My Experience of Creativity (Blog)

[Savage]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Steve Pavlina's blog:

My Experience of Creativity

[TechnoGuyRob]

I so love the articles that could just as well have been written by me, with me meaning every word, Steve! This is exactly one of them! Of course, I like just about all of your articles. I know people who have trouble understanding how I could possibly refuse to adopt "beliefs" but rather let "ideas fight it out in their own little universe," and I am going to write an essay on the matter, but I linked some of those people to your article, because it explicates it wonderfully! I love you, you silly clump of consciousness.

[Dating Specialist]

This is such a wonderful and amazing article Steve! Like TechnoRobGuy, I'm so able to identify with this article so much that every word seems to be describing me and what I'm doing, my mental state and emotions when I'm writing an article to post on my blog or while writing my book.

Thanks so much Steve for organising all these thoughts and verbalising them in this post.

Now that I know you too spent 6 hours on an article I feel so much better too ha! For I was doubting my efficiency where people told me they took as little as 30 minutes to churn out a blog post while I actually took hours! Thanks Steve once again.

You rock!

[Savage]

A typical article takes me about 2-3 hours to write, usually in a single session from start to finish. But many have taken 5+ hours, especially those that are 2000+ words.

Sometimes I sit down and decide to write an article in an hour. That virtually never works -- by the end of the first hour, I'm just getting a feel for the ideas, and I might even scrap or rewrite most of what I've written up to that point. Once I'm in that creative state, it's like I lose control. I can't stop until the baby is fully born, however long it takes.

[dalante]

I can identify with this completely. The question I have been unable to solve for years is: how do you put yourself into this creative state? I think this is the one last thing that prevents me from living my dreams completely: I would like to be consistent with creativity... to be creative everyday.

Does anyone ever had to face this challenge and how did you master it ?

Happy New Year everybody!

[Levent Okyay]

Dalante: I too wish I could be in this state more often, however there is no way to just enter the state at will. I think that the only way to enter it is to be doing something that you completely resonate with. However I think your external circumstances, such as to what extent you are living your life purpose has a great impact on this. Also I think that being able to meditate and having experience with clearing away the clutter in awareness helps a lot.

I totally resonate with the concept of not being able to fully identify with your own writing, I guess it's just that I'm continually developing my ideas and learning more, of course my viewpoints are going to shift. I think an interesting exercise related to this is writing a letter to yourself in the future. That is to say you write a letter seal it put it away and forget about it for a period (say 1 year) at which point you open it and read it and see a different person talking to you.
I like the way you expressed it TechnoGuyRob, let "ideas fight it out in their own little universe". I used to always express it as having continually changing "beliefs" but I guess not having "beliefs" at all is the same thing, because If I accept that my "beliefs" are not really enduring and permanent, then are they really "beliefs"?
I'd be interested in reading your essay on the matter.

[John Wesley]

I completely agree with the selection Athena quoted about feeling disconnected from your writing afterwards. The ideas are so perfect in my mind at the time but become corrupted and trivial after they are written down. I think all writers have dealt with this.

In truth, the person you were the moment you wrote a past article disappears almost instantly. We move onto new trains of thought that alter our perspective. In a way I find my old writing very awkward and even embarrassing because it isn't a good representation of who I am at the present moment.

I also agree with Steve's use of the bear in a cave metaphor. I become very reclusive and hostile when I'm struck with the creative urge and this can be difficult for loved ones to understand at times. However, I wouldn't trade the creative rush for anything in the world. When I'm creating I feel the highest levels of confidence and vitality.

Overall, great post Steve. It's a pleasure to have insight about the creative process and reinforcement that someone else has a similar experience.

[richie]

Hey, steve so good to hear your experience,I feel really the same.As i am currently working on my new site and i just go so much into my work that i forget everything ,When my mom comes to my room and tell me something i don't even know she is there unless she physically touches me, i generally feel damn gratitude and tears come out of my eyes when i am too happy and i love to work on my upcoming site for hours on and on.Maybe you are spreading a sort of virus maybe
and by the way i have been reading your blog when it was two months baby

[tc33]

Steve, great article. I too love being "in the zone", although this rarely happens.

