10 Ways to stop thinking & boost your creativity

by Jason Timothy

"Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream" - John
Lennon
Stop thinking

It's counter intuitive to suggest that thinking can and will

hinder your creative output & results. Most of us were
taught that the more you think, the smarter you are, and
the smatter you are, the more creativity you're likely to
have.

Although I agree that creativity and intelligence seem to

go hand in hand, I think intelligence has to be redefined.
When you look back at your most creative moments, what
do these moments have in common? When did these
bursts of inspiration come to you?

When you were driving?

Taking a shower or using the bathroom?

Right before you fell asleep?

Notice that these are not moments of heavy thinking. In

fact it's quite the opposite. Let's think of intelligence in less
of a "mountain of facts, statistics, dates & details" way and
more of an endless resource that you can "tap" into.
See, your conscious brain is attached to your ego & filters
everything through your opinions & personal beliefs. In
other words, your conscious mind is not open to things
that might be outside your comfort zone or habitual way of
thinking. Your conscious mind might actually block you
from seeing all the opportunities around you because it
doesn't like change.

That's a subject that can go pretty deep, but the only point
I want to deliver is that true creativity & inspiration creeps
in when your conscious mind is off guard. I like to call this
the "gap". It's that place between thoughts. The wider you
can make these gaps, the more you will be able to come
through. This means that you have to work at creating
these moments.

Here are some ways you can boost your creativity by cre-
ating more gaps:
1. Visualize

Visualization is a very powerful technique for boosting

creativity. You are literally bringing an alternate reality into
your consciousness. Your brain can't tell the difference be-
tween what is visualized and what is really experienced.

Some people may find it difficult to see a clear picture in

their minds eye. This isn't all that important though. What
is important is getting in touch with the feelings of achiev-
ing great things.

and here's the big secret..

Don't visualize your accomplishments being a big deal.

Instead you should get to a point where even though you
are pleased with your results, it feels pretty normal to you.

I know I just hit you with another counterintuitive idea.

"What does he mean? I thought I was supposed to have a

burning desire. I thought that I should feel excited!" you
might be thinking.
Let's look at it this way. What do you have in your current
reality right now? I bet it feels pretty normal doesn't it? Is
there anything in your life that feels abnormal that you
don't eventually push away?

Did you know that most people who win the lottery end up
end up in the same place they started within a few years?
In fact some of them end up deep in debt. This is because
having all that money didn't seem normal to them, so un-
consciously the brain finds a way to get the person back to
their comfort zone, or what feels normal to them.

If you want things to appear in your life & stay there, your
going to have to feel comfortable with the change. It's go-
ing to have to seem normal.
2. Separate your right & left brain functions

Some of you may or may not be aware that the left & right
side of your brain have distinctly different functions. Be-
cause of this, if used inefficiently (which most of us do), it
creates a lot of disorganized or conflicting thoughts. These
conflicts are the enemy of creativity. Once you understand
how to use your brain more efficiently, you'll find creativity
& productivity will boost in a huge way.

Let's take a look at the differences between the left & right
brain functions:

Left brain:
*Logical
*Detail oriented
*Fact oriented
*Interprets words and language
*Mathematical and scientific
*Order and pattern perception
*Strategic
*Practical
The left brain functions are often more associated with
right handed people. The left brain is great with details, or-
ganizing and quality control. You would want to use the left
brain when planning out ideas, figuring out which tools are
going to be best for the job, and guesstimating how much
time something might take.

Right Brain:
*Feeling oriented
*Big picture oriented
*Interprets sounds, symbols and images
*Philosophical and spiritual
*Out of the box thinking
*Inspiration oriented
*Imaginative
*Risk taking
*Deals with the realm of possibility

The right brain is vital to the creative process, and if it is

allowed to create uninterrupted, without the left brained
second guessing, you can expect a fantastic creative ex-
perience. The right brain needs to flow freely with ideas
without judgement. Creating for 10 minutes and then ana-
lyzing for the next 20 minutes is like driving in stop and go
traffic. It is counterproductive and frustrating.
So how do we properly put this to use?

Here's how I would approach a new creative project.

Start with the left brain:

Organize - It's important that you have a place to create

and that everything you need access to is right where it
need to be when inspiration strikes. Get rid of clutter &
anything distracting or unnecessary. If you are going to be
both creative & productive, you need to get organized.
There is no way around this.

Schedule - although creativity can strike at any time, it's

very important that you slice yourself time in your day,
preferably everyday to get into your creative zone. This
tells your mind that you aren't bullshitting & eventually it
will open up more during this time. It doesn't have to be
long, set a timer for 30 minutes, or even 15 minutes if time
is tight. The important thing is that you build a habit.

Let the dreaming begin:

Now it's time to let the right brain do what it does best.

The first thing you want to do, is dream up an idea. Think

of how what your creating will make you or the viewer feel.
What will the cover look like? How big will it be? What will
be it's title?

We are only looking for impressions, not details. Often

times, I will do this step & then let it be until the next day
so my brain can work on it unconsciously.

