Posts Tagged ‘creativity articles’
Courage and Creating
Doing anything creative often brings up fears, anxieties, insecurities. Courage may be defined as going ahead in spite of fear. But many creators not only live with their fears, they welcome them.
Fear is perhaps the most basic emotion we have. As Leonardo da Vinci reportedly said, “Fear arises sooner than anything else.” Writer Julia Cameron has commented that artists are often terrified. Being creative is venturing into the unknown, and it sets off emotional alarms.
Fear can show up, in various forms, at any stage of a creative project, and regardless of our level of talent or experience.
When she was told that Scholastic Press was paying a huge advance to publish her first Harry Potter book, J.K. Rowling said, “Most of me was just frozen in terror.”
Actor Nicole Kidman admits she has tried to get out of almost every film she has done “because of sheer terror. I can always come up with a list of actresses who would do better.”
Meryl Streep said she identified with “Adaptation” screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s insecurities. “You realize that everyone is just eaten up by that feeling,” she said.
Many writers and coaches talk about the destructive and limiting effects of fear, and what to do about it.
Dr. Judith Orloff, author of the book Positive Energy, says we are addicted to fear. and cautions it is “the biggest energy thief there is.” She counsels acknowledging any voice of fear in our head – “Thanks for sharing” – then moving awareness back to our heart.
Sandra Ford Walston, author of the book Courage: The Heart and Spirit of Every Woman, points out the cowardly lion of “The Wizard of Oz” actually had tremendous courage but was unable to perceive that quality in himself. She notes that people often do not recognize their everyday actions as courageous, especially women.
But is it always in our best interest as creators to “fight” fear?
Director Steven Spielberg has said, “I still have pretty much the same fears I had as a kid. I’m not sure I’d want to give them up; a lot of these insecurities fuel the movies I make.”
Many actors and other artists say they are drawn to projects that make them feel scared. Meryl Streep said of insecurity, “Maybe it’s a good thing. I hope it’s some sort of breaking down of whatever is familiar to you. Whatever is complacent, whatever is easy.”
American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron writes in her book The Places That Scare You: “To the extent that we stop struggling against uncertainty and ambiguity, to that extent we dissolve our fear.”
Psychologist Robert Maurer has worked with many successful writers and other creative people, and thinks fear may be an indispensable part of the creative process.
“Fear is good,” he says. “As children, fear is a natural part of our lives, but as adults we view fear as a disease. It’s not a disease.” He points out that a creative achievement, such as publishing your first novel, does not make fear go away.
He adds, “Your skill at being able to nourish yourself and give yourself permission to make mistakes and learn from them is your single greatest attribute as an artist and as a human being.” Philosopher Mary Daly notes we “learn courage by couraging.”
Doing what scares us can enable us to do more and be more.
Douglas Eby writes about psychological and social aspects of creative expression and achievement. His site has a wide range of articles, interviews, quotes and other material to inform and inspire: Talent Development Resources http://talentdevelop.com/
Tapping into Your Super Creative Power
Do you consider yourself creative? How about super creative? Most people may not think of themselves as creative, but I believe that everyone has the potential for great creativity. They just need a little understanding and practice.
Think of two parts of the mind: the conscious, and the subconscious. The conscious is the part that thinks. It’s the part that you are aware of. The subconscious handles everything else. Your bodily functions, sensory input, memories, feelings, associations, and more are all handled by the subconscious.
The subconscious is much more powerful than the conscious. The subconscious handles thousands of things every minute. The conscious mind can only focus on one. Even when you think you multi-task, you are actually switching your focus very quickly between different things.
The real power of creativity lies in the subconscious. Your creativity comes out of all the things you are not aware of — memories you don’t remember, things you have seen but have not noticed, and feelings within you that naturally occur. All of your new great ideas are lying inside of your subconscious, right now. The trick is in figuring out how to access them.
Most people have a lot of ‘gunk’ (no, that’s not a scientific term) inside of them. The first step towards getting to that creative subconscious part is to clear that gunk out of the way. So how does a person do that? There are many ways, but here we will talk about two common ways: meditating and Journaling.