From a PD perspective (or WIIFM perspective ), can you please describe to us mere mortals how we can summon this mental state at will?

Off the top of my head, it seems as if one is doing work that is in line with their passion, assuming the "in the zone" mentality would be natural for them. However, is there any way we can "force" the experience to occur? Thoughts?

Thanks!

- Tom

[John Wesley]

I'm inclined to think that it cannot be summoned at will. Some people are just more conducive to it than others. But, I do think you make it more likely to occur by doing a few things.

1. Reading new writing about important ideas, written by lucid thinkers.
2. Solitude - Spending an extended block of time alone helps your mind focus on a single idea to get the juices flowing.
3. Reflection - By examining your own thoughts and emotions you can discover why you have say and organize these feelings into words.

When all else fails, take some time off. Even the best get burned out occasionally. Stop trying to force things and let your mind recharge. Taking the pressure to perform off can be very beneficial.

[SamBeaven]

Originally Posted by dalante

I would like to be consistent with creativity... to be creative everyday.

Does anyone ever had to face this challenge and how did you master it ?

I've challenged myself with this: for the past three months or so I've been writing a new piece of flash fiction and posting it to my blog every weekday (Daily Flash Fiction). It works out fairly well, which is surprising because I don't normally respond well to pressure. Of course, they're not all fully realized pieces of fiction - some are flashes of what I think are much longer pieces, short episodes in a story or a piece of description. But I think I get reasonable results

Oh and tc33, I've seen lots of books on Amazon about the 'Flow state', which is close to what Steve is talking about, and that might be worth looking at. Creative states I find I get in whenever I'm writing fiction, and I can get in them a lot faster if I'm picking up where I left off on a longer piece (like my novel), but I've not yet found anyway to force it. But I can sometimes force a flow state, which is similar but less inspiring.

[Savage]

The creative create flow state can be entered consistently if the conditions are right. For me it's a fairly routine process and has nothing to do with luck. I've been entering this state regularly since I was 10 years old.

Those conditions include:

• clarity of purpose (having a sense of what I want to create and why, doesn't have to be crystal clear when I begin though)
• a private environment (i.e. cave) with a door I can close and lock, thereby isolating myself from the outside world
• an open-ended schedule (i.e. at least several continuous hours available to work)
• the ability to disregard interruptions (may require coordination with others)
• very quiet, but occasionally some classical or non-vocal new age music, fountain running OK
• prior mastery of whatever tools I'm using (I can't enter the flow state if I'm using new software, struggling with a new programming language)

I might expand the above into a full article, since I'm sure there are other conditions I missed because I take them for granted.

The typical corporate environment doesn't provide enough of these conditions, especially if you live in cubicle city.

[Adam]

I definitely agree with non-vocal music. (Personally, trance techno keeps me creative, but I've been able to write or code just as entranced with classical and good old Scottish pipes and drums.) Unexpected vocals tend to break me out of the creative mode as effectively as if my I kicked the power cord on my computer.

Do you have any suggestions on how to get a spouse to realize that when you're creating, any distraction (even good ones) are generally bad? I would have to be *very* tactful, because she interrupts me to fill emotional needs that I unwittingly made her very comfortable with.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Adam

Do you have any suggestions on how to get a spouse to realize that when you're creating, any distraction (even good ones) are generally bad?

I just tell Erin that I'm going to write an article and don't want to be interrupted. We have a pretty good understanding about that since she also needs uninterrupted time to blog and to do her readings.

I normally lock my office door when I'm doing creative work, so if she forgets and tries to do a pop-in, the locked door is a reminder.

It's sort of a running joke that when she asks me how much longer I'll be, I say "5 minutes." Two hours later she may ask me again and get the same answer. The truth is I never know until I'm 100% done.

My involvement with creative work pre-dates our relationship. So if Erin had a problem with my need for long periods of concentration, I doubt we'd have gotten married, since it would have been a glaring incompatibility.