Next, in order for the right brain to work undistracted, you

are going to need to work quick. Set a timer & just create
nonstop. Whether it's writing, painting, making music or
dreaming up a new business, you want to be in "first draft
mode".

DO NOT fix mistakes or even think about what you're do-

ing too much. Just do it non stop for a set amount of time.
No second guessing. That is not allowed. Once you've
created for a set amount of time, whether it be 15 minutes
or a few hours, call it a day & take a well deserved break
for the rest of the day.

2nd draft - finalizing

Here is where the real work comes in, and your left brain
loves this stuff. Go over your work & start figuring out what
works and what doesn't. You may need to move things
around, delete or remove some things & expand on oth-
ers. Fill in the details & remember to enjoy this. Take short
breaks so you don't burn yourself out but set a timer so
you get back to the task.

Although I can go further into this, I think you are now

starting to get the picture & can handle it from here.
3. See & hear everything as an artistic influence

When you start tuning into your own creativity, everything

you see, hear, smell, touch & taste will have the ability to
inspire you creatively. At the end of the day, everything we
can sense is just a different vibrational form interpreted in
different ways. It makes sense that since everything at it's
root is the same thing, creativity can be inspired by 1 form
& changed into another.

Try listening to a picture, imagine what sounds might

come out of it. Or vice versa, visualize a sound & define
it's shape. Listen to the rhythms of natures & the visual
patterns all around you. You can't help but be inspired.
4. Develop your own voice & trust in it

Everybody who is learning something new is going to start

by imitating someone they respect. I think this is fine as
you are trying to explore who you are & what turns you on.
Unfortunately for many, it just turns people into spineless
artists if they aren't careful.

It's a boost of confidence to be able to follow someone's

steps & have something you're impressed with come out,
but this isn't really art. I'm not saying theft isn't handy. I'd
be lying if I suggested that everybody doesn't do this to
some extent, however, if you are stealing and following
because you haven't figured out who you are, you're
doomed.

Creating true art is about adding your personal spin to

something & taking the risk that it will either be loved or
hated, preferably both. Creativity without risk is not art, it's
color by numbers.

Find your voice & listen to it, even when you are afraid that
what it is telling you to do isn't any good. How will you ever
develop that thing that makes you unique if you are only
paying attention to those things outside of you?

5. Embrace failure as a step towards success

Failure is the only path you've ever taken with ANYTHING

you are currently good at. When did you decide to stop
failing? Sure you can plan for success, but don't you dare
wait until success is guaranteed. You'll end up doing noth-
ing with your life.
6. Broad strokes before the details

It's easy to fall into the trap of messing with tiny details
endlessly & then realize your work has no substance. It's
like a movie with tons of special effects but no storyline.
It's so important to go from big to small, otherwise you'll
just end up with something somewhat cool that makes no
sense.
7. Experience life

It's incredibly important that you get out of the house and
experience something new as often as possible. A new
type of food, a new book, new music, new art, new archi-
tecture. Obviously by "new", I mean new to you.

Experiences inspire. Chasing inspiration by staring at the

same 4 walls everyday is a sure way to lose inspiration,
energy & the pleasure in creating. If you're only outlet is
your art, you'll have nothing to fuel it. Do something!
8. A little bit every day

Your masterpiece isn't going to be made in a day, most

likely. If you have a fear of starting a project because it
seems like too much, don't worry. All you have to do is
break it down into steps. Put your left brain to work and
figure out the essential steps & keep breaking it down until
each step is doable in a day's work.

Keep a list of all your steps but only focus on 3. Tackle

each of these 1 at a time until all 3 are complete, even if
this takes a few days. Then grab the next 3. By doing this,
you will feel a sense of accomplishment everyday without
you feeling overwhelmed. This is exactly how I take on big
projects.
9. Surround yourself (preferably offline) with creative
people

There is rarely a better way to be inspired than to surround

yourself with other creative people & bask in their vibe.
This is easier now than ever. Social networks really help
you find people with your specific interests, although face
to face is much better.

Try creating a local Meetup using [Link] or find one

that is already going on. You'll be surprised what a positive
impact this will have on your creativity, and your life.
10. Let planned accidents lead to new paths of
creativity

When looking for inspiration I often let random change dic-

tate a starting point. Since my form of art is music, I might
hear the sink dripping & get inspired for a melody or a
rhythm. Or I might turn on the radio and make my next
song in the key of whatever is playing.

I know of one musician who tuned his guitar to where all

the open strings played harmonically with each other, then
he dropped a spoon on the strings & recorded the results,
thus giving him a starting idea for a song.

I'm certain all forms of art allow for chance to come into
play. You just have to let go & allow these planned acci-
dents to get you in motion.
Everything you do is creative. Your job is to recognize
what is worth sharing. Have fun & don't take it all too seri-
ously. That's where the magic happens!

I look forward to hearing all your creations!

Feel free to connect with me with the links below.

Jason Timothy |
Music Engineer, Blogger,
Producer, DJ, Remixer
Fbook | Twit | G+| Blog | Scloud

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