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.