This Thing We Call Creativity

Ever wondered to yourself if you can be creative? How can one be more imaginative? Or more importantly, why do we want to be creative? If the answer is not deep enough, then the chances of us truly becoming one is quite remote. If we have a purpose in becoming imaginative, like say, we want to be creative so that we can achieve stardom by being a very famous and glamorous celebrity or amass great wealth, then probably we won’t. You see, it occurs in the absence of the ordinary. Sometimes, we might change some old ideas in our minds and bring in something new, but sorry, sad to say that is not being creative.

It comes from somewhere not common with any lifeless files from the past. History tells us that some the most creative people have understood and benefited from the place of silence. For example, Christ and The Buddha both spent time in seclusion and solitude. The latter, six long years, and thus, creativity changed the universe. Also, writers and journalists overcome their writing blocks by staying away—in the meantime. They knew well that isolation and the place of silence is where true creativity emanates. Creativity is something we can never learn or practice. It is like being in love, you never really plan it or simply make it happen; it happens or not at all.

Because creativity is very delicate and discerning, there is no space for it to grow and blossom if we are constantly overwhelmed with conflict around us, although conflict is inevitable. On the contrary, we can definitely encourage creativity. The mind should be well rested for it to radiate. There are times when you are not even thinking about it and it just hits you out of nowhere—and then, boom! Creativity established. One of the great minds in Science, Albert Einstein said that he wasn’t even thinking about space nor time when his famous Theory of Relativity came up to him.

One of the best moments to encourage this is when we are totally bored; we can never be creative if we force it to come by thinking about it again and again. It will not be long enough for ideas to generate all of a sudden when the mind becomes bored by limiting sense stimulation not excluding the sixth sense of the mind or thinking. Try not jumping on the very first idea that pops out of your head, because the more we become thoroughly bored by resisting sense stimulations, there—the insights just flows and deepens remarkably. There is this appealing phenomenon occurring when we are immersed deep enough with boredom.

The creativity springs to broaden our minds to never-before seen perspectives. These unexplained possibilities bring forth an essential change in our entire state of being, and the goals we have set before may lead to a whole new awareness. Now, this is what insight is all about, and it entails our great deal of freedom from life’s conflicts, which is the greatest creativity.