THE POWER OF CREATIVITY AND HOW TO UNLOCK ITS POTENTIAL
SEE DIFFERENTLY
THINK EXPANSIVELY
EXPLORE NEW IDEAS
Creativity is the transformation of an idea into reality, and is the energy behind the inspiration that turns our personal, internal light on. Creativity is self-expression in motion. Some of us connect more deeply with it than others. Creativity is weaved within us, incorporating a dynamic and innovative part of our being that helps bring fulfillment and meaning to our lives.
Solving a challenging problem whose solution has long eluded you or developing a novel or innovative idea, service, or product that brings value to others are additional examples of creativity in action.
Ultimately, designing and manifesting the life you desire is the highest expression of creativity and requires intention, skill, and active participation. It requires looking at your life from different angles, both widely and deeply.
CREATIVITY SPARKS OUR SOUL!
Deep within our souls is an internal voice reminding us of our purpose and raison d'être. Rooted in inspiration and imagination, creativity is worthy of exploration and strengthening. Here's why:
A conscientious effort to connect with and expand creativity will lead to greater clarity; to seeing the big picture. You will access a panoramic view of the important areas of your life. Creativity coupled with daydreaming can give rise to the much appreciated Eureka Effect, also known as the Aha! Moment. All of a sudden, a new understanding or solution emerges. You finally get something that you couldn't see before.
2. STRESS BUSTER
Stress negatively impacts creativity. The effects of prolonged, unchecked stress include many health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and susceptibility to infections. Add cognitive concerns such as foggy thinking and memory problems to the list and the result is suboptimal executive functioning (a collective term defining the regions of the frontal and prefrontal lobes responsible for core competencies such as planning, focusing, organizing, problem solving, and decision making).
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING FATIGUE (EFF)
I have coined my own term for suboptimal executive functioning that seems to apply in cases in which prolonged stress is an issue—> EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING FATIGUE (EFF). More and more individuals are reporting having difficulty focusing, starting and/or completing tasks and projects, and planning and organizing their day. These difficulties appear to be the direct result of an unsustainable schedule that one has attempted to maintain over a protracted period of time. The final result is a system that basically collapses upon itself.
When stressed or experiencing EFF, creativity will be directly impacted. Also, when feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of life, we typically do not gravitate toward productive solutions. Rather than to engage, stepping forth into creativity, we often disengage, stepping backward into over-eating, drinking, thinking, and any other over that does not support the life we're desiring.
Creative activities place you and your brain directly in the zone or flow state, which is a coveted location.
Hobbies and activities that enhance creativity include:
- Drawing, painting, coloring
- Interior and exterior designing
- Solving/assembling puzzles (word and/or jigsaw)
- Writing, journaling
- Knitting, crocheting
- Playing a musical instrument, singing, song writing
- Dancing
- Scrapbooking
- Cooking
3. FOR INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
The more you invite creativity into your life, the more open and active your mind will be in attracting and engaging uplifting thoughts and feelings, and the greater clarity you will have with the circumstances affecting your life. Focus enhances productivity. It's easy to become and stay motivated when feeling inspired and productive.
When your inner light or life force is powered on full, motivation becomes a commodity that simply refuels itself. Also, other than a good work-out, is there a better distractor when feeling discouraged, frustrated, or lonely than to engage in a creative activity? Flowing into the creativity zone will lift your spirits and keep upsetting emotions and thoughts at bay, even if just temporarily. We need to take a break from problems. This break may help push the re-set button that potentially re-aligns you with your higher purpose and calling.
THE COGNITIVE ANGLE OF CREATIVITY
The executive functions, our brain's control or supervisory center, play a role in creativity and creative thinking. The latter involves making new connections and seeing patterns between different concepts and ideas, which leads to neuroscience's most interesting and fairly recent discovery- neuroplasticity.
Neuroscientists challenged the long held assumption that our brain, our operating system, is rigid and that in adulthood, few changes take place. We now know that the brain, with its approximately 86 billion neurons, is able to change, create new neural pathways, and reorganize itself in response to life experiences. Our brain's ability to continue to be shaped, molded or altered provides new hope and is one of the most exciting and wide-reaching discoveries in modern day science. Creativity is key to neuroplasticity.
