot looking? We might want to wait for another batch before we go squandering our resources.


No, they would definitely have to be hot. And perform songs like this:


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## JPARIZ (Feb 25, 2013)

I think we would all look forward to that. It would be even better if they had a pillow fight at the end.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

JPARIZ said:


> I think we would all look forward to that. It would be even better if they had a pillow fight at the end.


Bluegrass, hot chicks and pillow fights for all my good men. Now that we are putting it that way- _bring it on_. Not to be a know-it-all but IT COULD HAPPEN.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Seneca said:


> ..do creative people have an edge?.... I have a hunch they see the world differently than the average person and that could be a plus...or not...lol


Depends what you mean by "Creative". For example I've regularly topped worldwide wargaming play-by-email leagues for the past 10 years (under my fighting name 'Poor Old Spike') because i've got the ability to think outside the box all the time and see the "Big Picture" where many others can't, thereby enabling me to create cunning plans and strategies to stay alive, and in an apocalypse world I like to think that same ability will help me survive no matter what shit comes my way.
When SHTF my message to the members of my survival group will be- _"Okay muchachos stick with me, it's showtime"_..


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

Lucky Jim said:


> Depends what you mean by "Creative". For example I've regularly topped worldwide wargaming play-by-email leagues for the past 10 years (under my fighting name 'Poor Old Spike') because i've got the ability to think outside the box all the time and see the "Big Picture" where many others can't, thereby enabling me to create cunning plans and strategies to stay alive, and in an apocalypse world I like to think that same ability will help me survive no matter what shit comes my way.
> When SHTF my message to the members of my survival group will be- _"Okay muchachos stick with me, it's showtime"_..


That's Lucky Jim for you- wisdom outside the box. How the _hell_ are you not on the Parliament? I'd vote for you.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Leon said:


> ...How the _hell_ are you not on the Parliament?..


Ha ha me a politician, that'll be the day..
Here are some of our world leaders in action-

SOMALIAN









UKRAINIAN









TURKISH









STH KOREA









MEXICAN









ITALIAN









UKRAINIAN









GREEK


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## Blademaker (Feb 22, 2013)

If being creative means taking something metal and fashioning something else out of it, or raw materials, into something useful, I'm good to go.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

I'm not particularly well educated (by a long shot), but God has given me the talent to figure out how mechanical things work and fix them if they are broken.
He has given me the talent to visualize how something like a barn, chicken coop, fence, porch, etc should look, draw a building plan in my mind, and carry that plan out. 
I am truly blessed.


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## Pir8fan (Nov 16, 2012)

Ripon said:


> I guess when I think of "creative" I think "artist" who - no - will not have an edge. Now if you think of creative as the person
> who figures out how to make the best beer and whiskey with the limited resources available - yeah - that dude will do allright.


Absolutely they'll fare better. They're more flexible in their thinking and more able to adapt to change. Not the artsy/fartsy types but the people that can think outside of the box.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Leon said:


> ..I would not discount hippies or dreamers or artists simply because they have huge imaginations and bring something to the table that soldierly or survivalist types might not...I play guitar and piano, and bass, and saxophone..


In that case you've got it made in a SHTF world mate, you'll be so much in demand by survival groups that you better get yourself an agent!
Check this Survivors 1975 clip at 3:08 set in a SHTF world (the parafin lamps are a clue; no electricity), there's a guy on the gee-tar and they're all partying like crazy, you'd never guess a plague has wiped out nearly everybody on earth..






PS- Survivors 1975 is still the best survival show ever made in my opinion, (not a stupid zomb or mutant in sight) all 38 TV episodes are free on youtube or you can buy the DVD boxed set.
SPOILER-*********
Despite the jolly party, times can still be rough and by the end of that episode two of the partygoers are dead, one murdered and the other shot..


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## Kidzthinkimahoarder (Feb 11, 2013)

My vote is creative. But you've forgotten that most people that are creative are just as well resourceful. They see the glass half full, not half empty. They are optimistic...see the "what can be" of something that someone has done throwed down and said the hell with it. When your'e in a pinch can come up with a fix-it plan even without the most common material to do so with.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Kidzthinkimahoarder said:


> My vote is creative. But you've forgotten that most people that are creative are just as well resourceful. They see the glass half full, not half empty. They are optimistic...see the "what can be" of something that someone has done throwed down and said the hell with it. When your'e in a pinch can come up with a fix-it plan even without the most common material to do so with.


I agree most creative types that I've met are the glass half full type of person and will often have an artistic side. Though to be fair I have met some that were very practical and confident, good leaders and problem solvers.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Creative people can also be innovators. An inovator takes something and finds a new use for it - creative people can sometimes do that BUT creative people can make something new that is useful too.
An innovator can turn a piece of pipe into a shotgun but a creative person can turn that pipe into a full-auto carbine. I have done both.


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