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“Creativity takes courage.”
— Henri Matisse
Those of us that make love a priority in our lives know that love is all about being creative. But what actually inspires our creativity?
I was at a recent seminar where the main guest speaker was describing how our brain works in terms of creativity. It is a fascinating subject, and the whole group loved this session. In a coinciding spate of recent letters, readers have been asking me how I foster my imagination to create so much content for my blog. So, I thought for today's article I'd explain how I help sustain what I call "idea generation".
I'm lucky. Creativity comes relatively easy to me. Unfortunately, a lot of folks struggle with idea generation. When learning how to be creative, you need to realise there is no such thing as a good idea unless it is developed and utilised. So let's take a look at the techniques I use to create content.
If we dig deep inside my brain, there will be a few things you might take away (just don't take my medulla oblongata – I need that for breathing). Apply these habits to maximise your daily output and minimise your daily stress.
The first thing I do when I get up is to scribble down all of my ideas. My brain is full of them first thing in the morning. I also get up early because that is when I am most creative. This early morning spurt of creativity is called my magic time, and my life is designed to leverage the ability to get more work done in a concentrated period of time first thing in the morning. Early to bed, early to rise works wonders for me.
Click here for 5 ways to be more creative.
It is something worth trying for yourself. At the very least you need to identify when you are most creative each day. You need to design your life to reach your goals based on what you know about your strengths and weaknesses.
If you work best in the morning, get up early. If you work best at night, clear your social schedule and use that time to write (or whatever it is you want to do).
You can even getting in the habit of "training the subconscious" to come up with ideas overnight. Some mornings I'll wake up with practically an entire article written in my brain. I continue to refine the idea while I pet my cats for a few minutes, and then I roll out of bed and rush to my computer to spill my subconscious upon the screen. Some of the most popular Mickie Kent posts I've written have been finished in just fifteen minutes this way.
You can even train your brain to bring you the answers during a nap. You simply put in a "request" to your brain when you go to sleep, giving it a problem to solve. I'm not joking.
For example, let's say you're having trouble with a headline for your sales letter or Yellow Pages ad. Read the headline and review the principles of great headlines and sales copy before you go to sleep. Then tell your brain to come up with something better while you sleep. You should wake up with a good idea in the morning.
Don't believe that this can work? Our brains work in mysterious ways. However, we can identify these mysterious methods and do our best to harness their power, even though we may not truly understand how it works.
What most people don't do, however, is identify their best creative techniques and maximise the time spent on them. That's what separates massive content creation machines – such as Stephen King – from people who struggle to write a five-page newsletter each month.
Secrets of creativity
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More on creativity at Mickie Kent |
Like most people, I get a lot of great ideas when I take a walk. The scientific explanation for this is that our brains are able to work in a different way than when we try to come up with an idea while sitting at our regular work station. This is why we get ideas and can solve complex problems in random places, such as in the shower or while out for a walk, or while sitting under an apple tree (to which Mr Isaac Newton will agree).
According to some experts, the key to creativity is not caffeine and intense focus, but instead a state of relaxation. The explanation is simple. It's not until we're relaxed (e.g., in the shower) that we're able to turn the spotlight of attention inwards and find the quiet voice in the back of our head that is trying to give us the answer.
My top tip for getting inspired is when you feel stuck on a problem, take a break. I always interrupt work with a relaxing activity to let the mind turn inward and problem solve.
Some experts also recommend making new friends that are different from you, as well as living in a city (as the increased interactions you'll have with strangers will be good for your creativity).
What makes people highly creative?Creativity and intelligence seem to be different processes on the outside, and when we look at the structure of the brain to see what makes people highly creative, it seems to suggest this might be true. Scientists say creativity and intelligence are not the same thing; there is overlap between the two, but they are somewhat different constructs from each other. There is something very different going on in the brain of people who are creative, as opposed to people who are acting intelligent.
For some time scientists have understood the basic neural mechanisms of intelligence; it's about the fast and efficient firing of neurons in the grey matter. The mystery is what's happening when you come up with creative ideas. This is where studies have started to reveal differences between the two. Studies have shown that there is indeed a difference in the brain structure of highly creative people. It's about the white matter.
Each of us has 150,000 km of connections in the brain, known as white matter fibre tracts, an intricate wiring system that connects regions of your brain - acting like "roadways" to connect up different neural networks. What studies show is that, unlike intelligence where more white matter biochemistry is invariably better, in creativity the opposite appears to be true. Less seems to be better in higher levels of creativity.
But why should less white matter mean more creativity? It is thought that this cognitive slow down makes it more likely for ideas to connect with each other, and seems to be the mechanism that underlies creative thinking. It's all, in a sense, about speed.
