Work In Colour - Work. Think. Live. In Colour
Monday 8th August 2011 | 2 comments
A big part of creative thinking is about fuller awareness, really being open to what is around you.
Scientific American Mind has published at least two studies in the last seven or eight years about the link between creativity and filtering out less of your surroundings. And a famous Harvard 2005 study found that daydreamers were seven times more likely to be eminent creative achievers....
You can try increasing your own awareness by focussing on one sense eg touch or smell or hearing (maybe go for a walk and notice sounds, or make the sense of touch a theme for the day). Or you could try opening all your sensory channels and saturating yourself with whatever is around you.
Music is great for this - try listening (really listening) to an old fave as if you had never heard it before, or compare two versions of a song or piece of music - Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah or a Beethoven symphony for example. See what distinctions you notice and how it changes your experience.
In my workshops, I often demonstatrate this with food - chocolate in fact, because it evokes a strong pull for most people (I do offer sultanas as an alternative, but amazingly, almost no-one takes them...).
You can try it too. Put a chocolate in front of you. Take the time to really look at it - at least 60 secs - and to notice what your taste buds are doing, are your fingers itching to touch it...can you smell it?
Now pick it up, what does it look like, feel like? Smell it... Take another 60 seconds for this part.
Now put it in your mouth and slowly slowly eat it. (You guessed it, another 60 seconds...)
Now write a paragraph or a poem about your chocolate. Use extravagant language, metaphor is good here - this chocolate is like...eating it was like...better than...
You can also play with this by comparing three types of honey or olives or apples...
The main thing is to allow yourself to receive as much information as you can from your environment. It will do wonders for your creative thinking - and your enjoyment of life's little pleasures!
Tag: creativity
very good
focus and awareness are critical, as well as time
cheers
Thanks Astrid, always appreciate your comments.