Brilliant Exercise For Increasing Creativity
Creativity is normally considered to be an active pursuit: creating something out of nothing. However contrary to appearances, the passive principle is actually predominant in the creative process.
You begin by emptying yourself of egocentric agenda and armed with just the intention to create something beautiful and worthwhile without even having to know what or how, you gaze at your blank screen, canvass, recording tracks or whatever medium you're about to use as your creative arena and wait till the words, pictures, melody or whatever reveals itself.
The Taoists talk about the void that is not empty, by which they mean that apparent vacuums are actually filled with presence (consciousness, life-force, love and potential). The task of the artist is to tap into the intelligence informing the void, let it speak and then convey that message through whichever medium is being employed.
To be able to let go this much, it's crucial to override the internal critic, who'll always jump up given half a chance and give you a hundred reasons why what you're about to create or are already in the process of creating is invalid or unworthy.
It is imperative to ignore and override this voice - simply put it to one side and get on with the job or you'll never get started.
Once all this is in place and you're ready to get to work, try this energy-moving exercise. It stimulates creative flow exponentially the more you practice it.
Based on the notion that creative input enters your system via the crown of your head, this works to open the crown in just the right way to accelerate the creative flow.
Visualize a fine, clear tube running from the base of the skull in the middle, over the brain along the midline of the skull and down to the centre of the forehead in line with the eyebrows.
As you inhale, imagine you're doing so through the centre of the forehead and the breath is shooting backwards through the tube over the brain to the base of the skull.
As you exhale, imagine the breath is shooting forwards through the tube, over the brain and down into the centre of the forehead.
Each time the breath comes backwards over the brain, think creativity, and every time it shoots forward again, think clarity.
Complete nine passes to and fro and within ten minutes or so, you'll enjoy a notable increase of creative, original thought.
May this serve you well and the ensuing output be a worthy gift to the world today.
Love, B