For intellectual functioning, the research is showing that information is travelling through the shortest, quickest pathway that it can get from one point to another. Creativity is different. It's not about speed and efficiency; creativity is slow and meandering. Creativity takes the scenic route, or the less travelled road, to find inspiration.
It would be wrong to think, however, that it is brain structure alone that made you creative, but studies have shown that there is a neurological basis for creative thinking - thinking that is "out of the box" and not based on intelligence or logic. One of the intriguing things about creativity, is that it exists in everybody in both high and low levels. In one way or another, creative talent is something we all have.
Most people might not describe themselves as artists, but if they think about their daily behaviour, most of it is unscripted and improvised. None of us actually plan what we're going to do every second, and you don't have to be a top notch jazz musician to be good at improvisation. Scientists think that creativity in a nutshell is probably a combination of ordinary mental processes combined in ways we hadn't described before, which allows us to gain insight and generate new ideas.
One discovery has been that frontal lobe activity decreases when we switch to improvise. A main role of the large area at the front of the brain (the region some believe makes us human) is in conscious self-monitoring, watching what you do and say. Studies have shown that this area requires to be shut-down a little to take risks when improvising, the opposite of when you are focused to make sure you don't make mistakes. The front lobes seem to decrease when you switch from a memorised non-creative component, to a generative improvised component.
Different improvised art forms (like jazz, rap, street artists) all seem to share this same processing of the brain, and some scientists have put forward the theory that once the specific area is discovered and enhanced, all humans might become better at being creative.
So, is there a deep well of creative potential that lies within us all? Scientists agree it will take decades to consolidate evidence for any definitive answer, but all agree that it is an important topic to pursue.
How can we be more creative?
As scientists try to unlock the mysteries to what makes us creative, their studies have revealed the connected but different processes of insight, creative or "divergent thinking" and improvising, but crucially they've revealed there is indeed a neural correlate of creativity - a signature of creativity in our brain. And this research is crucial to making all of us more creative.
One theory is that new and unexpected experiences can boost your creativity. Altering out cognitive habits, gaining experiences that open up our minds, can help disrupt our functional fixedness - a mental block where your thinking gets stuck in a rut. Doing this will help to make new connections between concepts, because it is believed that unexpected and unusual experiences make us think more flexibly and creatively. Exposing ourselves to new experiences can help us to think differently, and broach problems in a different way.
But how can we apply this to our everyday lives? A disruption of a normal pattern of thought or behaviour (known as a schema-violation) is said to boost our creativity. Therefore looking for a new way to do everyday things - like making a sandwich for lunch for example - will force us to think differently and overcome functional fixedness. This will help you make new associations between concepts, which is really important for creativity. It's about disrupting any routine to give ourselves room for creativity.
Click here to change 6 negative habits.
The effect of changing your routines, changes your brain. Well travelled neural pathways are abandoned, forcing new connections to be made between brain cells. And that means more new and original ideas.
But why do we have our best ideas when we least expect them? This is one of the most enduring mysteries of creativity. Mind wandering seems to facilitate the creative process; but not all mind wandering is equal. Studies gave shown that mind wandering broken up by engaging in non-demanding tasks seems to be more functional than the mind wandering that happens when you do absolutely nothing.
Thus, if you want to come up with a creative solution to a problem, don't just do nothing - do something undemanding instead. Scientists don't know exactly why that is, but one reason put forward is that some type of unconscious combination of doing an undemanding task and thinking about the problem at hand is beneficial for creativity.
This evidence suggests we have a good excuse to walk away from a problem; if you're stumped over something, the advice is to take a break and allow the unconscious processes to take a hold. But the type of break seems important, too. Rather than just sitting doing nothing, taking a walk, or taking a shower or doing some gardening - something that is not especially demanding but still occupies your mind while enabling the mind to wander - is best. The research does underline the notion that if you want to be more creative, it's best not to be too focused all the time.
Use focus to create awareness.
Doing some physical activity where your mind can wander freely is not a new concept; Beethoven liked to take a long walk when thinking about music, for example. Mind wandering has a lot of history in creativity, but scientists are beginning to understand just why it is so effective. One study in this area has shown changes in the frontal lobe of the brain, a kind of temporary sleep mode, allowing some of ideas from the subconscious to percolate through the critical gateway into the concious awareness more readily.
Accumulative studies repeatedly show that the frontal lobes on both sides of the brain play a powerful gate-keeping role in our creativity. This temporary brain state of being open to creativity is actually something we can easily induce. People can get to a state of temporarily down regulating their frontal lobes in a variety of ways, whether it be meditation, a long run or a bath, and allow creative ideas to flow.
Read about the power of meditation.
Moreover, scientists have discovered that some people are naturally hypo-frontal, their frontal lobes a little less active all of the time. People who tend to solve problems with insight, therefore, are thought to have a lower base level of frontal activity. In other words, their frontal lobes are not controlling them or focusing them as much.
