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Creativity Tip 25 – Discovering Your Flexible Creativity
Creativity is a flowing, fluid state of being where ideas flow and change is natural and beneficial.
Can you think of creativity as a kind of flexibility, ie an ability to flow with the many changes of life and to maintain a positive outlook while still reaching your goals? For example, if you switch your taking a shower from morning to night so that you can get up early to run a few miles and stay in shape, then that’s a creative act. If you are learning to cook and you fix three new recipes at the weekend because you don’t have time during the week, that’s also a creative act. Each time you find an easier way to do your chores, or a quicker route to work you are being creative. When you reward your kids for reading with a trip to the zoo you are being creative. Opportunities to be creative are all around you, and you may not even notice your creative acts.
In a book by Daniel Goleman, Paul Kaufman, and Michael Ray called “The Creative Spirit”, they have looked at many examples of creative people, and explored creative living and creative success. Fluidity is central to what they found and this is what they say about having a creative mind:
“One of the images used metaphorically in Asia for creativity is water. Water conforms to whatever circumstances it’s in. Water in a river rushes along, but if it comes to a rock, it flows around it. If you take a cup to the river and fill it, the water will suddenly and perfectly conform to the container.
A mind as clear and reflective as water is central to the oriental martial arts tradition, which places a high value on responding to, and even anticipating, events. Enormous discipline is required to attain this state of mind, in which one is capable of receiving information without distortion. For it is accurate information – whether it is the detection of an opponent’s next move in judo, or the anticipation of a subtle shift in consumer taste in automobiles - that forms the basis for creative action.”
Brian Tracey said: “Flexibility and adaptability are the core qualities for success in an age of rapid change, competition, and obsolescence. Every advance in your life begins with an idea of some kind, and since your ability to generate new ideas is unlimited, your future can be unlimited as well. Be clear about your goals and be flexible about the process of achieving them.”
One final thought from Professor Kraft, talking about creative insight: “Intuition – the source of insight – sneaks up on your from somewhere else when you’re not thinking about it. Take on a goal from Zen Buddhism and strive to go beyond the senses and beyond thinking.”
You can’t get much more flexible than that.
Creativity coaching can help with your thinking, so you can find more connections to successful ways of achieving your goals and dealing with your challenges.
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