Awakening Creativity in Five Minutes or Less

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SelfGrowth.com Founder David Riklan walks through the three steps of the creative process, and explains how to avoid losing the spark of creativity.

Emily Hanlon is The Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Creativity ". You can find complete information on Emily Hanlon and her newsletter by visiting http://www.creativesoulworks.com/sg.htm

Summary:

I recently had a chance to learn about Creativity from Emily Hanlon, our SelfGrowth.com Official Guide to Creativity and I picked up some great insights.
She sees creativity as a call to adventure and it is not limited to the artists and innovators. Rather, creativity is a path from which the journey of life is explored and its fullness embraced.

Creativity is forged in the fire of the unconscious and the chaotic depths of the unknown where nothing is predetermined and everything is possible. Its presence is heralded by the seductive "spark" of an idea or image that brings with it feelings of flight and the godlike brilliance. Yet no sooner does the spark rev us up with the feeling that we can do anything, than, more often, we find a 101 reasons to cast away the idea– worse, stomp it into the dust bin of possibilities that might have been our lives.

Emily knows how to keep the mystery and adventure in creativity alive while reducing the anxiety and fear of failure the often follows the ecstatic glow of inspiration. She has been a creativity and writing coach for over thirty years and a best-selling novelist. Her passion is guiding others on the journey to self-awareness through the creative process.

Emily breaks down the Creative Process down into three stages:
1. The Spark of Inspiration
2. Gestation
3. Birth

The first stage is the Spark of Inspiration. It’s that part that we love. That life-enhancing “Wow!” moment of inspiration when we are swept away by a new idea or the possibility of change in our life. If allowed, inspiration will be carried into the period of gestation. This is the birth place of your sleeping and waking dreams. It is also the hardest part of the Creative Process. Why? Because the human mind, which can make as little sense of our waking dreams and it can of out sleeping dreams, tries to jump in and give order to our inspiration before gestation can take place. Trying to analyze and evaluate that which hasn’t yet take form is like taking the baby out of the womb and needing it be fully formed before it’s had time to gestate.

• After an experiment failed for the ninety-ninth time, Thomas Edison said, “Now I know at least ninety-nine ways it wouldn’t work.”
• Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he hit 714 home runs.
• You fell, a lot, when you first tried to walk, bike, skate, ski.

There is no such thing as failure in creativity. If you allow the gestation to take place in its own mysterious time and way, birth will follow. Then your mind gets to work. You think, you organize, you focus on getting the project finished and looking good! It is a busy time, filled with its own energy. At the end of the day, you think, “Ah, what a productive day I had! My creative juices were really flowing!”

The rational mind likes to take credit for being the creative genius; but as incredible and invaluable a machine as the mind is, its gears are driven by the work done during the periods of inspiration and gestation.

If you’d like to find out more about power of the mystery and learn how to befriend the chaos of the creative process, sign up for Emily’s mailing list and receive free, the TeleSeminar: Creative Chaos: Its Difficulty, Its Call, Its Freedom

Now for our question of the day – How has creativity improved your life? Have you developed a unique idea or concept that has improved your life? Has the spark of creativity inspired you or motivated you in any way? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

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Comments:

Suzanne Deliscar (Foreign Language Training)

I notice that those flashes of inspirations are like tiny seeds, you have to fertilize and water them right away, or they perish. Our inspirations perish when we have to have a "logical" explanation for them.

sewa mobil

very informatic video, i really enjoy it. thank you very much for your explanations and articles provided.

Psychic Lilly (Love)

Great Post!

Dave Radner (Personal Finance)

The talents given to me by the creator, genetics, upbringing or whatever it is have always been week in creative areas. I excel in finance, mathematics and more structured academic studies. Yet, as I get older I have found that through playing (poor) music, creating (poor) art and using my creativity that I have improved my life in a wide variety of ways. Both in the area of personal happiness and in my traditionally non creative career.

Prateep V Philip

Hi Emily, I guess these repeat posts are addressed to me. I am not a former police officer but one currently serving as a senior Indian police service officer. My FOP or Friends of Police idea led to a mass movement in community policing, the largest initiative anywhere with more than 5 million members and still counting. The idea won the inaugural Queen's Award for Innovation in 2002 . We have not trained a global record number of 1,00,000 volunteers and police officers. Another idea initiated by me in the past two years, Social Justice Tea Parties had covered 37000 villages and towns/ cities in scores and a population of over two millions. The participants in each Tea party learnt my technique of Equilibrium Thinking and practiced it.Prateep Philip

Guest

Can't hear a word even though I pushed the mike up to the highest point.