This transient dip in frontal lobe activity is what helps you lose your inhibitions when you improvise, too, and what's going on in the brain, when people are having creative moments, is thought to be different brain activity doing all sorts of things at once. Scientists haven't located the ultimate source of creativity, but it appears that it is the frontal lobe of the brain, with its ability to release its mental handcuffs, that's at the forefront of current research.
For centuries creativity has been considered a subject off limits to scientists; it seemed too elusive and subjective to be studied. Creativity, music, art, improvisation - all these things are magical to experience, but they are not magic. They happen because we have brains that function in a certain way that allow us to do these things. These experiences are transformative - profound, unforgettable life-changing experiences - but that doesn't mean they can't be explained.
However, although we are getting close to a theory of creativity and how it's manifested in the brain, for all science has revealed, we are still a long way from a complete understanding of creativity. But while we wait for that unified picture to emerge, we can at least all become a bit more creative.
Unfortunately, ideas that come to us in the shower or while out on walks often turn into slippery little fishes. Don't you just hate when you have a ground-breaking idea one second and then as soon as you're towelling off, you forget it?
You could, as one reader suggested, use children's waterproof crayons to write ideas on a whiteboard in your shower. That seems a little bizarre even for me. Instead, I've developed a couple of strategies to capturing my ideas while on a short walk.
First, I limit myself to three ideas when I have a shower or take a long walk without a notepad. Each idea is assigned to one of my fingers (yes, I know, I have 5 fingers, but I don't give one to my thumb or pinky). As soon as I've filled up all of my fingers, I keep on repeating the ideas while pointing the finger I've assigned it to. Sure, it sounds odd, but that way, I don't forget the ideas. And while sometimes I end up getting dressed with soap still in my hair, I can always go back and wash it off. A lost idea however, is often lost for good.
The second way to capture those ideas might be a bit more practical. Just put a pen and paper on the sink and step out and scribble them down as quickly as possible, and make sure to carry a notepad – or smartphone – with you on your creative walks. I usually record voice memos.
Scribble down your ideas as soon as they come to you in that original format. That's an essential part of capturing the essence of creativity. It's the particular articulation of a good idea that matters.
Armed with these simple tips on how the brain works, you can teach yourself to be more creative and maximise your idea generation environment. Innovation can be nurtured and encouraged by our habits. All you need to do is be a little creative in designing your life and workday to maximise your idea generation.
Be a good talker
Another side to the idea of interacting with a lot of people to boost creativity is it helps us practice the art of conversation. Because our reluctance to express ourselves better can make it tough to reach out to new friends.
For most of human history, face-to-face communication was the core of our interaction. But not today. We text, we email, we blog, we friend each other on social networks. In the new age of electronic media, family and friends converse less than ever. As a result, we miss out on one of life's singular pleasures: a relaxed, civilised exchange of views through voice.
Conversation offers infinite possibilities. It is great for polishing thoughts and generating new ones. It is unbeatable for beating the blues or forging friendships. The ultimate bond of all personal relationships – whether in business, friendship or marriage – is conversation.
Yet two opposing attitudes pull us away from it. The first is the mistaken belief that it is unnecessary. Why bother making the call or the visit when you can fire off an email? Unfortunately, text has difficulty conveying tone – the most important aspect of any communication. As well, think how much is conveyed with a smile, a glance, a wink, an eye roll or an arched eyebrow. You really can't compare it with a smiley face can you? I use the :) symbol, but it has its place - and that isn't to replace real speak.
The opposite attitude is that conversation is too much work. So we don't really try. Look around the typical home today and you see not faces but the backs of heads. As we stare blankly into our electronic screens, the art of personal interaction is dying.
Yet, there are good reasons to exercise our conversational skills.
Society provides lavish rewards to those who express themselves well. (Studies show that no single factor better predicts your future income than the size of your vocabulary.) Good talkers routinely ace the interview, get the contract, close the deal, win the girl (we ladies like a man with charm). Get on with others and you will get on in life – and enjoy it more.
There is a widespread misconception that the best conversationalists are the smoothest talkers. Not so. (Indeed, glib talk generally comes off as phony or insincere.) And few of us will ever display the conversational genius of, say, Oscar Wilde, whose legendary wit enthralled his contemporaries in the salons of London.
Conversation is not meant to be a performance art or a competition, but an opportunity for mutual appreciation. And the best conversationalists are not the best talkers. They are the best listeners.
History's wisest men and women have always known this. Edmond de Goncourt said:
Never speak of yourself to others; make them talk about themselves instead. Therein lies the whole art of pleasing. Everyone knows it and everyone forgets it.
