Creativity, How To

[scarlettsmum]

Recently I was thinking why it is so hard for me to be creative? I feel like I almost need a manual or a step by step process how to. Something that should come so natural seems like such an effort. I'm finding myself consuming too much, be it absorbing other people's work, books, info or just simply spending money but when it comes to do something of my own I'm stuck. I don't know where to start. And if I get an idea then I often don't feel motivated enough to follow through. It just seems so much easier to consume. Does it mean I didn't find something I'm really passionate about yet? Or does it simply mean that creativity requires effort? What is your experience? Do you need to make an effort to be creative?

 

[Wagner83]

Of course and anything of value will require an effort. Lowering one's expectations is nice as well.

 

[dookie]

You seem to be over-thinking this. Which could be a sign of low brain energy, or low dopamine. It causes the analytical state. Caffeine immediately helps creativity and brain energy.

 

[Constatine]

Recently I was thinking why it is so hard for me to be creative? I feel like I almost need a manual or a step by step process how to. Something that should come so natural seems like such an effort. I'm finding myself consuming too much, be it absorbing other people's work, books, info or just simply spending money but when it comes to do something of my own I'm stuck. I don't know where to start. And if I get an idea then I often don't feel motivated enough to follow through. It just seems so much easier to consume. Does it mean I didn't find something I'm really passionate about yet? Or does it simply mean that creativity requires effort? What is your experience? Do you need to make an effort to be creative?

In my experience creativity requires you to NOT put effort in. Creativity stems from a very emotional part of the brain, it can not be forced, only felt. This is why schools can never promote creativity, because true and great creativity is not a logical process at all. What algorithms and puzzle solving is to the logical part of the brain, creativity is to the emotional part of the brain. Try to feel more and not think. If you have problems invoking strong emotions then you need to improve dopamine receptor sensitivity (though this is a very oversimplified solution as emotions are complex are involved in many neurological systems). To improve emotional (or dopamine receptor) sensitivity avoid binging on any sort of technology (TV, youtube, social media), have less sexual experiences or practice periods of abstinence (this greatly increases the motivational part of the brain and will create emotional depth), meditate but do so properly as many people actually find meditation stressful, be outside often in the sun, do less problem solving, avoid recreational drugs (alcohol included.) as long as it doesn't interfere with you thirst for fun, live a rich life with many friends (pretty obvious advice), and of course reduce serotonin (LSD promotes creativity for a reason). There are also many supplements that improve dopamine receptor density in the brain but emotions are complex and predicting exactly what dopamine receptors to increase and how much to increase it is tedious.
Note that you should really never try to be creative, it should come naturally. But if you find it impossible to be creative due to the way your brain is trained then the above steps can be taken to condition your brain to be creative without effort. In my experience creativity is heavily associated with mental being and emotional intensity, thus increases in creativity are signs that your brain is becoming more healthy.

 

[Wagner83]

I don't agree with this, one can always imagine the misunderstood artist who has spikes of creativity in the middle of the night and ponder the value of life while drinking alcohol during the day, but for the most part it is a discipline kind of thing. Also do you want to be creative to stroke your ego or do you actually enjoy the process of creating as opposed to the results?
"The artist's way" (interesting book to work on your question, more like a course) gives some interesting ideas, like writing down three pages each morning when you wake up, write whatever crosses your mind without judging.

 

[Amazoniac]

Since everything requires energy, if you have it beyond what's needed to cover the basics, then it starts to be a matter of priorities.
I'm surprised that TVs still exist, but it's more or less related; arriving home exausted, all you need is to relax, and being guided is the best way to relax when there's not enough energy.
People who overconsume usually think that they are not ready yet, so it's more like a self-trust issue than anything. To feel competent you must feel that state of readiness to act that Ray talks about.
The discipline thing is probably because they act with commitment to their purpose, if you don't have one in mind (even if it's just for the sake of being recognized for something), mere discipline would be a pointless burden.
Above all, reducI mean, keep tarmandering!

 

[Emstar1892]

Do you wish to be academically creative, or artistically creative? In my opinion curiosity is the fundamental prerequisite for creativity.

So if you wish to be academically creative you could focus on the following: what are you curious about? What ideas are you dissatisfied with, and why? Which theories fail to convince you? Which disciplines do you tend to disregard, and why? To which disciplines do you attribute high value, and why? Intuitively, what would you replace the dissatisfactory ideas with, or how would you show them to be faulty? How would you improve upon those which impress you?

