Is there somewhat of a myth of creativity and meditation when it comes to how our brains perceive creative processes and imagination?
Let’s explore this topic more… but first what is creativity exactly?
psychology definition of creativity
Creativity can be defined in many ways, but generally speaking, it refers to the mental processes that drive innovation and imagination.
Creative thinking involves the generation of ideas that go beyond previously considered possibilities. Creativity can be used for problem-solving in any domain and is regarded as a useful skill in everyday life.
Brain creativity – becoming a creativity genius
The human brain has been evolving for millions of years and is still changing today. Today, we have more neurons than ever before and are able to make more connections between them than any other species. However, there are some things we don’t yet understand about how the brain works. For example, the way our brains work is hard to study because they are so complex and the parts interact with each other in countless ways.’
How does mindfulness tap into our creativity exactly – what changes in the brain?
Many of us have heard of the ‘left brain vs right brain’. The myth of creativity still stands: left-brain thinking is practical, logical, analytic, and rational. Right brain thinking is where you go when you need to access your more creative, imaginative, and innovative ideas. So many people think that creativity requires that we tap into the right brain, as though there is something magical about the mysterious subconscious.
Meditation reveals the one mind. There is no right or left-brain when we meditate. With awareness, we gain access to all centers of our brain – specifically those that control learning, creativity and imagination.
Creativity, therefore, spans both the left and the right side of the brain by a thick band of nerves known as the corpus callosum.
Once we realize that creativity is everywhere, we can use it as a problem-solver or expression tool for whatever we wish. Creativity as problem-solving can be a rather powerful tool.
Creativity is not only linked to artistic expression but to innovation and problem-solving abilities too.
So with all of this being said for those of us that aren’t necessarily artists or have a career in creativity, that need to access this way of thinking what might the benefits for artistic expression be for non-artists.
(A side note: that creativity is found everywhere and in every line of work, it just comes in different forms eg. the creativity of engineering, the creativity of advertising, or creativity of entrepreneurship.)
Benefits of art and creative expression – why is artistic expression important
Artistic expressions allow us to explore our inner worlds and express them through visual arts, music, and dance. They also give us insights into the human condition and how we view ourselves and others. Arts activities help children learn about their emotions, develop self-esteem, and find meaning and purpose in life. Encouraging creativity with children is, therefore, a vital part of brain development.
Artistic expression is important for many reasons. One of them is the ability of creativity to express ideas, emotions, and thoughts. Another benefit from artistic expression is creativity helps us learn new things, change our behaviors, and create friendships.
A creative hobby is important for everyone because it helps us connect emotionally with our environment and others, while also increasing self-confidence. Every person has something original to offer the world, whether it is through music, literature, dance, fashion, or art. This is why I believe that all individuals should try to express themselves artistically at least once a week, even if they don’t consider themselves artists.
Art therapy has been used for centuries in different cultures around the world to help those who suffer from mental illness or trauma. It may help people express feelings they might not otherwise verbalize, or it may allow them to explore emotions through abstract means.
A new study published in Scientific Reports, led by Dr. Tania Singer of King’s College London, found that people who participate in visual arts activities such as painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, music, or theater experience less mental decline than those who do not engage in such activities. The researchers found that this protective effect was independent of other factors typically associated with better mental health – including education level, wealth, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), and social isolation.
- increased problem-solving
- increased self-esteem and confidence
- improved mental health
- therapeutic (creativity counseling)
- increase in emotional regulation and emotional health (regulates perceived negative emotions by enhancing positive emotions)
- decreases stress (stress release)
- can create a sense of community and enhance relationships when done in a creativity group (creativity communication)
- channels energy and enhance feelings of productivity or accomplishment
- mentally energizing
- a more fulfilled sense of the quality of life
- creativity for innovation
Hobbies for creativity/creativity type:
- making music or playing an instrument
- soap/candle making
- any other creativity project
Can meditation make us more creative – how to get over creative block?
Creative thinking comes from our inner world, where we come up with ideas, solve problems, and discover new things. This is similar to our imagination and often drawn from or inspired by each other.
Meditation helps us tap into this inner world and become creative. There are two types of meditation, 1. focused attention and 2. open monitoring. Both modes of meditation help us develop focus and self-control.
Meditation can help us recognize our creative thoughts and allow them to manifest. This is through becoming mindful and surrendering to our thought process so that our minds can run free with new ideas. Often we block and censor our own creative thinking within our subconscious minds and this is when ‘blocked creativity’ might set in. We can however overcome these blocks for creativity by accessing our minds efficiently.
Creativity activates the entire mind and we know by now that meditation strengthens the mind. Meditation can be seen as the gym for the mind. The mind however tends to get overrun by many other thoughts which sometimes makes it difficult to tap into the creativity that lies underneath this noise.
Think of the mind as a lake. When busy, every active thought impacts the surface like a pebble tossed into the water. The more thoughts, the more overlapping ripples. Before we know it, the surface of this lake (our mind) is full of movement. The lake has lost its stillness.
Beneath the surface is where our creative ideas lie. They are just harder to see when they’re obscured by the surface movement. Meditation helps do dissolve this surface layer of intrusive thoughts and get into the depths of our inner landscape where our innovative ideas reside.
It’s then that we get the mental space to float our creative ideas to the top and be heard.
