Filed under: Creative Process, Flow | Tags: adventure of creativity, creative spontaneity, Surrender to the creative process
Like getting in the car bound on an adventure, without a known destination, but to discover where the road might take you, do you yield to spontaneity? Are you one who comfortably dances with the mysterious, or do you become anxious by the unknown? How often does the artist approach the creation of an art piece with a distinct road map leading to the end product? Does a composer launch a piece of music with the finished result clearly calculated, knowing exactly how it will play out? Are the characters in a screenplay already evolved before the first act is written? Or in contrast, is it liberating to surrender to the natural creative process and allow alchemy to unfold?
Although we understand that the creative process doesn’t always operate with a blue print, it is tempting to grasp onto something concrete and secure in hopes of guarantying success. However, part of the beauty and thrill of the creative process is that it can have a life of its own and its destination refuses to be charted. Pre-planning and having expectations hinders our instincts and can prevent us from going down an unforeseen path; a path that might just uncover originality.
I have known artists and writers who played it safe by starting out with a sealed proof plan for their project, hoping this would avoid disaster. They go through great lengths to ensure the out come by over planning, over thinking and over researching. I don’t believe creativity can always been contained within the safe confines of a detailed map. Sometimes the most novel creations blossom within a loosely planned idea. When the artist allows him or her self to take risks and face the possibility of failure this opens the channels for one’s unique style to come through.
It is easy to become addicted to affirming ones talents and value as an artist by seeking guaranteed success. It requires practice, letting go of the seduction of predictability and the familiar. When you relinquish control, trust your intuition and allow the mystery of the creative process to guide you towards the splendor of the unknown, what can occur might be more than you had even imagined. So why not give it a try.
Filed under: Creative Process, Creativty & Wellbeing, Flow, Uncategorized | Tags: creative inspiration, Divine Discontent
by Lisa A. Riley
“Discover your own discontent, and be grateful, for without divine discontent there would be no creative force.”– Deepak Chopra
We all suffer to some degree of a chronic, low-grade discontent. So, we seek out the next goal to achieve, a new relationship, a new job, perhaps the next rush of adrenaline or the next “something else” that will bring fulfillment to our lives. The very thing we need to rid us of this unceasing desire and bring contentment. We even chant to ourselves a silent mantra, “When I get there, I can relax, enjoy life and then I will be happy.” Yet when we get there or obtain the object of our desire it only seems to temporarily quiet the hungry voice and before we know it, the gnawing starts up again.
In our eyes, such a recurring yearn can easily be interpret as a deficiency in our life or lack in our character that needs to be remedied. When we interpret feelings of dissatisfaction in a negative light and succumb to the urgency for instant gratification, we are often left with an even greater longing for the next thing.
Religions and philosophies have often referred to this as “A Divine Discontent.” They recognize its gift as a fountain of energy, which prompts us to take the next step towards becoming our full potential. In his book, The Path of Least Resistance, Robert Fritz, compares this process to a rubber band that is stretched back to a point of tension. Within that tension manifest a natural tendency to return to its previous form. According to Fritz this results when the place we’re currently at does not match up to where we desire to be. Therefore, what wells up is a strong urge to resolve it. Within this tension lives an energy, which commonly occurs prior to a major breakthrough or epiphany.
How does divine discontent play out in the creative process? It rears its face in the initial stages of an idea and then transforms into a sudden urge to bring the vision into fruition. It can be the motivation that drives the artist to return to the sculpture, painting or novel daily. Or it surfaces in the aftermath of its completion as a desire still yet not fulfilled. Once again ignites the birth of another idea.
In Mark Epstein’s book, Open to Desire he describes this restlessness. He writes, “But allowing oneself to fall into the space that desire cannot span makes the experience complete. The little bit of lack that remains, after even the most satisfying resolution of desire, is a window into something important, something true.”
Experiencing the Divine Discontent is part of being human and even a natural quality of being an artist. It can drive us to push through moments of creative block and seek out innovative ideas. That said, let us embrace and welcome the presence of our Divine Discontent and let it become a muse that is channeled towards developing a productive artful life.
Filed under: Creative Process, Flow | Tags: creating software, software development, Software programming, writing code
by Robert Werner
I’ve been involved in creating software for thirty years, twenty of those professionally. It never fails to occur that I’ll be at a party, someone will learn what I do for a living, and something similar to the following will be said: “Oh I could never be a software engineer. I’m too creative a person to do something like that.” I used to get angry hearing this but now I’m just amused at the complete ignorance of such a statement.