If you wish to be artistically creative, you might focus on the following: why do you feel compelled to create something? What outcome are you hoping to make manifest? Do you wish to satisfy yourself, or to impress others? Do you wish to express something new and profound, or clarify something that is already within you? Do you want to be creative to enhance your future or your present?

I am a philosopher of science so when I try to be creative in my writings I take a very long (3-4 hour) walk on my own, and just think about ideas that interest me, or that annoy me. I think deeply about what makes them seem suspect, or faulty, and eventually a new idea falls into place. Other than walking a long bath is also a great setting for generating new ideas :)

 

[RutgerD]

Allow me to chime in, when I graduated art school i did my dissertation on play through many prismas. The overal consencus was/is is that art is akin to play. The surrealist where largely motivated by a passion for play. For the surrealist the world is a network of extraerdinary analogies where all objects and ideas are connected. Therefore inspiration isn't something that just happens while you wait for it, but can be forced. They devised many games to explore this, like automatic writing and a game called "the exquisite corpse". Also remember when we play we apply rules, which give form to our play. We play because because it is a game, the purpose of play is playing itself. the purpose isnt what is dictated by the rules. The german philosopher Gadamer calls this the illusion of a purpose. The problem ofcourse is that play isnt that obvious in art, simply because discipline and skill are needed. This question burdened me writing my dissertation and I did found a somewhat reasonable explanation. I would say that, yes, you do need to learn skills and be disciplined to be more "creative". In the spirit of play you expand it by applying new rules and omit others. The other quite common question would be "ok, then what is considered work and when is it play" Again this is something which require some mental gymnastics, and I found its when you have a image in your head which you would want to create. It is play when you use this as an illusion of play, a somewhat motivation to do create it, but when you insist on requiring a definitive material result than it clearly is arbeit, work.

I cannot speak much on biology and creativity, but am learning quickly.

 

[Makrosky]

First of all, what happens if you are not "creative" ? **** it. Why do you have to be "creative" ? This is a modern dogma that internet and Tv and basically all mainstream culture tries to push to us "you have to be creative". To the hell with that. Rebel against it, just so you don't introject the foreign orders in your super-ego, so to speak. Very american idea... that you have to be perfect : good mom, good mentor, good worker, happy, motivated, have traveled around the world, always with good energy aaaaandd... on top of that... creative! for christ sake what a load of bull****.

Second, what do you understand creativity is ? Creating art, ? The human being IS creative at all levels and in all aspects of life. When you think about nutritional/supplemental strategies to help your daughter's autism, YOU are being creative. You can't avoid it.

Third, have you tried smoking a joint ?

I also agree with what others said in the thread. I think serotonin is anticreative also. So anything that lowers it, can help. Of course improving metabolism improves creativity because it improves everything.

I'm just giving you some different points of view.

 

[RutgerD]

You seem to be over-thinking this. Which could be a sign of low brain energy, or low dopamine. It causes the analytical state. Caffeine immediately helps creativity and brain energy.

When one is already familiar with certain materials/techniques there doesnt seem to be a point where your brain switches to the analytical thinking mode, only when problems arise there will be.

 

[denise]

This is a subject near and dear to my heart, because it's been a lifelong struggle for me, as well. I have a very strong pull toward creativity but some equally powerful blocks against it. Some of the biggest blocks:
- Fear. Can I even do this? Will it suck? Will people see it and realize how uncreative I really am?
- Lack of habit/momentum. This is where discipline comes in. Especially if fear is a factor, you've gotta create a habit around it, otherwise it just isn't going to happen. I can't remember the name of the author who said that he only writes when the muse speaks to him, and it just so happens that the muse speaks to him every morning at 9 am when he sits down to his computer.
@Wagner83 's suggestion about The Artist's Way is a good one. If you want to cultivate creativity, that's a great place to start (as long as you don't just consume the book but actually do the exercises).
- Lack of understanding. What is creativity? It's easy to think of music, painting, writing, etc., but there are many ways to be creative, for example creative problem solving or synthesis of ideas.

So getting rid of any fear and of useless definitions and then establishing a daily habit of some kind might be helpful to you.

 

[member 2106]

Read the Schopenhauer essay "On Thinking for Yourself". Very relevant.

Essays of Schopenhauer, by Arthur Schopenhauer : Thinking for Oneself.