[dalante]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Those conditions include:

• clarity of purpose (having a sense of what I want to create and why, doesn't have to be crystal clear when I begin though)
• a private environment (i.e. cave) with a door I can close and lock, thereby isolating myself from the outside world
• an open-ended schedule (i.e. at least several continuous hours available to work)
• the ability to disregard interruptions (may require coordination with others)
• very quiet, but occasionally some classical or non-vocal new age music, fountain running OK
• prior mastery of whatever tools I'm using (I can't enter the flow state if I'm using new software, struggling with a new programming language)

Oh dear... I identify with most of these, but I am still uncertain about clear sense of purpose and mastery of the tools for fiction writing.

What are the tools of fiction? (language? can you completely master a language?)

What about purpose? I write fiction to create emotions, to express feelings and help people express theirs... but when you start writing fiction, do you have to know where you're going, what your characters will be doing?

If there is one perso who makes a living off fiction writing, please step in! What do you tell yourself before creating a story ? I want to be consistent in my creativity so if anyone has answers, it would be an enlightment to me!

[tc33]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

I might expand the above into a full article, since I'm sure there are other conditions I missed because I take them for granted.

Steve, thanks for the response. I'd be very interested in seeing a follow-up article on how to achieve 'flow state'. I believe making the environmental changes you suggested would be helpful, but those changes won't necessarily result in attaining flow state. I assume there must be a mental trick/strategy for entering a true flow state, which I (and others I'm sure) would love to see you write about.

SamBeaven -- thanks for the tip. Do you have any specific recommendations? Maybe I'll just wait until Steve posts his follow up

- Tom

[Adam]

It seems that I enter into a flow state as easily as Steve. I'll start in on a project, then look up to realize that it is past midnight. When I'm really deep into the creative process, sometimes not even my cigarette cravings will wake me up.

For me, it really is just as easy as setting up the environment, picking a topic (or some functionality to add to a program), and starting it. I don't notice what triggers the lack of consciousness, because, well, I'm unconscious to all except what I'm creating. One moment, I'm happily typing away, and the next, I'm sitting back, smiling at myself, and I glance at the clock, which shocks me back to the present.

If anyone has been hypnotized before, that seems like the best way to explain it. The hypnotist guides your thoughts down a path, and you're free to explore that path within your own consciousness, but everything outside disappears. Just like hypnosis, if something goes against what you expect, then you can easily snap out of it, but sometimes waking up is very jarring, and you can do things during the transition that you aren't aware of, such as yell at whoever it was that distracted you.

I'm also easily hypnotized. Perhaps that has something to do with entering the creative flow state easily. Being easily hypnotized can be trained, just like any other skill, so why can't the flow state be trained as well?

[SamBeaven]

Originally Posted by dalante

Oh dear... I identify with most of these, but I am still uncertain about clear sense of purpose and mastery of the tools for fiction writing.

What are the tools of fiction? (language? can you completely master a language?)

What about purpose? I write fiction to create emotions, to express feelings and help people express theirs... but when you start writing fiction, do you have to know where you're going, what your characters will be doing?

If there is one perso who makes a living off fiction writing, please step in! What do you tell yourself before creating a story ? I want to be consistent in my creativity so if anyone has answers, it would be an enlightment to me!

I don't make a living of fiction, but I do write it a lot and my 2 cents might help:

Your 'purpose' is the end result you're going for in the reader - the emotions you want them to feel, the thoughts you want them to have, do you want them to reconsider their own lives, to cry, to laugh, or just to smile? Alternatively, you can just set out to tell a good story and let the deeper meanings of your narrative come in later, which is what I do.

As for the 'tools' - language, vocabulary, character, plot, development, story arcs... it goes on and on. And no, I don't honestly think any one human can master them, but then I disagree with Steve that 'mastery' is what you're going for - it's more like a 'competency'. You need to get comfortable with this stuff.

I highly recommend Stephen King's book 'On Writing', and Terry Brooks's 'Sometimes the Magic Works'. Both are fantastic books on writing from two very different authors.