Meditation has the reputation of being mystical and religious. For our purposes, meditation is just sitting in silence. This sounds simple, but it is very difficult. In our society we are constantly bombarded with input — TV, radio, the Internet, other people, etc. As a result, we never sit in silence with ourselves. When you first meditate, your mind will race. These thoughts are what’s in your conscious mind, and as long as they are there you are not getting in touch with your subconscious. The key here is to relax and let those thoughts go. This will seem impossible at first, but practice it. Start small, with 5 minutes a day, and work your way up.
Journaling is similar to meditating in that you are trying to get past conscious thoughts. Journaling is simply writing your thoughts down. Unlike keeping a diary, though, the kind of Journaling we are talking about it is free flow writing where your pen never stops moving and you don’t care about what you write. When you start, it is ok to write ‘I have nothing to write’ over and over until something comes up. Don’t censor yourself, and don’t let your pen stop. It is best to journal in the morning, before your conscious mind has been filled with events of the day. Journaling should be done by hand, not on the computer. When you write, try to fill three pages. The first page or two will be basic conscious stuff you need to get out of your mind. Filling three pages helps get past all that.
For a good deal more on Journaling, read ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron.
If you want to start tapping into your creativity, start clearing out your gunk. Start doing some meditating (sitting in silence) or morning Journaling everyday. It won’t have an immediate effect, but over time it will make you immensely powerful.
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Learn More: http://www.avishparashar.com
Free Creativity Mini-Course: http://www.avishparashar.com/creativity-free-minicourse.html
How To Entertain A Thought
After studying scores of great thinkers like Leonardo Da Vinci, I think I’ve stumbled upon what really set them apart from the rest of the folks living (and thinking) at the same time.
It’s remarkably simple. They learned how to entertain a thought.
Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Hmmm. To entertain a thought without accepting it.
We need to do that. Everyone needs to learn how to be good host or hostess to new ideas. In fact, our goal should be to become the Martha Stewart of mental entertaining!
What if you treated a new thought like a guest?
It’s easier to think about mental entertaining if we put together a to-do list, just like Martha. Here it is:
#1 Make the first move. First of all, you issue an invitation. Nothing fancy. You don’t have to make any major investment or lifelong commitment. You’re simply inviting this person in.
It’s the same with initiating the entertainment of an idea. You might see a quote on the side of a bus somewhere, and decide you’d like to explore that concept more deeply. Or, maybe you find yourself bumping into the same topic all the time, and so you make up your mind to learn more about it. Either way, you need to be ready to initiate the process. Don’t hide–you won’t meet new ideas if you scurry away whenever the doorbell rings.
#2 Prepare. Uh-oh. Your house is a mess. You’d better do some cleaning. You’re not really trying to impress, but hey, you could certainly do some sprucing up and get the place looking neat and inviting.
Prepare for a new thought in the same way. Make some space in your mind to think about something new. According to Deepak Chopra, the well-known author on health and longevity, the average human has 60,000 thoughts a day. Pretty impressive? Well, here’s the kicker: 57,000 of those are the same ones you had YESTERDAY! Now that’s some serious clutter! Get rid of a few of those dusty old thoughts and make room for new ones.
#3 Offer a warm greeting. When your new guest arrives, be warm and inviting. After all, you’re hoping to start a friendship. Put your best foot forward.
It’s the same with an idea. If you face it with skepticism, fear or detachment, you won’t be entertaining it for long. You’ll be eyeing your watch, yawning, or looking for a way to end the discussion early. You’ve got to be open and full of anticipation to prepare an environment in which new ideas will be explored and integrated fully. Just as it’s no fair making lame excuses or having your friend call to interrupt the visit, it’s also cheating to cut out too soon when it comes to entertaining an idea.
#4 Make introductions. This is the big one. You would certainly introduce your guest to everyone at the party, with a special effort to connect them to those with whom they may have something in common.
Any new idea you consider will be more likely to be welcomed if you actively and intentionally introduce it to your other ideas and interests. Look for unusual and inspired pairings. How does it fit? Where does it fit? DOES it fit? You won’t know until you try.