Guy Farmer (Communication Skills and Training)

Great ideas David and Emily. I really like the idea that creativity allows us to explore limitless possibilities. I've frequently thought of creativity as creating something where there was once nothing. It doesn't mean we have to be artistic or do it in any certain way, it's just our natural ability to reach within ourselves and come up with some wonderful new way of looking at the world. Take care, Guy

Mariano Jauco (Personal Development)

Thanks for the great information. I liked the simple 3 step process you described for creativity. I have followed the steps in some of the writing and poetry I have done over the years. I also see the creative process in my work and personal life. Best Regards, Mariano

mdsun001@yahoo.com

Hi David, this is the first time I've come away from a video of yours feeling I haven't grasped what it's about. That's not bad, just different. It may be the esssence of the creative process: the mystery and chaos of that "Huh?" feeling? Heh.

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

I found your comment very interesting and I‘d like to offer this: what I wrote was a linear explanation of a basically non-linear process. When we read an article, our mind tries to make linear sense of it. This is a paradoxical because we are trying to make sense of something through the mind that the mind can never know. When we are in the creative flow, chaos is natural. It can be a wild ride but it isn't frightening. Until the mind jumps in. It's like those Road Runner cartoons. Wiley Coyote runs off a cliff and keeps running and doesn't fall into his "Yikes! Help me! I'm going to crash and burn" frenzy until he is aware he is flying. Same with creatitivity. It's all about the ride until the mind comes in and says "Yikes, this isn't making sense. If I can't make sense of it I will crash and burn!" So, what I suggest you listen to the video again with your inner knowing, your heart, your inner ears. I'd love to hear from you again! Emily

mdsun001@yahoo.com

Dear Emily, Thanks for responding. I feel creativity happens to and through me; I'm more like the flute God blows his tunes through than a musician myself--to misquote Hafiz. But I have no fear of it; I love a wild ride. And I've got parachutes and wings for the plunge. But mostly the landings are gentle anyway. Yay!

Garry Murtagh

Thankyou every one for your insights and understanding of the creative process. I have found that if I don't create from my thoughts that I will manifest a problem in my life that I have to be creative to fix.Therefore I realise I become bored if I dont create.

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Life is definitely boring without creativity. To my mind, creativity=passion and passion=creativity. And within that is risk. All creative people are passionate and risk-taking!

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

opps.. hit submit twice!

Jacqueline (Jackie) Jones (Child Development)

Hi Emily and David. I enjoyed this topic very much. My creativity comes to me in the middle of the night. As long as I make the effort to get out of bed and jot my ideas down, they lead to very good results, which is how I came to self publish my first children's book within one year of the idea popping into my head. Intuition should never be ignored. Now I will sign up for your newslettr Emily! Thank you.

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Couldn't agree more. Trust you intuition!!! If only we had been taught that from the beginning! Glad you joined the mailing list. Emily

June Gayle

Thank you for sharing these thoughts. Creativity is crucial to life. Think how boring life would be! June-Marie Gayle Shaklee Networker & Master Coordinator

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Amen!

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Hi Julie I am so glad the video what helpful and energized you! Never ignore the creative energy within you. Its expression is vital to life itself. In fact, when we send our creativity into the shadows, we begin to dry up. For me, life would be a desert without creative expression in my writing,my work, my relationship with myself, my family and friends. Without creative expression, we become stuck in the quicksand of the ego and the status quo. Check out my website. There are many articles that you might find interesting. And if you sign up for my mailing, you'll get a bunch of extra goodies!!! thanks for your comment, Emily

#sh

just great

chris valentino

What a great video. I have a hard time thinking of myself as being creative, but this gives me hope with the explantion. Thanks again

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Hi Chris, Your mind -- your ego -- isn't comfortable with the challenge of your creativity. The ego likes to keep the status quo. But I guarantee you that there is a huge creative part of you just waiting to be embraced and unleashed. If it wasn't there, you would not have listened to the audio much less commented on it. Here's a powerful quote for you from Picasso. "Creators are destroyers ofnicely ordered systems." For me, this means, if we are to embrace our creativity -- or rather be embraced by it -- we have to destroy the nicely ordered systems that our ego so dearly loves and wants to keep in place forever. The creative journey demands risk, passion, patience, stillness and trust. It is the adventure of a lifetime! Emily

Barbara J. Henry (Personal Development)

Emily, This is excellent information,and I see a missing part in my creative processes. In the past,I acted quickly on the creative ideas that popped up,and was rather saddened when the results were not what I expected. I know now that I should have "played(let them gestate) with my creative ideas" more,and I will do just that in the future. I am quite creative,and now I know what to do to get the maximum benefits from my creative ideas. Thank you for clearing up a major problem for me. Sincerely, Barbara Henry

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Barbara, you are very welcome! I am so glad you commented. A huge problem with creativity is rushing the process. We then run into the danger of throwing out the baby with the bath water!! Patience and stillness are as much a part of gestation as is the wild chaotic and transformative ride! best of luck Emily

Guest

I have always heard when you think of an idea, someone else has thought the same idea. Which one will capitalize on the idea? I guess the one who has the most faith and inventing (creating) is a HUGE leap of faith. I have a patent number for my invention but it hasn't come to fruition yet. I am working with a company that is made up of inventors because they have "been there, done that". It is exciting but patience is required. If God sees fit, my idea will come about in time. It keeps hope alive within me.

