Creating the life we want requires a vision to make our way towards that future.
[Photo Credit: Taryn Elliot]
“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” — Kurt Vonnegut
A group of middle-aged adults sit in a conference room participating in a creative workshop. They are asked to select one of four office supply items; a paperclip, a stapler, a pencil or a rubber band. Next, they are asked to list out as many ways to use that item. Most people around the room have two to three thoughts, maybe four. After that, ideas get stale.
Next they are asked to take that same item through the mind of a child, say a 5-year old. And now with that child’s mind, list out the additional uses. The room has a moment of flutter as eyes widen and new mental gears start churning with wild imagination. Parachutes, sling-shots, defense weapons, jewelry and wooden forts are now filling up the column of uses.
It’s a fun and highly demonstrative way to show how we can quickly shift our view and see the ordinary, extraordinary.
We forget how easy our adult minds can get locked into practical and obvious ways of seeing something. But as soon as we let our inner child through, an endless amount of possibilities begins to shine light on what we couldn’t see before.
Give yourself permission to roam.
Free the mind of cluttered thoughts that no longer serve for the highest good. Make space to play and let new discoveries bridge the way into unfamiliar paths of thinking. Exploration lets the growth mindset enable real change through playful creativity. And when we’re open-minded, we’ll be able to easily recognize opportunities in the most unexpected places. Like any muscle or skill, it needs regular practice to strengthen.
Creativity is a resourceful tool to help think through challenging situations and have a victorious outcome. It’s a pleasantly inventive process to manifest a life to fall in love with. Create a life filled with met desires. Learn how to have daily internal check-ins. And pivot when needed.
Those who have a curiously investigative mind will reap the rewards. Seek with wonder and be open to new possibilities. Develop the ability to future-trip (envisioning the future) while alternating between the here and now. And know what steps need to be taken and when to be patient.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while” — Steve Jobs
New discoveries about creativity indicate that the brain is functioning in multiple locations and is not limited to any one area in a hemisphere. And new research suggests that, “the same networks that we use to recall the past also allow us to imagine future experiences and think creatively.” notes Roger E. Beaty, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at The Pennsylvania State University.
When we look at constructing our life, we may want something that is new and feels slightly out of reach. We need to engage in new activities that push us out of our comfort zone to bring in new skills and learnings for growth. It enables us to create a life with met desire.
Allow for change and flexibility. Intuitive nature is in constant evolution. As you grow each day, what you need may also need to bend with this new flexibility.
Remember, You Are Already Creative.
Everything you touch makes an impression. You are the creator of the home life and the relationships you’re in. You create your meals (delivery counts), the topics you learn and share, the atmosphere you create when socializing. The clothes you wear, the car you drive and every element that is yours, you decided to bring into your life.
Engage in the creative mind by exploring a multitude of solutions. Boost the thinking through, play, practice and experience. Over time, original ideas can be nurtured and brought to life.
Your inner artist is the key to personal happiness.
Studies have shown, particularly with children, that watching someone being creative, viewing fantasy films and unstructured play spurs new insights. Habits such as writing, especially writing new ideas, experiencing new things and being a constant student helps foster creativity. Studies further explored the connection between sleep, time in nature and creative collaboration as additional ways to boost creativity. Everyone has the potential to be creative.
“The creative adult is the child who survived.” — Ursula Leguin
And of course, the health benefits. These are real.
A creative mind helps reduce stress, depression, anxiety, anger and resolve deeper emotions such as shame and trauma. Being “artsy” also elevates positive emotions, boosts brain cognitive functions, increases the immune system and over time, prevents dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and heart disease.
“Making art … may be as important to your health as balanced nutrition, regular exercise, or meditation.” noted Dr. Cathy Malchiodi, a psychologist and art therapist, in an interview back in 2002.
To undoubtedly benefit from creative interests, start with a beginner’s mind and passionately engage in any desired activity.
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” — Mary Lou Cook
How will you turn an interest into a new pursuit?
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