Picture Leonardo Da Vinci’s mental entertaining. His new idea, Human Flight, arrives, and immediately Leo sets about introducing him to others. “Human, meet my good friend, Engineering, and his lovely wife, Fabric Design. Oh, and have you met Bird Anatomy? She lives just around the corner from you. Oh, Dr. Entomology has arrived! Listen, Dr. E is absolutely brilliant, but a bit hard of hearing. Ask her about her recent work on the wings of insects! Now, you all make yourselves comfy and I’ll go get some more wine.”
What happened at that party? Leonardo threw these ideas together, and BAM! What emerged was the idea for a perfectly designed parachute as well as a remarkable helicopter–hundreds of years before the Wright brothers started building their flying machines! Talk about a soaring success! Don’t you wish you’d been there?
#5 Offer the best seat in the house. You usually sit in that nice chair there by the fireplace, but when a special guest comes over, you graciously offer it.
When you are entertaining a new thought, give it the consideration it deserves. Every time you think a new thought, your brain is actually creating a new neural pathway. It’s like a jungle in there, full of nerve endings and ganglia and all kinds of connections. Help it along. Make it comfortable.
Once you’ve considered an idea, that pathway is there. All you have to do to keep it “live” is to keep going down that path often enough to clear the trail, but not so often that it becomes a rut.
#6 Listen, inquire, and show interest. Ask questions. Dig a little deeper. Find the connections to other people, places, and activities. Learn as much as you can about your new idea.
#7 Relinquish control. Just like when you introduce guests to each other, you should not try to control the outcome. Some guests might hate each other on sight, while others click instantly. People might argue, or a married guest might sneak off to a back room with someone other than their partner. Anything can happen!
That’s not up to you. You’re having this party to offer an opportunity for people to connect. Make introductions, insert a few comments, smile and acknowledge everyone, but for the most part, just let things happen. Don’t direct the flow of ideas.
#8 Leave room for future possibilities. Even if you decide this guest of yours is insufferable, you don’t want to burn any bridges. Be gracious, and be glad you were excellent enough to offer the invitation.
You’re not going to like every idea that comes your way. And you might not find any other interest or idea that connects with it initially. That’s fine. You need to develop the ability to recognize useful concepts and distinguish valuable and valid ideas from those lacking a strong foundation. That’s what critical thinking is all about.
But you also need to file that idea away so that you can look it up if and when you DO meet a likely candidate for another gathering of thoughts.
There is a great deal of room for different styles of mental entertaining. Maybe you’re best at dealing with only two ideas at a time, or maybe you want to throw a huge bash and welcome all comers.
Entertain in whatever style suits you. Tete-a-tete or bacchanal–it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s happening.
Learn how to entertain a thought. With a little effort, you’ll become a perfect host or hostess to new ideas that come your way. And guess what? You’ll have no hangover, no cleaning up, and no regrets.
Party on!
Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse in Portland, Oregon. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she teaches fun and effective eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. To subscribe to her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, please visit http://www.MassageYourMind.com.
In between Luck & Effort
I have one magical thought, lets see it more closely. Just look around & try to find out peoples who are successful, in sense of reality, with no efforts. You will find none.
Now look around again & try to explore the peoples who are successful by morality of their efforts, and this you will find many.
Their distinctive efforts have certainly taken them ahead, may be in changeable degree.
People who believe only in luck shall be able to see opportunities in the mirrors.
People believing in efforts creates opportunities irrespective of circumstances, favorable or unfavorable to make a real picture / image. Luck is an unknown fruit which will we recieve unexpectedely after strong efforts.
So in between luck and efforts you must focus on the efforts most of the time.
I focus to my energy to get what I want; I know efforts is the right way, Luck wonders around the right way.
About The Author
Nilesh B Gore
Graphologist(Handwriting Analyst) & SW. Eng.
Email : ng411002@rediffmail.com
Web : http://www.brendynamics.com/gr
Country: India, Ms
Copyrights: © Nilesh B Gore.
In between Luck & Effort
I have one magical thought, lets see it more closely. Just look around & try to find out peoples who are successful, in sense of reality, with no efforts. You will find none.