Some great replies here. What Amazoniac says should be heeded. I think it's worthwhile to consume less, which will free up more space and time to "think for yourself". I rarely read books any more, unless I have a burning desire to do so, because it's a substitute for genuine creativity much of the time.

 

[RutgerD]

Oh yeh, many artists actually fear showing a work and rather not do it, some even go to great lenghts to destroy their own earlier work which they are dissatisfied with. It is quite fascinating actually. Luckily you don't have to show anyone anytime anything. I still require absolute privacy when I'm working creatively as it is a very private thing.

 

[tyler]

I suffered from the same issue. I have always been a creative person- yes it was always an effort, but the "want" to put that effort forward was always there. So in that sense it wasn't a struggle, but it always took work. When I became hypothyroid, that diminished. And one of the first things that came back to me, once restoring my physical health, was my desire to act creatively.
If you're still suffering physically, I would put your focus on that and cease to burden yourself with the guilt of not being creative. That will follow the physical health.

 

[Wagner83]

I think in any case there should not be any guilt, whether or not you are creative does not matter. However longing for something that is not happening or does not exist creates plenty of troubles (and this is an easy and yet difficult step) . This is true for a lot of things in life (expectations, hopes etc..). Pondering great ideas, idealistic activities, grand hopes while being immobile is not, in my experience, positive at all.

The "Do Something" Principle

Of course taking care of your physical health and well being should not be neglected.

 

[scarlettsmum]

Wow, I'm overwhelmed by so many fantastic, encouraging replies here!! Thank you so much everyone. I am familiar with the principle of having to be disciplined and schedule a regular time in for being creative but I find it so forced, just not me. Having two young children i watch them with awe how natural it comes to them and that's what I want. I guess what I would like is to create with carelessness in my heart, something I am wanting to sit down to and work on, look forward to, no consequences, fears, etc. I sometimes worry how my days are spent doing meaningless tasks rather then sitting down and doing something that lifts my mood, makes me forget about doing the dishes/cooking dinner. I used to enjoy being creative with cooking but since it has become a duty and repeat dishes, because kids are very particular about what they will/won't eat, it has become a boring routine for me. I started to play with my daughter's barbies when she's at preschool, sort of desperate housewives saga, so that has been quite fun. But I wonder about people who sit down and paint, sew, draw, create. What about Ray, for example? Does he need to discipline himself to sit down and paint or is it a desire to do so? I guess I'm looking for something meaningful, I can sense how restless I feel if I just consume, I get angry and annoyed with myself and the only way to calm down is to stop, slow down and do something creative. But I don't have one particular thing to come back to so I wonder what is the difference between people like me or those that have a particular passion/interest to always fall back on.
@Makrosky your post really agrees with me, I love to rebel, go against mainstream, hate to be told to be creative on order...:)) I think this is the reason why scheduling time for creativity I'm afraid may not work for me because I immediately rebel against all self or by others imposed rules.
@Constatine agree with you about creativity being emotional not forced, my thoughts exactly
@Wagner83 yes, discipline could certainly work for some but i oppose to the idea, it feels too constraining for me. I'm a wild child at heart, really.
@Amazoniac self-trust issue, state of readiness = a big one for me! , all resonates with me. And the needed energy, makes sense. I guess thats why children find it so easy, they always have so much excess energy whilst my temps are lagging. I am starting on thyroid soon, will be interesting to see if anything improves in terms of my creativity with better metabolism.
@Emstar1892 i like the ideas of long walks or even better long baths to ponder about these questions. I sometimes think perhaps I may be interested in drawing or sewing, but I often find out, that it is just the idea I like, when I actually delve into it I don't like the details, the patience, etc. Sometimes my mind convinces me how interesting would something be and how much fun and then reality can be completely different. My desire to create is pure. It is not driven by wanting to make money or to impress others or myself. It is about finding joy in doing something for me.
@denise, very helpful thanks. Again it is the idea of scheduling time, perhaps there might be an element of fear such as looking silly, especially when it comes to group activities, such as dancing. I noticed I would rather have a private lesson because I don't want to be judged. So perhaps I need to explore that more and not allow fear to stop me.
@waldenpond Thank you for the link. I too find that I often use books to fill this void as an escape from reality. However it rarely fulfils me. It is very tempting though and as you say takes away from precious time when I could be present making something.
@RutgerD interesting how passionate people can get about their creations, that could be the reason I don't start in first place because I would be highly self critical...I either need to ponder more on this or just dive in.
@tyler thanks for sharing, it goes back to what Amazonic said. I am working on feeling better and at the moment lots my energy is sucked out by this fear I'm dealing with on daily basis, hopefully with thyroid and diet it will get better over time and naturally I will become creative again. That would be perfect, without needing to force myself into anything.

