The creative energy of the universe

Do you know why you are creative?  Because the universe is!  Every being, and even substance, around us is part of a vast process of creation.  All of that variety, the sheer extent of the universe is proof of that. 

Led by the natural processes of the universe, our brains evolved a Creativity Department because that helps us to make ourselves more successful at... being ourselves.  Each of us, by becoming stronger and smarter, helps the human race to survive and thrive. In the particular case of human beings, that doesn't just mean our bodies, it means our minds and ideas. People will fight and even die for an idea; we know that our legacy isn't just locked up in our bodies.

The book The Evolving Self by Mihaly Cziksentmihalyi describes this in some detail; here, all I want to say is that your creativity is the part of you that helps you to be part of the universal process of change, experimentation, and invention. Even stars do it, so why shouldn't you? 

If you need to find energy for a creative process, open your eyes, look around you, and see how extraordinarily creative your world is.  From the tiniest mite to the huge stars in the sky, creation is everywhere.  All you need to do is unleash your personal spark.

Competing creatively

Both co-operation and competition are natural social impulses--just watch any group of animals; each behavior has its place.  In fact, because the need to surpass a rival can be very motivating, competitive impulses are often at the root of creative behaviors.

Despite its bad reputation, competition can generate positive ideas and behaviors. For one thing, people "compete" not just with one another, but also with tired assumptions, scary forces of nature, oppressive governments, or biased beliefs. 

Competition becomes destructive when it degenerates into reactions: merely repeating what the "other side" does but doing it more aggressively.  Instead, use your creativity to find more effective ways to compete. 

Start by going beyond "I want to win!" by defining your goal creatively.  For example:

• Instead of just trying to beat the fastest runner on the team, set a goal of developing a smarter, more effective training regimen that both helps you win, and also sets you up to keep increasing your personal best over time
• If you wish you could "shout out" the old ideas that are keeping your company or community from being effective, use your creativity to find ways to engage and persuade others to discuss new ideas with you

And don't forget about co-operation: the ability to get others on your side by co-operating with them can help you to compete much more effectively.

The three stages of letting go of your creative project

Say you've hit an impass.  You've tried everything: gone back through the creative process to fix what's wrong, stayed motivated, tapped into the expertise of others...  You realize you're at the end of the road for this project.

After the time, passion, and effort you put into this, that can hurt. You may be tempted to hang on and refuse to give up, even when you know in your heart that it's all over.  You also may be tempted to indulge in "sour grapes", and pretend you just don't care about it any more.  But if you do either of those things, you'll be missing a valuable opportunity to learn and grow from this experience.

Instead, try the following three steps:

1) Take a short break to calm down, then go back over what worked and didn't work.  What can you learn from what went wrong?  What can you learn from what went well?

2) Get feedback from those you trust, just to be sure you're seeing it from other angles.  Ask for positive feedback as well as their critique. You don't have to agree with them, but be open to their perspective.

3) Then, when you understand what happened, take that understanding and acknowledge it as a new strength.  What can you do with what you've learned?  Where could this new perspective lead you?

If you are able to get past the two traps of hanging on and throwing the good out with the bad, your experience will actually make you better at being creative.  And that was worth everything you went through.

Hearing the still, small voice of creativity

Sometimes the creative flow is high-energy, even a little manic.  Other times, creativity requires a very calm, quiet mood.  In that latter case, it's very important to be able to clear your mind and "listen" to quieter inner thoughts.

You will have your own ebb and flow of energy.  Personally, I find that my body helps to tell me which mode I am in.  If I feel energetic, I end up typing fast and furious, having lots of ideas.  At other times, ideas come more slowly.  Yet these slower times can produce deeper, more sustained creative insights.  To take advantage of that quieter energy, I like to clear my mind and let it move at its own pace.

My favorite exercise for clearing my mind is actually an ancient one from India (there are many and you should choose one that suits you):

I sit at my desk and choose any object on it, and then really observe its physical qualities.  For example, now I am looking at a glass jar. I notice everything about it, from how big or small it is, to how it reflects the light, to any dust on its surface.  Then, when the picture is really clear in my mind, I say to myself:  "I am not that [thing]."  The moment that I do that, my mind sort of snaps back into itself and I become aware of my mind in a very sharp way.

Whatever exercise you use, clear away the cobwebs of your mind when you need to capture a deeper, quieter creative flow.  Still waters really do run deep.

Creating a fresh start

When I complained about one of my siblings, my mom used to tell me "it takes two to tango," meaning that I should also take a look at my own behavior.  I didn't like hearing it then, but as I went out in the world, I realized she was right.

The reality is, we have very little control over other people; our scope of influence is about 99% limited to ourselves.  Achieving a fresh start in a bad situation requires us to re-think how we respond, from a negative job relationship to a conflict with a loved one.