Now look around again & try to explore the peoples who are successful by morality of their efforts, and this you will find many.
Their distinctive efforts have certainly taken them ahead, may be in changeable degree.
People who believe only in luck shall be able to see opportunities in the mirrors.
People believing in efforts creates opportunities irrespective of circumstances, favorable or unfavorable to make a real picture / image. Luck is an unknown fruit which will we recieve unexpectedely after strong efforts.
So in between luck and efforts you must focus on the efforts most of the time.
I focus to my energy to get what I want; I know efforts is the right way, Luck wonders around the right way.
About The Author
Nilesh B Gore
Graphologist(Handwriting Analyst) & SW. Eng.
Email : ng411002@rediffmail.com
Web : http://www.brendynamics.com/gr
Country: India, Ms
Copyrights: © Nilesh B Gore.
Achieving Limitless Creativity
There are many out there who wish to help individuals achieve limitless creativity. Such a noble endeavor to help fellow man; some creativity coaches are indeed working to set out simple principles which can help any individual get to that space. They are stead fast in their mission. One such gentleman I recently met was Dr. Nick Arrizza. He said;
“It is my hope to bring individuals back to an experience of their true and limitless creative abilities and to their human essence. Sadly this has been lost and much to the detriment of the human endeavour.”
I have rarely run across such a man on a mission to heal the world. So I decided to read his many articles and step-by-step methodology about how one might go about this. He has several papers on these websiteas;
http://www.telecoaching4U.com
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nick_Arrizza
Well indeed. This is one major issue and important factor, which has impeded human civilization, a repeating one in fact which needs to end for us to get to the next step, I could not agree more. There are other factors as well. As society gets more complex without a major increase in biological evolution, we are stuck with an animal inside trying to mask our innate tendencies and still function as a whole and contiguous grouping. Problems arise when we train humans to do, instead of think so they can operate and function in the present period of incremental complexity. Some cannot do it. Not because they do not have the genetic material to do it, but because we have pre-conditioned them to be worker bees instead of thinking souls. Indeed it is necessary to have folks monitor the flows of the system without screwing it up using a protocol of known safety and reliability in the infrastructures and flows of the system. But we also need those who create the system, revamp it and realign it when it is too unnecessarily complex and fails to serve us. For instance: Health Care, legal, government leadership, educational system, etc, etc. These are opinions and observations entirely of my own, upon reading Dr. Nick Arrizza’s works. It might behoove you to read his works to see where your mindset is.
Dr. Arrizza is an interesting person with some simple formulas which could help millions if not billions of people in the world come to a better understanding of their surroundings and minds and in doing so be more creative, productive and achieve such happiness as is their innate desire to achieve. At least this is the feeling I get when I read his articles. If he can do that for the world; Imagine what he can do for you? Think about it.
“Lance Winslow” – If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
The 7 Simple Steps To Harnessing Your Creative Power And Achieving Incredible Success
Let me repeat what I believe is the most powerful and fundamental knowledge available to man:
“YOU CAN CREATE ANY ACTUAL PHYSICAL REALITY YOU WANT THROUGH THE INTENSE DESIRE, BELIEF AND PERSISTENCE OF YOUR MIND”
Your desire for success brought this knowledge to you at this very moment, there is no doubt of that. But do you know how to harness it? To wield the power it makes available?
Every great man and woman to ever walk the Earth harnessed this knowledge and wielded a power that allowed them to exceed the limitations of regular humanity.
But if the power of creation is available to all of us, why is it only a small few ever achieve greatness?
Because only a few know how to harness this knowledge and wield the incredible power it makes available.
Do you know how? No?
Well listen up because you’re about to learn.
The information contained in the rest of this article has the power to change your life forever….
The 7 Steps To Harnessing Your Creative Power And Achieving incredible Success
Follow the 7 steps to the letter and I GUARANTEE, your success will exceed the limitations of regular humanity.
Are you ready? Here we go:
STEP 1: Decide exactly what or how much money you want, not just “a lot” or “heaps”. For example my present goal is $69,300/month. It doesn’t have to be money here, it can be anything you desire.