And check out this pearl of wisdom from Jean de la Bruyere:
The great gift of conversation lies less in displaying it ourselves than in drawing it out in others. He who leaves your company pleased with himself and his own cleverness is perfectly well pleased with you.
How about this from Lisa Kirk:
A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore is one who talks to you about himself; and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself.
It is never necessary to try to impress your conversation partner. You can achieve that simply by demonstrating that they are worth the investment of time and attention it takes to find out what they are about.
It only takes a bit of curiosity. The idea is to find out more about the other person's attitudes, interests, nature and disposition. For too many, however, a verbal exchange is not talking and listening but rather talking and waiting to talk again. You don't learn much that way. Or score many points.
Some insist they are poor conversationalists because they are introverted or tongue-tied. In some cases, that may be true. But those who struggle may be trying too hard to say the right thing. Far more important is not succumbing to the temptation to say the wrong thing.
Don't get me wrong. Politics or religion can be fascinating subjects when open-minded friends are interested in a forthright exchange of views. (Although, in my experience, even these can be dicey.) But in a social setting? I remember being at a dinner party where a clash of political views killed the joie de vivre that had existed only moments before. Do you really want to turn an ideal dinner party with interesting people and fabulous food in a gorgeous setting into a tense, strained affair? Consider the likelihood that no one cares what you think. Good conversation is about drawing out the other, not delivering a monologue or a position statement.
The truth is we are seldom better than our conversation. What you choose to talk about – and how you choose to say it – lays you bare. Every time you open your mouth, your mind parades alongside your words.
That doesn't mean your conversation needs to be sparkling and original. Nor does it need to have a purpose or a point. Quite the opposite, in fact. The best conversations ramble. They have no pre-destination. It is all about the rhythm and flow.
In sum, good conversation is one of life's most accessible pleasures. It connects us to one another, forges friendships, increases social esteem, raises our mood, generates goodwill, enhances our information and completes our education (and boosts creativity). And while prices rise and time shrinks, it is a luxury that remains free to us all.
True, conversation won't make you hard cash richer or physically thinner, but it could save your life. It may save your marriage. As Charles Dickens said, "Never close your lips to those whom you have opened your heart."
So, we should value heartfelt conversation and not just as a stimulus for creativity. Prioritise it. And reap the many benefits of a companionable, convivial life.
Think back to a time you had a life-changing discussion. Who was it with? Where was it? How did it make you feel? That's the power of great conversation.
Use a velvet glove
The thing that connects both persuading our brains to work better and the art of good conversation is the use of the soft approach. Whether this takes the form of relaxation or listening, the best way is generally carried out with a gentle touch.
Although I've mentioned its unsuitability as a dining discursive, I'm going to use politics as an example here, because I've just finished watching Meryl Streep's latest film, The Iron Lady. If you haven't seen it, please do, because she's amazing in it. Streep's not just an actress, she's a vessel - she actually becomes the character. Streep shows us once again that she truly deserves the moniker "greatest actress of our times" by painting such a moving portrait of the frailty of old age with her talent. And that's not acting, it's being.
We could take a lesson to be like that in life, to stop being just human doings, and become more human beings.
In The Iron Lady, Streep plays the woman who was the British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, Margaret Thatcher (somewhat a parallel to the Reagan era for my American readers). The film focused on the human drama element that sees Streep portray Thatcher as an elderly woman struggling with dementia (a condition she has kept from the public and tried to be extremely private about) rather than as a stateswoman in her prime.
The life and death of Thatcher.
The film didn't really delve into the political archives, as Thatcher polarised people in the United Kingdom. Some hate her for being what they describe as a racist, homophobic tyrant during her time in power, while others believe she saved the country from financial crisis, making tough decisions that ultimately changed (some would say destroyed) the fabric of many British communities.
I wasn't born during those times, so I can't say what it was like from first-hand experience, but my parents say she had to make tough decisions, but pushed them through with an iron fist rather than a velvet glove, which made her (and her privatisation policies) unpopular.
We are currently going through our own difficult time financially. Austerity measures are hitting the income of individuals and families alike, and politicians are as unpopular now as I guess they were back then - with economic cuts and tax hikes raising the public's general restlessness and anger even before Thatcher came to power.
Thatcher's central message wasn't a bad one for bad times: Stand on your own two feet and be all you can be. Life is what you make it. The rewards are out there, and if you want them, go for it. But for those that didn't agree with her message, she forced out of the way. It was just the manner in which she said it (i.e., the force of pushing policies through that decimated many communities) that made her most unpopular.
Three decades later and may be some things haven't changed, but I hope that we are more enlightened today that it is not through force, but the "soft power" of the gentle touch that makes us grow - not only in terms of creativity, but in terms of humanity, too.
Yours in love,
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