NEURAL PLASTICITY
The brain's ability to change through
growth and re-organization.
New pathways lead to new connections.
Two types of thinking critical to the discussion of creativity are convergent and divergent. The latter, divergent thinking, often takes center stage. Intuitively, this makes sense as this type of thinking involves brainstorming and thinking outside of the box. From one, we create many.
In contrast, convergent thinking involves taking a large array of information and consolidating it metaphorically back into the box. It's logical, organized, and efficient. One expands while the other eliminates and restricts. They balance each other well. For example, when writing, expanding on thoughts and ideas precedes editing, organizing, revising, and proof-reading. Simultaneously combining both processes, divergent and convergent thinking, will significantly slow any creative endeavor.
To stimulate divergent thinking:
- brainstorm
- journal
- ask more and better questions
- mindmap
- create more content than you will need
To stimulate convergent thinking:
- review ideas generated during divergent thinking activity
- critically determine which ideas need to be removed or moved to the back burner
- of the remaining ideas, organize them into themes
- rank and prioritize
- edit, revise, and improve
- repeat process until creative project is complete
CREATIVITY BLOCKERS
To unlock creativity’s potential,
you must first unblock it
and then confidently unleash it.
Creativity takes courage. A poor self-image, negative self-talk and/or imposter syndrome will derail expressions of creativity, as will an overwhelmed mind and lifestyle. 1. Your Brain is Always Listening
What you tell yourself matters. What you believe matters. One of the greatest offenders of our running internal dialogue is a condition called comparisonitis. Insidious and disturbing; at first it appears innocuous, but then it rapidly gains speed and engulfs you. You start seeing yourself as not good enough, while the growing perception is that others are living better, happier and more successful lives.
Just by lowering, or better yet, muting the volume of this nonsensical inner dialogue, you will feel better.
Comparing yourself to others will do more to erode your self esteem and sense of worth than almost any other negative self-talk. Without the comparison of what you should be doing, look like, accomplish, and attract, and the imposed time line of by when this should happen, you will feel a lot more peaceful.
As founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Albert Ellis, so eloquently stated
Stop should-ing all over yourself!
If this applies to you, then heed Dr. Ellis' sage advice.
2. Imposter Syndrome
Feeling like a fraud, who will soon be discovered, despite personal competence, education, experience, and accomplishment is a familiar phenomenon, appropriately coined Imposter Syndrome.
Over time, it can fuel a cycle of anxiety and depression. It's closely tied to perfectionism.
Since perfectionism and procrastination positively correlate, it isn't difficult to understand why a talented individual with imposter syndrome would suppress creative expression and never launch deeply held hopes and dreams. Scrutiny, critique, and exposure are risks that are simply too great, and therefore sheltering and functioning below the radar become comfortable, but unfortunately over time, unsatisfying.
3. Lack of Focus
Focus, an important mental asset, is directed attention. It is your primary pathway to entering into your flow state, or getting into the zone (as mentioned earlier). When your attention is in the present moment and on-task, you experience optimal cognitive functioning and peak performance. Creativity becomes available. The first step in enhancing focus is to minimize distractions.
Declutter & Organize your space:
Our brains operate better in an uncluttered & organized environment, as this helps to eliminate or drastically reduce visual distractions.
Minimalization is an asset.
Manage Digital Notifications:
When you need to study or apply deep, focused thinking (such as when starting a creative project), remove interruptions. Each and every time you divert your attention, even for just seconds, to look at your phone or device, you will require minutes of re-focusing time to get back to the task at hand. You are interrupting your flow state.
These minutes add up, and the back-and-forth shifting will quickly tire your brain and curb creativity.
CREATIVITY BLOCKERS
To unlock creativity’s potential,
you must first unblock it
and then confidently unleash it.
Creativity takes courage. A poor self-image, negative self-talk and/or imposter syndrome will derail expressions of creativity, as will an overwhelmed mind and lifestyle.