And who knows, perhaps by the time you read this article I have already exceeded this goal and set a new one. Notice my goal is specific.
STEP 2: Decide exactly what your willing to give in order to achieve your dreams; as in time, money and effort.
STEP 3: Decide on a specific date for achieving your goal. Month and year.
STEP 4: Decide on a specific plan. You must have a plan, without one you cannot TAKE ACTION. http://007WorkFromHome.com is a great place to start your education.
STEP 5: (IMPORTANT) Write a clear “Promise” of:
-the amount of money you will make
-the time limit for getting it
-what you intend to give in order to get it
-and the plan by which you aim to get it
STEP 6: (MOST IMPORTANT) read your “Promise” aloud twice a day. Once after getting up and once before going to bed. As you read it – see, feel and believe yourself already making that money using the plan you have chosen.
STEP 7: For 1 minute after reading your “Promise” (or longer if you can) close your eyes and see yourself following your plan and the money actually already in your possession as a result.
Mix it with strong emotion; excitement, happiness, sense of achievement, self-admiration. The stronger the emotional cocktail the more potent your success will be.
That’s it. I have just put into your hands the magic to create anything you ever dreamed of.
But remember, if you want to succeed you must have a plan. Do you have a plan?
Please follow all 7 steps I outlined above, they are not nonsense, but an incredibly potent process.
I VERY SERIOUSLY want you to be successful and happy beyond your wildest dreams.
I know you can do it!
By Murray Hughes
http://www.007workfromhome.com/harnessing-your-power.php
Learn how to easily build your own Internet marketing business from the ground up from a long-time marketer giving away his experience for nothing. A Warehouse of Internet Marketing Knowledge at no cost, EVER! Home Based Businesses
Finding A Little Adventure
I have had more than my share of exciting times and I’m grateful for every one of them.
There was the time the bear came into camp at 11:00 p.m. and we listened to him consume two weeks worth of food for two people and a dog in only six hours. At 5:00 a.m., when it became obvious he had run out of goodies, we paddled our canoe out on to a very dark lake. He was still there when we went back at 7:00 to try to recover some of our gear. Probably because he’d also managed to polish off a flask of Kahula. And the time I was paddling solo on a large Canadian lake. The wind came up so strongly it was impossible for me to get to shore. I just held my own for several hours. After dark I was briefly grateful to land on an island I thought would be my refuge only to find it had been recently consumed by fire and there was no place to even sit down, let alone set camp. I’ve spent countless hours walking my canoe through low water rapids, carefully calculating each step, taking minutes to move 10 feet forward. And I can still barely think about the time I flooded my Jeep in a beaver pond.
People are always saying to me “I wish I was that adventurous” when they listen to my stories. But I’d like to make a distinction. Don’t go to the dictionary, this is my distinction and I’m being a bit contrary again.
To me, adventure requires only awe, inspiration and appreciation. Seeing a black bear and her cubs walk a cliff on the opposite side of a lake from where I’m camped is adventure. Having a bear in camp is an adrenaline-induced learning situation. Quietly watching a moose as he steps into a lake on an early foggy morning is adventure. Having that same moose block my passage while paddling a narrow creek is an adrenaline-induced learning situation.
I’ll never stop going into the wilds and exposing myself to the risks that sometimes come. I have to admit that I’m a recovering adrenaline junkie and occasionally need a fix. But in my day-to-day life, adventure is merely an attitude to take action in order to inspire awe, appreciation and inspiration. It’s a choice to not look at something the same old way but to approach it with curiosity. Adventure helps me write this newsletter, adrenaline just gives me good campfire stories.
The Top Ten Ways to Add a Little Adventure
10. Find a Creek and Follow It. Upstream, downstream, it doesn’t matter.
About The Author
Deb Martin is a Transition Coach, coaching individuals to simplify life business transitions by seeing their brilliance and honing that brilliance. Subscribe to her free e-newsletter, PORTAGE, for insights designed to help you feel and act differently in order to attract what you want, naturally. Please visit her web site at: http://www.portagecoach.com/newsletter.html to subscribe.
