Monday Mindset
Creative Insight
Happy Monday, my friend.
While we’re inching toward spring, we were pummeled with snow this weekend in Minnesota. It’s that weird in-between season of mild days mixed with the occasional blizzard.
I don’t despise the snow in March, especially when it is beautiful. Though I do lean into the light of longer days and eagerly await warm walks and deck sits.
Whatever the weather is like in your neck of the woods, I hope that you are beginning to feel it—the fresh energy of new buds in bloom and the energy of possibility that spring brings. Even if you have to use your imagination to picture it happening under blankets of snow (there’s that creative muscle).
But enough of the weather. Let’s get all cozy and settle into this week’s focus around Creativity:
Creative Insight
“Creativity is not a driving force. It happens. It creates itself and you have to be open.”
~Mayumi Oda
It begins with a spark.
An illuminating light, a sudden opening, a curious thought that lands with a thudding weight.
Oprah calls them Aha moments. A friend calls them inspired ideas. Cartoons depict them as lightbulbs turning on above a character’s head, springing them into action.
Whatever you label these bright ideas, you’re bound to have experienced one or two (or several) in your lifetime.
These moments can feel momentous. Like you were in the right place at the right time. Like the answer you were looking for all along dropped straight into your mind. Or an idea you’d never thought of before revealed itself, taking you in a new direction.
What do you do with these inspirations when they land?
When we are waiting for a breakthrough, a creative insight is like a lightning bolt, bringing electric energy to that area.
Other times, the spark feels less like lightning and more like a static shock. Still zingy, but less life-changing. Those count, too.
The goal of the creative life isn’t to do things perfectly. It’s not to chase down every idea with the same fervency, either. It’s to live open-hearted and curious, experimenting with new ideas as they come. It’s being willing to try things in a new way or to let go of what no longer works.
Some of us have lots of ideas. *Raises hand. It’s me. I have lots of ideas. Discerning which are worth my time and effort to implement, and which are simply ideas to note and perhaps return to later, has been a journey of trial and error and knowing myself. (Keyword here: journey. And it’s one I’m still on.)
There is also the occasion of having a beautiful, bright idea, and the timing is all off. Whether life gets in the way, or the path from here to there has too many turns so we cannot discern the steps to take, not all ideas are ones we need to act on right away. But noting them and seeing what sticks? That’s an important part of building a stronger connection to self.
As a creative coach and writer, I have collected my share of books on creativity. I picked up another a week or so ago, in a dusty little second-hand bookshop—my favorite kind of shop (could live without the dust, though).
Over the weekend, I stumbled across the following passage in the well-worn pages,
“Creative inspirations seduce us with the power of a magnet. They lure you, charm you, tempt you, and captivate your attention. Whether it’s an idea, a notion, a hunch, a whim, an impulse, a thought, an intuition, a sensation, or a feeling, an inspiration can be any stimulus that pulls you into your creative self.
Uniquely yours, inspirations invite you into the world of creative possibility. How do you respond when an inspiration beckons? Do you accept the invitation or discount it? By honoring a personal impulse and following where it leads, creativity is born.”
Gail McMeekin, from The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women
I absolutely love seeing these inspirations as invitations. If we take the pressure off a bit, remembering that we are human and have limitations, not every inspired idea needs to be acted upon.
I do believe that learning to honor those personal impulses and following them can lead to creative breakthroughs. But I want to push back at the notion that not acting on a whim means discounting it. We can honor that intuition and honor ourselves at the same time by lovingly releasing it as our responsibility. We cannot do it all, after all.
I want to walk through the world, eyes and heart open to the possibilities out there. I want to see the connections making themselves clear. I might not be able to accept every one of those impulses as something for me to pursue, but I can give gratitude even as I recognize that there is a possibility out there for someone else to find.
Rick Rubin, in his creative manifesto, shares his take on this:
“If you have an idea you’re excited about and you don’t bring it to life, it’s not uncommon for the idea to find its voice through another maker. This isn’t because the other artist stole your idea, but because the idea’s time has come.
We are all translators for messages the universe is broadcasting.”
Tuning In, from The Creative Act: A Way of Being
We don’t own ideas as much as we intercept them. Instead of focusing on forcing ideas (which never works, by the way), we can take the pressure off by looking around. Noticing. Being more aware.
The more we observe and give our attention to the world, the more receptive of creative connections we become.
Thoreau swore by his daily walks. Mary Oliver used her daily excursions as fodder for her own poetry. Other artists, not only writers, took inspiration from the world around them. Now, modern research shows that getting outside is a powerful practice in the life of the creative.
Some research suggests spending time in nature can enhance creativity. That may be because of the natural world’s ability to restore attention, or perhaps it’s due to the tendency to let your mind wander when you’re in the great outdoors (Williams, K. J. H., et al., Journal of Environmental Psychologyopens in new window, Vol. 59, 2018). “A lot of creative figures go on walks in big, expansive environments. In a large space, your perceptual attention expands and your scope of thought also expands,” Kounios said. “That’s why working in a cubicle is bad for creativity. But working near a window can help.”
Even working by a window can help expand our scope of thought—what a doable shift. When we’re feeling stuck, perhaps we simply need a change of scenery.
Or, perhaps, our brains need some time to decompress.
Going on a walk without taking our phones along can give our minds the opportunity to wander. Or doing the dishes without a podcast playing can do the same. We are adept at multitasking, but creativity requires space. This is why we so often hear about letting kids be bored. In that time, they will use their problem-solving skills to find something to do.
Just because we’re adults doesn’t mean we’ve left that need behind. We require time for our thoughts to wander. Mindless tasks that allow our thoughts to go where they will.
Perhaps it’s time to reconnect with that inner (slightly bored) child.
Can you remember the last time you had a lightbulb moment?
What was it?
I’m offering up a few options for you to choose from this week.
First is to let your mind wander a little each day. Whether staring out the window (you might want to set a timer), going for a walk without listening to anything, or some other way, simply pay attention to what comes up or stands out to you.
The second option is to revisit a creative idea you had in the past (but didn’t follow through on). Notice how you interact with that idea now.
Lastly, think about what places fuel your creativity. Which spaces do you leave feeling inspired? Is there a way to visit one this week (even if just in your mind)?
I’d love to hear about what this brings up in you. Drop into the comments or respond directly to this email and let me know!
~Sara
Really enjoyed reading this, Sara. A lot of fresh energy where I am—80s and sunny—so perfect for creating space for creative flow outside among the birds ✨🙏🏽