“I did not discover relativity by rational thinking alone.” – Albert Einstein
Creativity is the vehicle by which we achieve much in life. We are
often creative when we resolve business negotiations, when we solve
problems, when we somehow organize a group of friends to all meet
together for a night out, when we cook a meal and when we experience new
spiritual insights. Creativity can be a great source of joy for us. It
opens up new possibilities and allows us to make sudden leaps in many
different aspects of our lives.
Creativity extends far beyond limited disciplines such as the fine
arts of drawing, painting, sculpting, literature and music. To limit
one’s notion of creativity would in itself be decidedly uncreative. The
scope of creative activity is practically infinite.
What is Creativity?
Creativity can be defined as the discovery of new meaning or a new
context of thinking. Notice how this definition is purely non-material.
Creativity is something that happens within consciousness and only
afterwards does the product of creativity eventually become manifest in
material reality. As conscious human beings we are each potentially
powerful forces of creation.
Creativity usually finds expression in a product. There are two key modes of creative expression. The more commonly recognized mode is outer creativity. Examples of outer creativity are art, music, literature, and new laws of science. The less commonly recognized mode of creative expression is inner creativity. It is also much more subtle. Examples include a happier and more holistic way of being, the transformation of the contexts in which we live, becoming more loving in one’s life and placing less conditions upon that love.
Creativity usually finds expression in a product. There are two key modes of creative expression. The more commonly recognized mode is outer creativity. Examples of outer creativity are art, music, literature, and new laws of science. The less commonly recognized mode of creative expression is inner creativity. It is also much more subtle. Examples include a happier and more holistic way of being, the transformation of the contexts in which we live, becoming more loving in one’s life and placing less conditions upon that love.
Thus creativity is immensely important in the process of further
self-development. For example the very name of a particular form of
Buddhist meditation is Insight Meditation. The aim of this type of
meditation is to uncover insights into the nature of reality. The
resultant “Aha!” moments of inner creativity are an immensely powerful
impetus for personal growth and development.
What is the Creative Process?
Amit Goswami, in his fantastic book – The Visionary Window: A Quantum Physicist’s Guide to Enlightenment
– shares some very interesting thoughts on the nature of creativity.
Goswami is a theoretical nuclear physicist and Professor Emeritus at the
University of Oregon. He appeared in the popular movie What the Bleep Do We Know?
In his book Goswami explains that all creativity occurs in a process
of four stages. First is preparation. This may include gathering all
available data regarding a particular issue. Second is incubation or
unconscious processing. This allows the unconscious to process thoughts
without collapsing them. That is, allowing thoughts to spread in
possibility and thus give one many more options from which to choose.
Third is the moment of insight, or the “Aha!” experience. This
represents a discontinuous quantum leap in thought, the collapse of the
quantum wave function to a creative solution when consciousness selects
from among the propagated possibilities. The final stage is
manifestation. The new creative insight is expressed in the lived life.
How Can We Become More Creative?
As I mentioned at the beginning creativity is a powerful force in our
lives. It is through creativity that we can achieve what it is we want
in life. However, there will always be roadblocks on the path to our
dreams. If we do not posses the necessary persistence to avoid despair
we will give up. We will fail to take the time to allow our unconscious
to process possible solutions to the roadblocks.
This is important because quantum physics tells us that it is
consciousness that will collapse any single solution. The more time we
give ourselves to allow possibilities to propagate the further along the
possible paths of solution our unconscious can travel. The further our
unconscious travels the more creatively discontinuous the solution. To
be able to do this we need to be both totally committed to our dreams
and calm.
Calmness allows for the exercise of free will to select from the
multitude of possibilities in the quantum wave of pure potential. In
calmness there is a slowing down and a shifting of consciousness away
from immediate local signals. This allows our consciousness to expand
and the gap between thought and action increases. A freer exercise of
choice and thus creativity becomes possible.
Meditation is one way we can deepen our sense of calmness and
openness to life. A consistent meditation practice will begin to
manifest many positive effects in day-to-day life. During meditation
practice sessions one regularly enters into states of deep calm. In this
way we can learn to remain calm in the face of day-to-day stresses
outside of our meditation practice.
Openness is the image of Heaven.
Calm is the image of earth.
When open, one accepts all.
When calm, one perceives all.
When open, one can accept people.
When calm, one can deal with events.
When openness and calm are practiced for a long time,
Our heart is clear.
Open acceptance and calm is how Sages achieved,
The Tao of Heaven and Earth.
- The Book of Balance & Harmony, Li Tao-ch’un, 12th century
What are your thoughts on creativity? Please share them in the comments below.
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