8 Steps to Creativity

Whether you are creating an original work of art, a new piece of music, a unique software program, or a healing response to an illness, creativity requires a leap in awareness. If you are improving on something that already exists, that is innovation. Creativity brings something into existence that has never been there before.

There are eight basic steps to the creative response. Become conscious of these steps and use the creative response whenever you are facing an issue or challenge in your life. You have unlimited creative potential that can be used to solve any problem you are facing.

1. Intended outcome: Have a clear vision of what it is that you want to have unfold. Avoid defining your intentions in terms of what you don’t want.

2. Information gathering: Learn everything that is available about the issue you are facing. Recognize that your particular variation is unique. Pay attention to the sensations in your body as you learn what others have to say about the issue.

3. Information reshuffling and information analysis: As you gather information, your mind will digest what you are learning, formatting the information in ways that are useful to you. Look for patterns.

4. Incubation: In incubation, you allow your awareness to settle into a more expanded state of consciousness through meditation. Incubation is a stage of surrender.

5. Insight: Insight results from the rearranging of the previous relationships and meanings into an entirely new context, which then allows for an entirely new interpretation.

6. Inspiration: When you really see things in a new light, your entire mind/body becomes energized. You know in your mind that your insight is true and you feel in your body that the insight is right.

7. Implementation, integration and incarnation: As you integrate and implement the insight into your thinking and behavior, you incarnate it in your body. It becomes a part of you, and as a result you are a new person.

8. Archimedes, the archetypal creative response: Set up conditions that allow you to experience a creative quantum leap and you will access life energy that was previously unavailable.

Adapted from Grow Younger, Live Longer by Deepak Chopra, M.D. (Three Rivers Press, 2001).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Kathy P.

12:35PM PST on Feb 6, 2013

I just go with the flow of creativity

February 6
send a green star

Anna B.

10:17AM PST on Nov 13, 2012

Thank you for sharing.

November 13
send a green star

Angela B.

12:52PM PST on Nov 10, 2012

I have a few 'perfects' rolling around in my brain and I am sure they will remain there forever. My idea of perfect has never been great enough to inspire me to create it.

November 10
send a green star

Penny A.

11:48AM PST on Nov 10, 2012

Lol!!!

Joy W.

4:34AM PST on Nov 10, 2012

Thanks for sharing.

Vicky P.

1:54PM PST on Nov 9, 2012

thanks, and nice pic

November 9
send a green star

Gloria H.

11:44AM PST on Nov 9, 2012

I used to have "the perfect completed " painting in my mind. It was impossible to replicate that. Now I just let it flow. Some of my best artwork had a mistake that I embellished on that led to a whole differant result. As a painting teacher told me when I was agonizing over a painting ..."it's just colored grease". An artist told me she was so upset with her paintings she cut them up....then looked at the mess and started to weave the bits into a wall hanging which led her onto a series of wallhangings. Mistakes can be very enlightening.
If you look at your painting upside down or in the mirror..it will look entirely differant, and you can see flaws or potentials that you were too focused on to "see".
I loved the photo!

Suzanne L.

10:10AM PST on Nov 9, 2012

I need more info. to reshuffle.

Charlotte A.

8:19AM PST on Nov 9, 2012

I'm saving it to read again. Thanks.

Diane P.

8:11AM PST on Nov 9, 2012

Thanks for the expansion.