And no, you don't have to know what your characters are doing at the end, but you don't have to avoid outlining either - different things work for different people. Try both and see what works for you (I'm an outlining kind of guy and so is Terry Brooks, but King isn't).

[dalante]

Thanks for the book recommendations! (and I really like your blog, good initiative)

[eternomi]

From the blog post:

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Sometimes when I re-read an old article of mine, especially one from several years ago, I no longer resonate with the mindset I experienced during its creation. I’ve since explored other paths and broadened my perspective. Consequently, I never fully identify with anything I’ve written. The ideas flow through me but do not define me. I’m only a conduit.

Hopefully people who read your posts realize this and don't block themselves with the content you wrote in that particular time. As we grow and understand more, we realize the limited mindset we previously had.

I do believe there is an end to all this discovery though. There are relatives and absolutes (see Why Do Intentions Take So Long to Manifest? (blog) for further discussion). Everything seems to be relative and kinda imply that there is nothing absolute, but I think the absolutes have to exist. I overuse this metaphor, but the absolutes are like math equations and the relatives are the unfolding of the equations in realtime. The equations never change, but how they show up in the x-y-z domain (wrt time) keeps changing. Once you figure out the absolutes from their relative appearances, you are done. However, now that you know the equation (metaphorically speaking), when you see the relative outcomes, you know why, how, etc.

Perhaps it is best to not speak at all until one hits the absolutes for sure so that the relatives one seee along the way and relays to others as if they are the absolutes won't mislead anyone. Or a big disclaimer that what is said might not be there just yet.

[Andrew Brunelle]

to be honest, I experience this state on a semi-regular basis. I just have to get away from other people to be able to do this. I no longer have to acitvate the ego, the sense of self, and just allow myself to write without judgment, without reason, without logic, without anything, and it just flows out of me. I don't even know where I'm going sometimes, but it's always an interesting journey. One time I ended up in Skokie, IL. Funny story.

[scottyp]

I agree with what your wrote about blocking out everything else while being creative. When I work on music, sometimes hours will pass and meals will be skipped and I won't even pay attention to the passing of time when I am really into it. It's great.

[Minsc]

Some of my best personal growth experiences have come from the creative exploration of opposing ideas. To truly understand one perspective, you must understand its alternatives. For example, you cannot know abundance unless you understand scarcity. You cannot know courage unless you understand fear.

That's a paradox.

Since in order to understand the alternatives, you would need to understand their alternatives.
That would be the thing you're trying to understand in the first place..

You wouldn't be able to understand it without understanding its alternatives.
And you wouldn't be able to understand the alternatives without understanding it...

[Savage]

Not really a paradox, although I could have been more precise in my wording. You may experince two opposing ideas in linear order, but you won't fully understand both until you experience both. For example, there are lots of people experiencing financial scarcity, but they don't know why. Once they experience financial abundance, they get a new level of clarity about why they were stuck in scarcity.

[TechnoGuyRob]

Originally Posted by Minsc

That's a paradox.

Since in order to understand the alternatives, you would need to understand their alternatives.
That would be the thing you're trying to understand in the first place..

You wouldn't be able to understand it without understanding its alternatives.
And you wouldn't be able to understand the alternatives without understanding it...

As a math major, I applaud your logical deduction. Indeed, if this were formalized in discrete logic, it would lead to an infinite regression.

Oh, and another thing is, some people fully believe, adopt, and live by two opposing ideas (sometimes even when knowing they're logically incompatible).

[Dan Efran]

The creative "flow" state mentioned in the article and in several of these comments - the pleasant mental state of easy creativity but reduced awareness of time and voices - is actually a different operating mode for the brain, with the right hemisphere dominant. (The right brain is much better at creative tasks, but bad at language, time, and logic.)

Anyone interested in this phenomenon - and in learning how to enter this state more easily - should immediately read a book called "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", by Betty Edwards. Fascinating book; it'll teach you to draw even if you think you can't. (The trick is to shut down the part of the brain that can't draw, so that the part that knows how to draw can get on with it. Just doing that gives you a bigger skill boost than you might believe.)