1. Your Brain is Always Listening
What you tell yourself matters. What you believe matters. One of the greatest offenders of our running internal dialogue is a condition called comparisonitis. Insidious and disturbing; at first it appears innocuous, but then it rapidly gains speed and engulfs you. You start seeing yourself as not good enough, while the growing perception is that others are living better, happier and more successful lives.
Comparing yourself to others will do more to erode your self esteem and sense of worth than almost any other negative self-talk. Without the comparison of what you should be doing, look like, accomplish, and attract, and the imposed time line of by when this should happen, you will feel a lot more peaceful.
As founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Albert Ellis, so eloquently stated
Stop should-ing all over yourself!
If this applies to you, then heed Dr. Ellis' sage advice.
2. Imposter Syndrome
Feeling like a fraud, who will soon be discovered, despite personal competence, education, experience, and accomplishment is a familiar phenomenon, appropriately coined Imposter Syndrome.
Over time, it can fuel a cycle of anxiety and depression. It's closely tied to perfectionism.
Since perfectionism and procrastination positively correlate, it isn't difficult to understand why a talented individual with imposter syndrome would suppress creative expression and never launch deeply held hopes and dreams. Scrutiny, critique, and exposure are risks that are simply too great, and therefore sheltering and functioning below the radar become comfortable, but unfortunately over time, unsatisfying.
3. Lack of Focus
Focus, an important mental asset, is directed attention. It is your primary pathway to entering into your flow state, or getting into the zone (as mentioned earlier). When your attention is in the present moment and on-task, you experience optimal cognitive functioning and peak performance. Creativity becomes available. The first step in enhancing focus is to minimize distractions.
Declutter & Organize your space:
Our brains operate better in an uncluttered & organized environment, as this helps to eliminate or drastically reduce visual distractions.
Minimalization is an asset.
Manage Digital Notifications:
When you need to study or apply deep, focused thinking (such as when starting a creative project), remove interruptions. Each and every time you divert your attention, even for just seconds, to look at your phone or device, you will require minutes of re-focusing time to get back to the task at hand. You are interrupting your flow state.
These minutes add up, and the back-and-forth shifting will quickly tire your brain and curb creativity.
MINDFULLY CREATE THROUGH MEDITATION
Adding a mindful meditation practice, if you don't already have one, is recommended to help you achieve a heightened state of awareness and focused attention, and to help you slow down; to go inwardly, accessing deeper insights. In contrast to a time-out, it's more of a time-in.
- Sit or lie comfortably.
- Focus your attention on your breath and how your body moves with each inhalation and exhalation.
- Breathe naturally.
- Notice when your mind and thoughts wander and bring your attention back to your breath.
If meditating to access creativity, allow for the inevitability of your mind wandering, and gently observe where it goes. If the wandering is more of a distraction than a creative flow, then the following SELF-INQUIRY PROMPT can be used to bring your mind back to your creative flow:
Why is this an important self-inquiry? To invite or enhance creativity, you must resist the urge to live the same life day-in and day-out. To keep life stimulating and creative juices flowing, stepping out of your comfort zone becomes necessary.
For many adults, the last time they did anything for the first time was so long ago that many cannot remember and come up with an example. While routines are good and create stability, too much of a structured lifestyle can lead to boredom and dullness. Remember neuroplasticity? Dullness is not ideal for an evolving and healthy brain. To increase creativity, add novelty.
It's habit -forming.
It leads to more creativity.
It changes your brain chemistry to calm.
If for any reason you believe you need additional support to help with a negative self-narrative, imposter syndrome, or executive functioning fatigue, then do not hesitate to reach out for help and consult with a mental health professional who is trained and experienced in these matters. With so many offering telehealth and virtual services these days, reaching out for help has never been easier and more convenient. Invest in yourself. Invest in your mental health.
If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more, then let's connect:
FACEBOOK: Marie Therese Rogers
LIFE IN FOCUS
Atlantic Behavioral Health Professionals
LINKEDIN: Marie T. Rogers, Ph.D.
INSTAGRAM: Mariethereserogers
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