Is Creativity In-born? How to Unleash the Creativity Within..
“Anything can be creative — you bring that quality to the activity. The activity itself is neither creative nor uncreative. You can paint in an uncreative way. You can sing in an uncreative way. You can creatively clean the floor. You can cook in a creative way” — Osho Rajnesh
Being creatively involved in any activity is an extremely immersive trance-like state that pulls us out of the real world, and transcends us into another world. It is as if we are hypnotized and we cease to exist!
All that continues to exist is the activity and the state of creation, the entire mind is channelized to what we are doing, what we are creating. We reach that meditative state where we forget who we are and, give ourselves completely to the act.
But, is it that, some people are born creative and others are not? Can we teach ourselves to be creative?
Well, creativity is an act or a process and doesn’t necessarily need a specific DNA strand to be passed on to us. It is just that creative expression that comes more naturally to some than to others. With a bit of practice, we can all unlock the trapped potential of creative energy within us.
Every human is born creative.
All one needs to do is to tune in to that state of mind by cutting out the unnecessary noise, distraction, and conditioned complexes and reach that pure state, free of impurities.
The experience of this state needs to be inexplicable joy beyond bounds and that is its true state. It is pure, addictive, and meditative. Be prepared to get lost in it.
Visualize:
Though ‘the law of attraction’ doesn’t work all the time, positive visualization does have its merits.
The moment you start working on something, immerse yourself in positive thoughts and think that you would be creating the best masterpiece you’ve ever made. Totally believe in it!
Let the sweetness of that feeling surround and engulf you. This overwhelming positivity and belief will help you free away from self-doubts.
Your imagination will get a trigger and the ideas will start flowing. With all the positive thoughts, you will realize that inspiration, streams in.
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Don’t Overthink:
“When one is painting, one does not think” — Raphael
Even before we take on doing something, we immediately start thinking — ‘How will the result be’, ‘Will I get something out of it’, ‘What will people think about my work’, ‘Is it worth my time doing this?’ All these questions distract us from our main task and drift our focus on doubts.
Don’t let your mind wander in the alleys filled with worries and doubts and rather, focus your energy on the act of creating.
“Thinking is the enemy of creativity.” — Ray Bradbury
Enjoy the process of creating and give it your best:
Let every cell in your body commit to what you’re doing and surrender yourself completely to the activity. Feel the inexplicable joy in the process. When we wholeheartedly give ourselves to anything, it becomes an act of creativity. We become oblivious to our surroundings and it feels like a dream!
“What a delight this is! All this inventing, this producing, takes place in a pleasing, lively dream”. — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
So, submerge yourself completely into what you are doing and do it with full attention, interest, and devotion.
Break the shackles of Conditioning:
We become victim to what others have told us all our lives. Comments like — ‘you can’t do it because…’ ‘You are not talented enough’, ‘ It’s a waste of time..’ etc, keep playing at our subconscious level. One needs to identify these thoughts and not let them interfere with the creative process. Tell yourself, ‘no matter what, I will give it my best shot’.
During my school days, my mathematics teacher insulted me in front of the whole class, when I couldn’t answer a math question. She even told me that I should never attempt to take up anything in life which required calculations. From that day on I started believing that — ‘ I was terrible at math’. Even before I attempted anything with an open mind, I would think that- ‘ I will not be able to solve the problem sums as I was poor with math.’ That’s conditioning. My preconditioned mind did not let me even allow me to give an honest, unbiased attempt at solving the problems!
It takes time and effort to break free from the shackles of conditioning.
“One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them.”
― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
Imagination/ Rationality :
We are all taught to be rational and conforming to the ‘rules of the society’ and, it’s not always a bad thing. But, sometimes rationality and rules bind us down and tie our imagination. We need to be open to trying out whatever our heart wants, without worrying too much. Art is created from the heart and not from the mind.
If renaissance artists were too rational, the world would’ve out missed out on the freshness and newness of their styles. They were bold, expressive, and fearless. They chose imagination over rationality.
Sometimes what seems radical, might be transformational!
“Rules serve no purpose; they can only do harm. Not only should an artist’s mind be clear, it must also be free.” — Federico Zuccari
Don’t be in a hurry to finish:
Well, after coming such a long way, don’t start losing patience. Take breaks when required, but don’t start losing the grip and start slipping from your initial commitment. Hold on till the end. The end is, as important as the start.
Sometimes, we put in all the hard- work when we start the project and slowly start getting bored, or tired as time passes. In the beginning, there’s the zeal, vigor, and enthusiasm which, starts fizzling out towards the end. Don’t let this happen and remember, it’s the icing on the cake, which makes it most tempting!
Final Take:
Nothing comes without hurdles on the way. Remember — ‘Rome was not Built In a Day’. You need to keep going, keep trying. The more we practice the better we get at doing things and creativity is no exception to the rule.
We are all ‘Creative’. We need to believe in ourselves and be ready to express ourselves, there is that deeply hidden expression dying to come out. We need to set ourselves free and be open to surrendering ourselves to be taken over by that trance where whatever activity we perform, becomes creative!!
“In order for a writer to succeed, I suggest three things — read, write, and wait.” — Countee Cullen
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