Joanne

As an ADD entrepreneur & artist, I get very excited about a new idea, or get totally in the flow of working on a painting, BUT the challenge is having the discipline to follow through and finishing it. I'm on a high with a great idea & start the process, BUT in so doing that, I've left 5 other great ideas unfinished.I know all about choas.

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

I like what Cheryl said, and I want to add that in addition to focus it might interesting to interview your Inner Critic and ask it what it fears if you finish. Seriously, put pen to paper and ask your Inner Critic to tell you why it won’t let you finish. But be aware that the Inner Critic can say some mean and nasty things. Just don’t believe anything it says. In fact, when the Inner Critic has finished writing, burn the paper!! Then ask your Inner Self, your true Self from which all creativity flows, what she thinks stops you from finishing. And if you do this and would like to share it with me, I would love to receive it. In fact, this is a great exercise for everyone. If you have signed up for my mailing list or plan to, you will receive a series of articles and exercises as well as some special offers that I think will be very helpful to you. I look forward to hearing from you! Emily

Cheryl

I read your response and I feel all you need to do is focus, stay on subject finish your projects and give yourself an atta girl award everytime. It feels so good. Hope this helped some! Cheryl :~)

Prateep V Philip

Hi Emily, My mind has given birth to several new ideas for the world and my profession like Friends of Police, Factor X, State Assurance but I have now got a giant idea - a new Global Discipline to replace Economics and Management called Excenomics, a combination of excellence and Economics. It is a discipline that promotes interdisciplinary creativity and innovation connecting all possible known domains of knowledge and endeavour.How would you suggest I plan the gestation for this idea? I have published several articles in journals with enormous positive feedback to the whole idea

Father Time (Mysticism)

Another fantastic video, as usual! This is an awesome website and everyone needs to be on here, if they are serious about their professional success! You can quote me on that! Many Blessings!

Patrick Schuppe

The Creative Process realy helps me a lot. I love the part where everything is possible. I call that magic fantasy. I can dive very deep into that and build a new idear to a level that makes me feel absolutly awesome and happy. I then think of a little word like "happy" for a god feeling and asociate that word with that magic fantasy moment. That helps me to get into stages 2 and 3 witch I am lacking a bit but the reminding helps a lot. I have done this Creative Process a lot with out knowing. There is hardly anything that makes me more happy and gives me confidence then seeing something written out what I allready do. It may be a bit different but I do it.:-) It helped me to be more happy and to get a clear vision of the future witch was complitly lost back in 2004 when I lost my job. Now I am back on to my very own magic journey of life. thanks to Emily for the "Creative Process" and thanks to you David for putting it up:-) thanks from Patrick Schuppe in Germany

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Hi Patrick, Thanks for your posting. Sounds like you are a creative journeyer... before tackling step three, birthing your ideas, learn to spend more time in gestation, the womb of creativity, where everything is possible. Your ideas need time before they take form. That timing is different for everyone and each creative undertaking. But your enthusiasm is wonderful.I think if you spend more time playing with your ideas and allowing them to flow and change without needing them to be a "product", the birth of the ideas will come. Emily

Beth Newman (General Self Help)

Aweson, and much needed today! Thank you for sharing this, David.

Walter Sims (Life Coach and Life Coaching)

Nothing is predetermined and everything is possible...brings about God-like brilliance...I like this phrase!!!

Nigel Lewis (Life Coach and Life Coaching)

I used to wake at 3.33 am on the dot full of creative ideas. Eventually I learned to speak them into a voice recorder and not revisit them for a month or so.(Gestation,Emily?)From this method I have developed unique ideas such as my Passion Triangle, the Performance Pyramid and the EROS principle all of which have enriched my life and the lives of those I work with by giving me structures to follow. I believe that these inspirations are not truly mine, they are being spirited through me which is of course where the word inspiration is derived.

Angela Schulz-Henke

Dear Nigel what i recently read in the books of a German scientist called Dieter Broers, ist that in the time beween 3.30 and 4.30am we wake up because the Universe as I call it (you might call it God or The Source) wants to get in touch with us. So never get up or put the light on. Just lie in bed and get the inspiration. It works wonderfully for me. As a Life Coach like you I love it!

