Become more creative
In more and more occupations, creativity is part of the job description. Whether you are trying to reconcile conflicting stakeholder priorities, finding a solution to a customer’s issue, or launching a new product line, your solution probably won’t come out of a textbook. But it’s hard to keep having great ideas day after day. What do you do when you run out of good ideas? How do you “get your mojo back”?
Creativity is about way more than just ideas. When we meditate — when we rest in awareness — we are resting in creativity; we are creating the conditions to move through life effortlessly, from one situation to the next, with a sense of freedom. With this, there comes a sense of purpose with fluidity, and a sense of direction with ease. Everything changes and we change with it. Through the eyes of meditation, this is what it means to be creative, whether or not you are creating ideas or a piece of work.
Creativity and the brain
Many of us have heard of “left brain vs right brain.” The left brain is practical, logical, analytical, and rational. The right brain is where we dive deep to access our more conceptual, imaginative, and innovative thoughts. Western psychology has taught us that in order to be creative, we have to tap into the subconscious parts of the right brain, as if this is some kind of golden archive filled with creative material.
In meditation, this isn’t the case. There is just the one mind. Granted, we don’t always notice some of the creative thoughts bubbling away, but they are there — in the very same place as our conscious thoughts. They are not stored in a separate compartment. There is no special key.
Can meditation make us more creative?
There is a meaningful relationship between meditation and creativity. Creativity uses the mind as a whole, and meditation helps strengthen the mind in order to bring about more creativity. So how do we become more aware of the creative thoughts bubbling beneath the surface? Well, think of the mind as a lake. When busy, every active thought impacts the surface like a pebble tossed into the water. The more thoughts, the more overlapping ripples. Before we know it, the surface of this lake (our mind) is full of movement. The lake has lost its stillness.
Beneath the rippling surface is where our creative, inspired thoughts lie — they are just harder to see because they are obscured by all the surface movement. Using meditation for creativity can calm the surface and help us discover what lies beneath. It’s then that our creative inspiration has the room to float to the top and be seen. Training the mind with meditation for creativity and focus can teach it to find the spaciousness that our creativity requires to thrive.
In the end, the only way to really see whether you like mindfulness meditation is to try it yourself. Follow the instructions below.
Find a place where you won’t be disturbed.
Sit in a comfortable position and set a timer.
Gently close your eyes.
Ask yourself what you are currently experiencing, and observe your feelings, sensations, and thoughts.
Shift your attention to your body and spend a moment or two zooming in on the sensations in places that touch the chair or floor.
Shift attention to your belly and observe your sensations. Focus on how it extends and falls with every breath.
Observe your breathing some more without changing it.
At some moment, your mind will naturally wander away.
When you realize that your mind is no longer in the present, recognize it as a moment of awareness and shift your attention back to your breathing.
Now focus on your whole body, observing your posture and face. When you are ready — or when the timer reminds you that you should get back to work — open your eyes.
If you’re ready to put those creative muscles to work, it’s time to try a creative visualization guided meditation. Whether you’re tapping into your creative juices for the purpose of writing or art, or you’re trying to creatively problem-solve, this enhancing creativity guided meditation may help. Take a moment to get comfortable, keeping the body upright and relaxed. Eyes gently opened, with a soft focus as you become aware of your surroundings.
Reference:
https://www.headspace.com/meditation/creativity