I am not advocating that you endlessly adapt, seeking to just change your attitude.  Conforming and "going along" with something that's wrong is neither creative nor effective. 

Instead, use the creative process to ensure that you perceive the problem insightfully, formulate specific goals for changing it, and be willing to test and discard ineffective solutions:

1)  If you're experiencing a repetitive conflict, look at all of the repetitive things you say and do; jot them down, then take a step back and try to understand why you are reacting that way--it may have little or nothing to do with the present situation.

2) When you come up with an insight about your own behavior, formulate an "insightful challenge": because of [this insight about the situation], my goal is to [make a related change].  Example: "because my fights with my teenage son are bringing up my anger at my ex-husband, my goal is to ground myself in the present and make sure I am really listening to my son."

3) Try to achieve your goal, and if it doesn't work right away, remember that the person on the opposite side of the conflict is probably stuck, as well.  Be patient, persistent, and willing to try, try again.  If you are really committed to your goal, you won't give up.

It isn't easy!  But at least when you focus on your part of the problem, you can actually do something to end it.

Healthy exercise for the brain

Brains are amazing!  They grow and change throughout your whole life.  Every single time you are creative, play with ideas, or learn something new, your brain grows. 

Of course, the other side of that is that your brain won't grow unless you keep on learning, creating, and playing.  Unfortunately, brains are also prone to locking you in to repetitive patterns.  Those unquestioned assumptions? those daily patterns you can't break? all of those characteristics you defend by saying "that's just the way I am"? Those are mental habits.  They keep your brain smaller and, let's just say, flabbier than it ought to be.

Looked at that way, our creativity is the engine of brain health.  It's creativity that lets you learn, that encourages you to explore and form new ideas, all of which are excellent brain exercise. There's even evidence that exercising the brain can help prevent loss of brain function later in life.  If you nurture and enjoy your creativity, you could have a happier, healthier life long into your old age.

So get out there and play!  It's good for you.

The silly stereotype of the tragic genius

Have you ever had an idea pop into your head, for example when you woke up after an afternoon nap?  As cool as that is, it can be disorienting when ideas just come out of nowhere.  But what's really scary is those stereotypes of tragic geniuses, mad artists and suicidal poets…  So, does creativity really demand a dangerous surrender to mysterious forces? 

In a word, no.  Because creativity uses so much of you (mind, will, imagination, emotion, and so on), dedicating yourself to a creative project enables your unconscious mind to jump in and help out.  That's unusual for many of us, and it can feel strange.  It can also look strange to others, because focusing so intently can make us seem spacey. 

But in fact, creativity is healthy.  It energizes you, builds your self-esteem, and just in general makes you better at living.  It also makes for healthier cultures, capable of growth and adaptation in the face of challenges. 

That said, don't overdo.  If you're working hard on a creative project, make sure you take the time to eat, sleep, and care for your body.  Treat the people around you with respect, asking for their support instead of pushing them away.  Smile more, worry less.  Be persistent, and also patient. 

And when you complete your project, take the time to be proud and happy!  That sounds pretty sane, to me.

Choosing creatively = choosing well

Do you ever find it hard to make choices? It can be stressful: choices are super-important to defining your life's path.  How do you figure out what choices to make?

One answer is that how you make choices is important.  If you're the kind of person who dives right in without ever looking back, you're not really choosing, which doesn't always turn out well.  On the other hand, if you're the kind of person who endlessly thinks and re-thinks, you could get stuck in indecision. 

Luckily, our creative brain is designed to help us strike the right balance.  When we fit our choices into a creative process, we have a method that will help us to both think things through, and also move forward without regret. 

Here are the steps I recommend:

1) First, be really clear on what motivates you to make this choice at all.  If you don't know why you are doing something, you will never know what you should do. Imagine and visualize where you want to end up, and be sure that it's important to you. 

2) As you consider your options, first think, then feel.  Brainstorm your options, then get the information you need to build a "choice picture" that tells you what each option might end up looking like.  After you've done that, tap into your feelings--how much do you like each of those choice pictures?

3) Clear out the distractions so you can tune into your deepest self.  Listen for your inner voice. If it's in turmoil, you're just not ready to choose. Don't stop or run away, ask yourself "what's missing?" and solve it.

In the end, you will simply make a choice.  However, if you've gone through this process, it will be a conscious choice that brings you closer to understanding yourself and the world.  And that will keep your life's path pointing forward, not backward.

Motivating your commitment to create

Motivation for creativity can come from surprising places!  I have a great real-world example for you.

One of my favorite creativity stories is about the founders of Kiva.org, a charity that lets individuals lend small amounts of money to people in developing countries.  Kiva was created by a young couple who had gone to business school together.  He wanted to be a successful California high-tech entrepreneur, she wanted to help small businesses in Africa.  How could they make their marriage work if they couldn't agree on a continent?