Nigel Lewis (Life Coach and Life Coaching)

Angela I've tried to research Dieter as a result of your information but can find little in English are you able to point me in the right direction please? My e-mail is nigel@c-options.co.uk if you can help.

Nigel Lewis (Life Coach and Life Coaching)

Hi Angela I thank you for that fascinating information. It kind of fits with when I was feeling in need of comfort after my dad died and I awoke at 3.33am and wrote a poem called the passover. It was really comforting for our family and I had never written a poem before so it felt like I was receiving a download!

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Hi Nigel, I am impressed that you could let your creative ideas gestate for a month before going back to them. To me this says that you have an innate trust that the creative process is working in the "background"-beyond the working of the conscious mind. Do you find yourself mulling over or revisiting some of the ideas during the month? Yours is a very personal structure to your relationship with your creative unconscious. Which speaks to the point that there is no one way to approach creativity. I'd love to hear more about what happens when you listen again. Can you describe that part of the process? Everyone has a different relationship to his or her creativity. What's important is that we do have a relationship whether we have an awareness of it or not. Having awareness, however, allows us to embrace the process, appreciate its uniqueness and be on the look out for how the ways in which the ego blocks the flow in often destructive ways. Great hearing from you! Emily

Nigel Lewis (Life Coach and Life Coaching)

Hi Emily, Yes sometimes I get drawn to revisit, often I add more and more further ideas through the month.EROS for instance grew into a system that way from a small begining, Also I access my sub-conscious as I jog, say on a treadmill or in open spaces and further ideas flow, but I try hard to resist thinking too hard and being analytical because this cuts short a process that if allowed to float will grow far better. I record these too, but if I am too busy and fail the ideas are often lost for good. Sometimes I listen again and am excited by what I hear, it is as if they were someone elses ideas, but they are in my voice. When I feel the time is right I transfer the ideas to a white board as a mind map and erase them from my voice recorder, A kind of birthing I guess in your way of thinking? When the white board becomes full I translayte it to words and then erase that.A kind of coming of age? Great engaging with you Nigel

Emily Erickson-Sandstrom (Tarot)

Reflexive physical activities go hand in hand with the subconscious. When the physical component of ourselves is occupied, the nonphysical components are 'out.' That is why court reporting, a language-based reflexive physical activity, opens up the consciousness to the subconscious processes.

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Hi Again I loved reading what you wrote. You engage so beautifully with the process. I am fascinated that in your previous life you were a policeman. I supsect you had great passion for that work and affecting other's lives. Having passion for what one does is such a mysterious and powerful key to unlocking the creative flow. If you'd like to share anything about how this worked either consciously or unconsciously when you were on the police force, I'd love to hear about it. One thing flows into another and it's amazing where we journey in life! Emily

Prateep V Philip

With the Friends of Police idea we have impacted milllions and trained a hundred thousand people and police personnel. With the Social Justice Tea Parties idea, we have impacted 20 million people in more than 37000 villages and towns. Eqthinking has been taught to millions through the media and the website. thanks for ur feedback.Prateep

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Nigel Lewis (Life Coach and Life Coaching)

Emily , thanks yes I do have a few examples. One in particular was when I went to see a world karate champion tell of his work in prisons, Geoff Thompson set me on an inspirational journey which culminated in myself and a youth worker creating an award winning programme in which we mentored 13 vulnerable disengaged young people. I could feel the spirit of creation working to the extent that we sold the project as if it was already planned and up and running, achieved funding and then made it happen week by week for 13 weeks. During all of that process we only held one meeting which was, by the way, not minuted, and sailed along by the seat of our pants. It began a 12 year friendship for me with a young man who was on cocaine and now treats me like his dad. I've been advised that I should bury my former life because of the huge negative energy that many people feel around the Police in general. Yes I was passionate about the work but ended up quite negative about the organization.

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Hi Nigel, I have to vehemently disagree with those who tell you to “bury” your police work. The word “bury” carries intense ego judgment, which inevitably has a deadening affect on our creativity. Who you were, who I was, who we all were once cannot be denied. They are parts of our lives and we grew through them. You are today who you are because of the path you chose. And you sound like a very compassionate and self aware man. I may be overstepping my bounds saying this, but perhaps you need to reclaim the policeman in you! As Jung said, "We do not become enlightened by envisioning figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." Hey, policemen are not my favorite people, but the kindness and professionalism of a policeman helped to free me from some a very destructive part of myself. I am certain you touched many lives in positive ways as a policeman. In any case, you write about the police work in your bio! Hmmm.... Emily

Emily Hanlon (Creativity )

Linda

Creativity is a moment of discovery when your heart quickens and though you are locked up alone in a room behind a computer screen, yet you feel like you're on top of the world....