 

[Wagner83]

From what I get of your post you want to settle for an idealistic view of creating that imo does not really exist. When you start working on something daily there are always many times when it gets boring, creating means work as well there's not just a magic spark that comes from God or Nature or whatever. I like the quote about the painter whose Muse rang the bell at 9 am every morning. There's no passion in daily life, but certainly there are some activities that will spike one's interests and intelligence in particular ways. Anything can get boring and frustrating, buddhism/zen does help.
I'd venture to say the difference between the creative people you mention and you is mainly down to the fact they do it.
You could have a look at the article I linked to .

 

[Xisca]

If you try to be creative in a field that is not well known to you, then you will need to make efforts with your mind and it will block creativity. And I agree with Constatine.
Are you sure you are not creative? Try it in what you know.... For example cooking. Can you have a look at what you have at home, and invent something? I am very used to write recipes AFTER doing them!
Also this is right that you need curiosity. Curious about what can comes out of trying...

 

[Xisca]

I am sorry I mentionned cooking without reading all! Actually, I copied the post to read it out of conection. So now I can be more "creative" for writing!

It happenned that I had just re-read Ray about Blake, guess you also know the text….
"Science is Art, and both must be based on experience and imagination. "

I would like to tell something, but at the moment I do not find the way, because I do not know where to start from, what to start with… Many many things come to my mind about creating. I have already created in my life, and I mean something that did not exist before, something really new. But it did not come out of nothing. I create by crossing informations (in a broad sense) from different fields. It is like in the sport called orienteering, when you want to know where you are, you cross more than 2 lines on the map, 3 is used because it is enough, and then you have a special point that shows. It makes a spark, as in a aha moment.

Now I find myself looking at the words from the quote, experience and imagination, and it makes me think they are 2, and I need at least 3… Will it come to me?

I did not know why I was thinking about orienteering and started with this, it might be the creative process that is at work inside me, trying to lay a new egg… I am now curious and excited… s… wanted to go to bed early…

To try to put some light on your question, I have a sentence that comes to me: You create when you have a problem to solve, and you do not create when you have too much of the problem, or too many. Not enough and too much are what blocks.

Creating is not at all about freedom but about obligation. You will not create unless you have to.

Even creating babies follows this rule! We had to solve the problem of not being eternal…

When you were creative in cooking, you were solving the problem of "what can I do with what I have at hand today", and also make your food edible and tasty. You can find your own stories about what made you super creative. May be one day one ingredient was missing and you had to find a solution, or you went out of gas and you found a raw food recipe, or you had invited friends and they were vegetarian or whatever, and you needed a new solution. Now you do not need to create in cooking, and the rigidity of your children's taste blocks.

Of course you miss creating, this is at the same time an obligation and an addiction!

Right now I am eating a sort of puree I never did before. Well, my mushrooms were too salted! You can recognize Peating. Mushroom and enough sodium in the food hehe…. Too much salt, so I added some overcooked white beans. That was not great, and I tried to add gazpacho, and the little acid is perfect! I had this bottle of gazpacho just because I thought I had bought fresh orange juice …but took the wrong pak! Peat food + mistake = new recipe!

Experience there is about knowing the taste of the ingredients, and imagination is about imagining the mix before trying. A pinch of curiosity, so it makes you want to verify if the result will taste "mas o menos" as imagined.

 

[RutgerD]

I would like to tell something, but at the moment I do not find the way, because I do not know where to start from, what to start with… Many many things come to my mind about creating. I have already created in my life, and I mean something that did not exist before, something really new. But it did not come out of nothing. I create by crossing informations (in a broad sense) from different fields. It is like in the sport called orienteering, when you want to know where you are, you cross more than 2 lines on the map, 3 is used because it is enough, and then you have a special point that shows. It makes a spark, as in a aha moment.

You mean a sort of juxtaposition? I liked what Breton wrote:
It cannot be born from a comparison but from a juxtaposition of two more or less distant realities. The more the relationship between the two juxtaposed realities is distant and true, the stronger the image will be–the greater its emotional power and poetic reality.
from that writing I found it resembles the uncanny