I got some reading done on my vacation this past week. Instead of packing the latest social media marketing guru’s missive, however, I packed my brand new copy of my friend John Dillon’s “The 20 20 Creativity Solution,” and my autographed copy of Twyla Tharpe’s “The Collaborative Habit” which we bought when we attended her lecture at the Commonwealth Club last year.

These two books brought home a point that I’ve been struggling to put my finger on for the past year. Here’s my synopsis:

creativity does not restrict itself to just one path

Here’s what I mean by that. Creative people are creative no matter what they do. Some focus on what we typically label artistic endeavors such as music, songwriting, sculpting, painting… and some focus their creative minds toward solving science, social or political problems. But the creative source is the same no matter what your outlet is – and some people have multiple outlets.

I call it creative ADD… and I think I have it… and I think its okay.

Throughout my life I have bounced around between creative endeavors that fall into the artistic category: music, songwriting, sculpting, jewelry making, paper making… and I made my kids Halloween costumes and birthday cakes without patterns or instructions.

At the same time, that creativity was channeled into business projects – I managed PR for my first start up before I could legally toast its first product launch, and I’ve consulted with more than 30 start up companies since then both on my own and working with consulting agencies.

Add to that the household and remodeling projects.  Cooking. Keeping kids occupied on long plane flights. Launching a music career at age 45.

Everything I approach, I approach creatively. I used to think that I was a left brain thinker because of my attention to detail and my tendency to be a bit anal (evidenced by the need to create Halloween costumes without patterns or instructions). I now realize that I’m the exact opposite – I’m an EXTREME right brain thinker. I’m looking at multiple big pictures all the time.

Yes, I still have the required left brain engagement to keep the balls in the air and check for dotted i’s and crossed t’s. But I love solving problems and the more creative the approach, the better I feel about it, whether its music, art or business – or a combination.