In every profession there are those who do the basics to earn the money they need. But there are also those who love what they do. For them, work no longer seems like “work”, but more like play. These are the artists, the creative souls that inhabit every facet of society on earth. They are the ones you should almost always seek out if you’re looking for something brilliant rather than something just satisfactory.
There clearly is great creativity involved in writing a book. While there are generally a limited number of ways to construct a sentence and while punctuation and grammar rules must be followed, the final work of a Hemingway or a Shakespeare is clearly different than that of the average college student. That’s not random chance. It’s creativity at work.
Software development is no different. Specific rules of syntax have to be followed. But beyond that there are virtually an infinite number of ways to construct a software program. A senior developer, much like a senior artisan, will know specific methods to build a module in less time than an inexperienced junior developer. And once completed, the senior developer’s code should have less bugs and run more efficiently as well. But beyond the learned skills, there is another important element as well. Those software developers who really love their work will get themselves into a creative zone, with their minds completely focused on the task at hand. When this happens, ingenuity reigns supreme and new innovative code starts evolving. It’s actually quite a magical, beautiful thing to behold!
In 1996/97, when the Internet was still in its infancy, two Stanford University students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, believed that there was a better approach to providing Search results than what had been done previously. Many dismissed their work as irrelevant theoretical academia. But some saw the creative brilliance in the minds of these young men and invested in them. Together, they formed Google, which is now one of the wealthiest companies in the world. Did this happen randomly? Absolutely not. Creativity, intelligence, and hard work are key ingredients for success in every facet of our lives. Software development is no exception.
Robert Werner, P.Eng. is a technology entrepreneur based out of Vancouver, B.C. His major professional focus these days is with a mobile software application called Pocket Pollster. But he’s still heavily involved with the not-for-profit BC Digital Divide organization that he founded two years ago. He can be reached at: robertw@pocketpollster.com
Filed under: Creative Process, Flow, Sacred Space, Writing | Tags: creative flow, Creative Process, Flow, how to get to flow
by Scott Benton, Screenwriter, Los Angeles, CA
It seems a lot of people try and reach a state they call “flow,” that seemingly limitless mind and spirit crossroads where creative work and play meld into one constant creative burst. If you asked a thousand people how to get there, you would get a thousand equally vivid roadmaps, and if you tried them, you might find they all work…or maybe none.
The truth is, as best as I can figure it, we’ve got to feel our way in, like pressing forward in a darkened tunnel until we can stand on our feet and walk confidently in the abyss without the fear of bumping into anything.
For me, I have found ritual to be the key, and the more I practice ritual, the easier I unlock that door. It doesn’t matter what ritual you choose. Most people naturally fall their way into a set of activities, mantras, invocations, talismans…you name it.
One friend of mine habitually pours himself a glass of wine and lights a single candle before sitting down at the laptop to bang out a story. My next-door neighbor takes out his favorite pen before scribbling out ideas—and Heaven help the man who takes that pen away. Another author I know of (Steven Pressfield) recites out loud the Invocation of the Muse, a translation he likes by T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). Some writers won’t ever leave the house to write, others can’t be anywhere near it. There are those that only work creatively in the morning, and those that work when the clock strikes 10pm. Find your perfect environment, and you’ll be well on your way.
As for myself, I have tried many different ways in, but now when I sit down at a coffee house—any coffee house these days—I go straight into it. I’ve done this for years, and I guess it has something to do with the ritual of it all, or the repetition of the process. Doing the ritual over and over seems to have programmed my mind to switch into creative play the minute I smell a boiling pot of java, or see lemon bars and cinnamon rolls in a display case. It sets off a trigger, I guess, and suddenly I’m not even thinking about. I’m writing.
But the important part is that I found my way in. I’ve been able to quickly get myself into flow for a three or four hour block of writing at a time. But it wasn’t exactly easy to establish this process. I had to do a lot of experimentation until I knew what worked best for me, and what didn’t work at all.
So what is your ritual? What do you need to do before you sit down to write something, or paint something, or bring your creative burst to the tips of your fingers, or onto the edge of your voice?
Don’t be afraid to try it all. You’ll feel it in your gut when it’s right, and you’ll know when you’re in, and when you’re out again. You can get there quickly if you try. You can do it when you only have a limited amount of time, and when you get inside that state of flow, you’ll get some of the best possible work done that you may not have even realized you could have accomplished.
Try it for yourself, and see if it’s the same key for you as it’s been for me.
