SF Fans, Geeks and Creative People ...

I'm a fan of IT Crowd.

'It's too real, Roy!'


I came across this, Geeks in the Mist - A whimsical look at how gamers and computer geeks don't fit into the main stream.

'Though Geeks are an easily identifiable species, very little observational data on these often misunderstood and sometimes reviled creatures has been collected in its natural habitat. This 15 year study follows a bachelor tribe of Geeks from adolescence to maturity, charting the adaptive behaviors of the group as its members move from the sheltered nursery of the university habitat to the wilder ecosystems of the world.' (The Escapist is free to subscribe).

It made me realise that I could write something similar over a 35 years period, since I've been involved in Spec Fic fandom since I was 18 and turn 53 in February. Most everyone I know are happily non conformist SF Fans, Geeks and Creative People.

Here Gordon Torr talks about creative people. He says there are three things that distinguish them from non creatives. See full article here.

Biology is one and the other two are:

• Motivation
  Building on the work of Harvard Business School Professor Theresa Amabile, which demonstrates that creativity is strongly linked to intrinsic motivation, Torr argues that creative people are distinguished by ‘an all-consuming preoccupation’ with creative work, regardless of whether it brings them money or fame.

(Had to laugh at this one. I used to make a 'starving' as a graphic artist. And now I just limp by as a writer. But I wouldn't - couldn't - live any other way).

• Personality
  We all recognise the classic description of the creative personality as childlike, impulsive, fantasy oriented, emotionally sensitive, anxious and ambitious. Torr cites several personality studies as evidence that ‘creative people conform almost perfectly to their popular stereotype’.'

(LOL, wouldn't you know it?)

And here's a post about motivating creative people. They say :

Intrinsic Motivation Leads to Creative Excellence

It's mainly for a work environment, but I can see how finding intrinsic worth in what you do would be a high motivating factor.

As for SF fandom, I didn't discover it until I went to Melbourne when I was 18. At last, people I could talk to. It was wonderful to find a group where I didn't have to pretend to be something I wasn't. I remember when the first Star Wars movie came out and all the fans were raving about it. They couldn't believe SF was going mainstream.

You know your sub group have become mainstream when there is a Wiki page on them.

And here is a list of 10 SF movies every SF Fan should watch. Have you seen them? Do you agree? Are there any films you would add to the list? how can you stop at 10?