Sunday, March 25, 2007

Deliberate Creativity

I was thinking about the subject of creativity and what sparks a new idea to explore. Usually my thoughts are safely tucked away in my bomb shelter (my mind) and rumble along comfortably in idle. Do I have any unique or original thoughts? I don't think so. Just like everyone else I have a unique perspective developed from my experiences from living my life from moment to moment and interacting with my ever changing environment.

So where does a new idea come from?

Let's start by talking about the difference between thoughts and ideas. Thoughts are what ever comes up in our mind and just like a ticker tape at the stock market they just keep running all the time and unless you are paying attention they just slip on by. Our ideas are the words, feelings or pictures that form our beliefs (usually unquestioned), our standards (when no one is looking), form the basis of our actions and define our safety zone. A new thought is a response to something in our environment either internal or external that stops the background flow of thoughts and focuses our attention because something doesn't fit. The door to the bomb shelter has been opened. Has something happened that threatens our safety zone? We need to decide what we are going to do with this new thought. Do we incorporate it into and expand our ideas? Do we reject it? Do we explore it? The choice is ours to make.

Getting to Creativity

If we define creativity is a thought added to an idea or concept that evokes in us a different viewpoint. Now we have a key to unlock our creativity. We can choose to deliberately look for new things to trigger new ideas. How? The choices depend on our comfort zone and preferences. We could read new books, talk to new people, look for blogs that make us think and best of all by asking ourselves better questions.

If we want to be creative then all we need to do is exercise our power of choice.

3 conversations:

Peter Haslam said...

I agree with your statements podnosh provided we allow for change in our thinking then the root of change is creativity (new idea or action). The necessary ingredient is the pause to reflect. Thank you for your comment.

Digitalnomad said...

Ideas are the currency of our current world. New ideas always make up for any lack. My gosh...look what they have done with sand and soy beans.

It does not matter if it involves agriculture or space technology.

Engineers are a perfect example...always creating something new. Do a search on Nano technology and you will see what is around the corner for new ideas and products.

seaside homes for sale said...

Everyone is unique and different in their own way and therefore everyone has his or her own unique ideas. Creativity comes when we utilize those ideas. Great post.