The answer was Kiva.org, which uses his high-tech skills and her development skills to make an enormous difference to people all over the world.  So... what was the motivation for Kiva?  I'm sure there were many, but essentially, their commitment to creating Kiva sprang from their need to have a fabulous marriage.

So ask yourself: what in your life is worth the effort and commitment to be creative? Your answer will both help you succeed and tell you alot about who you are. 

Creativity makes you special

As my son goes off to his first big city job today, I can't help but remember when I first started interviewing for jobs, after college.  I remember looking up at those huge skyscrapers, and around at the thousands of other people and feeling really, really small.  In such a huge, crowded city, how could I be unique?

Well, we are all unique, special, and (if we keep our creativity) able to make a difference in the world.  Yet when you're going through the rounds of interviews, tests, comparisons with other people, it's easy to lapse into self-doubt.  So here's how to use your creativity to overcome those feelings.

1) Identify your personal goals.  If you have a vision for your life, you will keep a sense of yourself as an individual.

2) Entertain and inform yourself by really perceiving the world around you.  Those unique perceptions will ensure that you don't just follow patterns and make assumptions.

3) When you have an insight, take it seriously. Those moments of extraordinary clarity that characterize an insight could open a unique path for your life, or at least blast you out of a rut. 

So embrace the new, knowing that you have what it takes to live with creativity, purpose, and individual flair.  You are you! And that is wonderful.

Four ways to kick-start your creative brain

Even if you're in a creative profession, or have creative hobbies, you can get bogged down and lose your creative "juice".  As we head into the summertime, I thought I'd share a few ideas for how to re-energize creativity, and take full advantage of those long summer days.

1) Give up a habit or two. Breaking your patterns will kick your brain out of a rut.  For example, if you always turn on the TV when you get home, try leaving it off.  If you always have tuna salad sandwiches for lunch, try something new. Yes, it will probably be uncomfortable, so embrace the discomfort and focus your energies on your creative projects.

2) Put a moratorium on complaining.  Complaining is addictive--and destructive to your mental state.  Repetitive complaints, especially, solve nothing, making you feel powerless.  Face it: the traffic is always going to be bad on Friday afternoon; your little sister will continue to be annoying. Instead of complaining about things, focus on your project.

3) Clean your workspace. (This idea came from one of my Facebook followers, and it's a great one.)  Clutter distracts you and creates anxiety.  I am a terrible "clutterer" myself so I say that with no judgment--cleaning up your space will help you to focus and re-energize.

4) Listen to some new music.  Music provides deep stimulus to the brain.  Today, we have access to all kinds of music online, so take advantage!  Try something entirely new: if you always listen to techno, try Mozart, or Chopin--and vice versa.  You'll find some interesting synergies, and that might get your creative juices flowing again.

...Or come up with your own ideas!  You know what gets your energy flowing.  So kick off your summer by kick-starting your creative brain.

Creativity and positivity

This morning a Facebook friend posted a story about how Grand Rapids, Michigan, dubbed one of America's "dying" cities, responded energetically, creatively, and positively to declare themselves very much alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjjZCO67WI

Boy, did I love that story.  Last summer, I took a working vacation to a region of New York state declared dead somewhere back in the seventies, when industrial jobs left their area.  What I found was a community of positive people who formed home businesses, grew food, and enjoyed the beauty of their region. Yes, they were comparatively poor; but no-one could say they were living desperate lives.

The people I saw there were part of my inspiration to form Actively Creative.  I don't mean to romanticize poverty or dismiss the serious issues around economic hardship here or anywhere in the world.  But acknowledging all that, people and communities often find extraordinary solutions by focusing on how they can create their futures, rather than mourn the past.

When shared in a community, creativity is exponentially more positive and powerful.  So bravo, Grand Rapids!  You rock.

Creativity, patience, and hope

Creativity is a learned trait, or in other words, a behavior that you practice until it becomes part of who you are.  Some of us develop it young, and others develop it as adults.  Whichever is the case with you, the creativity trait carries with it certain characteristic attitudes.

One of these is patience.  We've been taught that "patience is a virtue", and that's certainly the case in creative projects.  In order to persist, the creator must be patient both with him/herself and also with difficulties that arise.  Being patient, creative people can rise above frustration, self-doubt, and failure, keeping their eye on the long run rather than the short. 

Another important attitude is hope, the close cousin of patience.  Hope is not starry-eyed or blind, but rather the will to seek solutions rather than give up.  Hope is knowing that though you are not perfect or completely prepared to succeed, you have what it takes to get what you need and go on.  Hope underlies your firm commitment to the goal you have set for yourself. 

Often, patience and hope are learned by facing obstacles and overcoming them.  But even when you're just starting out, knowing that these two attitudes are necessary will help you to avoid defeatist attitudes.  Keep hope and patience alive, and your chances of succeeding are excellent.