Why You Can’t Think Creatively
you are stressed and you are probably not aware of it.
Stress narrows your attention.
While Creativity gets nurtured from a place of open attention
Therefore Stress kills your possibility to think creatively.
Previously unrelated thoughts can only combine (creativity) by your mind if your attention can hold polarities.
I am not the one to argue that stress is inevitably bad for you.
a narrow focus of attention is what gets work done.
But the inability to open that focal point up will only get stuck, trying to outwork the problems you have created.
Imagine being in a pitch-black room and trying to explore it with just a laser pointer. You can only see one single point illuminated by the laser.
You can walk towards that point, but you might stumble a few times before reaching it. Once you reach that point, what’s next?
You could redirect the laser in another direction and start stumbling in that direction.
What if someone suddenly switched on the light for a second?
During that brief illumination, you could observe the entire room and become aware of its obstacles and surroundings, and the direction you want to go in.
After that brief illumination, a small dot in the darkness would be enough to keep walking or dancing because you know where you want to go.
This concept is known in psychology as the idea of “spotlight” or “lantern consciousness.”
It’s similar with creativity.
Creativity requires the unconscious processing of information (rest) for it to be put in order (work).
Stress narrows the mind into familiar paths.
Its purpose is to channel your actions into previously acquired patterns to ensure swift action.
Deloading allows for the mind to channel learned inputs effectively.
bursts of intensity, followed by periods of rest is the secret
a chronic state of stress with short bursts of rest is the norm.
Creativity unfolds outside of norms.
You might not even realize that you are “stressed” because you are stuck in thinking.
Narrow-mindedness cannot be Self-Aware — it is self-reinforcing
you will only realize that you were stuck in thinking in retrospect, after you’ve had an opportunity to experience a different state of consciousness.
The ideal formula for creativity is this:
Intentional Input (learning) plus
Unconscious processing (rest) plus
effortless output (flow)
equals Creativity.
Flow is the experience of effortless output from deeply internalized knowledge or experience.
You are likely focusing only on the input and output of the equation — Learning and producing.
not the part that is necessary for unconscious competence — Rest and open awareness.
By choosing to limit your attention to a narrow part of experience you force your mind in a chronic situation of stress.
Fortunately, this is a trainable skill.
Here are a few high-leverage tips to allow your brain to think more creatively when it really matters.
Read Books.
Long-form content is the most effective way to change the way your mind approaches thinking about a certain topic.
Read books about unusual topics and differing opinions if you want your mind to think differently.
Practice Open Awareness
Meditation doesn’t have to be limited to a narrow focus. You don’t have to concentrate solely on your breath, a single mantra, or anything else. Although these practices can be beneficial, you can also train your attention to focus on everything else besides what you’re currently paying attention to.
If you have a thought, that’s fine. But what else is happening in your mind? What are you feeling? What are you not feeling? Can you hear all the sounds around you? Can you see everything in your peripheral vision, instead of just one thing?
Become aware of all your sensory experiences and sit with that.
I’ve written an article on how to take your meditation to the next level.
also here 10-minute Meditation on open awareness.
Travel
Few things in life give grown-ups opportunities to live in AWE.
New Environments, languages, and food are probably the easiest way to walk around with your attention wide open, like a baby, focusing on everything else but the things you would have put your attention to in familiar environments (likely thinking about thinking).
Find Opportunities for these experiences if you want to be more creative.
