That creative feeling

When I write or embark on any creative venture it’s important that I’m feeling inspired. Sitting at my desk or even on the sofa staring at the laptop normally doesn’t do the trick.  I find that my mind is never still and wanders to everything except the task in hand.

So how do I find my inspiration? I sometimes flick through magazines, search the internet or look at other books to generate ideas. However communicating them ideas down onto paper can be a task in itself if I’m not feeling motivated to write.  Motivation, creativity and inspiration go in hand so it can turn into a catch 22 situation.

Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security that creativity is just needed for artistic pursuits, such as drawing, crafts and writing. Creative thinking is also needed to start projects, make changes in our lives and even start new business ventures. So what is the easiest and quickest way to alleviate creative block and get yourself back into creative flow?  The answer is to go for a walk in nature. Research by Kansas University shows that creativity levels are increased by 55% when you take a walk in the good old countryside.

Image courtesy of Adamr/FreedigitalPhotos.net

You may be wondering how walking through the countryside can do this?  Our brains are magnificent machines and function on oxygen.  A surge of fresh oxygen to the brain cells springs them back to life.  Which means that you will have more energy, more thinking power and many more of those ‘aha’ moments.

With the majority of the population not using the full capacity of their lungs, it’s no surprise to find that creative block is so common. Taking a walk in nature really does get you using your lungs. You can almost hear your brain cells sighing with relief.

Secondly walking in nature puts your brains immediately into a more resourceful state. This means that you will start to emit your alpha brain waves.  This is the brain wave that is responsible for your creativity levels. Walking through a picturesque landscape allows your body to release all of its happy feel good chemicals. This in turn increases your creativity levels. The correlation between happiness, inspiration and creativity is well documented.

Just like delta brainwaves put you into a sleep mode, your alpha ones spring you back into your natural creative state.  Writers and artists have a high level of alpha brain waves and even athletes who are just about to win also have a surge of them too.  In fact every time that you’re doing something creative you go straight into the alpha mode.

Contrary to popular belief, your brain waves can be immediately changed into the desired state at will. This is great news for all of you creatives wanting to get more creative. It’s also good news  for the people who describe themselves as not being the creative type.  I used to say that everyone is born creative and that they just have to find their muse. These days I’m more likely to be heard saying that everyone is born creative and that they just have to learn how to switch into alpha mode. Although I have concluded that both are synonymous with each other.

So why is writers block so common? Most people spend their lives emitting mostly beta brain waves. These brain waves are dominant when we over analyse things, go over problems and don’t allow ourselves to dream.  It’s no surprise to find that some people never find the inspiration to do something creative.  Their brainwaves are not providing the right type of internal environment to help their creative ventures flourish.

Here are some tips on how to automatically put yourself into this more creative alpha state:

• Meditate
• Take a walk in the countryside
• Be mindful
• Listen to binaural beats
• Visualize

In the next couple of articles I’m going to show you how to do all of the above.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to speaking to you next time.

Melanie J Molloy

 

For more information about my writing services or if you have any questions contactmelaniejane@gmail.com