How can we meditate for more creativity freedom?
Two forms of thinking have been found to get the creativity juice flowing. They do so by stimulating the creative drivers of divergent thinking and convergent thinking. One such driver is called “open-monitoring” and involves noticing thoughts and sensations in the present moment without censoring them. Another, called “focused attention,” concentrates on one thing while trying to ignore everything else. Together, they stimulate both types of thinking. Meditation and becoming mindful is direct way to access these thought patterns.
Apart from guided meditation, journaling or ‘writing meditation’ are also very helpful to enhance our creative thinking. This uses the idea of ‘stream of consciousness’ i.e. writing everything that comes up for you without judging, censoring, or thinking about it too much.
Mindfulness exercise – stream of consciousness writing meditation
Take a few deep, slow breaths and settle in. Make sure you’re comfortable. Use a pen or pencil and paper for these exercises – we use a different part of our brain when we write by hand vs typing. It’s important to explore im-perfectionism here, so let “mistakes” be there, and don’t worry about style, grammar, or sentence structure. This is about not editing!
Most importantly, don’t stop. Try to use a stream of consciousness. Just fill a page and then, if you have time, fill up another.https://mindfulnessexercises.com/writing-meditation/
Important is also just to simply get all your thoughts into paper and don’t read what you have written after. The thoughts that you have written on the paper aren’t necessarily all your genius ideas but rather it creates space in your mind for those creative ideas to come to the forefront afterward.
Meditation and engaging in some form of creativity also have another thing in common – it allows us to tap into a feeling of being present. This can also be referred to as the zone or being ‘in flow’.
Hmmm, what does that mean?
The artistic or creative zone of creativity processes
What is known as ‘the zone’ or being ‘in flow’?
The zone or being “in flow” means that you are fully immersed in what you’re doing, and you lose track of time and space. To be in flow, you need to focus completely on the task at hand, and completely ignore everything else around you. This is why “flow” is a popular concept used in several disciplines such as sport, music, art, and business.
Sound familiar? *drumroll* you got it – Mindfulness!
In conclusion, I would like to say that meditation is a very important tool of self-awareness. It allows us to understand ourselves better and become more aware of what’s going on inside. Meditation can help you develop your own inner world by learning how to observe things from the outside as well as the inside.
This will increase awareness and allow your mind to be calm, clear, and free. We have seen this already with examples such as those used in therapy: visualization techniques, replaying past experiences, or using creative imagery. When these are combined with appropriate breathing exercises they lead to relaxation and increased mental clarity. So if you want to improve your ability to work creatively, meditate regularly!
You’ll find it easier than you think and the effects will make themselves felt immediately. As always, remember… “If there were no obstacles, then where would progress come from?”
Je, kuna hadithi ya ubunifu na kutafakari linapokuja jinsi ubongo wetu unavyoona michakato ya ubunifu na mawazo? Hebu kuchunguza mada hii zaidi... lakini kwanza nini ni ubunifu hasa? Uumbaji unaweza kufafanuliwa kwa njia nyingi, lakini kwa ujumla, inahusu michakato ya akili ambayo huendesha uvumbuzi na mawazo. Mawazo ya ubunifu huhusisha kuzalisha mawazo ambayo yanazidi uwezekano uliokuwa umefikiriwa hapo awali. Ubunifu unaweza kutumika kwa ajili ya kutatua matatizo katika uwanja wowote na ni kuchukuliwa kama ujuzi muhimu katika maisha ya kila siku. Ubunifu wa ubongo <unk> kuwa kipaji cha ubunifu Ubongo wa binadamu umekuwa ukibadilika kwa mamilioni ya miaka na bado unabadilika leo. Leo, tuna chembe za neva nyingi kuliko wakati mwingine wowote na tunaweza kufanya uhusiano zaidi kati yao kuliko spishi nyingine yoyote. Hata hivyo, kuna mambo fulani ambayo bado hatuelewi kuhusu jinsi ubongo unavyofanya kazi. Kwa mfano, jinsi ubongo wetu unavyofanya kazi ni ngumu kujifunza kwa sababu ni tata sana na sehemu zinaingiliana kwa njia nyingi. - Jinsi gani mindfulness inasaidia ubunifu wetu? - Nini hubadilika katika ubongo? Wengi wetu tumesikia juu ya "ubongo wa kushoto dhidi ya ubongo wa kulia". Hadithi ya ubunifu bado inasimama: kufikiri kwa ubongo wa kushoto ni kwa vitendo, kwa mantiki, kwa uchambuzi, na kwa busara. Kwa kweli, ubongo wa kulia ni mahali unapoenda wakati unahitaji kupata mawazo yako ya ubunifu, ya kufikiria, na ya ubunifu. Watu wengi wanaamini kuwa ubunifu unahitaji tu kuunganisha ubongo wa kulia, kama kuna kitu cha kichawi juu ya ufahamu wa siri. Kutafakari hufunua akili moja. Hakuna ubongo wa kulia au wa kushoto tunapotafakari. Kwa ufahamu, tunapata upatikanaji wa vituo vyote vya ubongo wetu - haswa zile zinazodhibiti kujifunza, ubunifu na mawazo. Kwa hiyo, ubunifu huenea upande wa kushoto na wa kulia wa ubongo kupitia ukanda mzito wa neva unaojulikana kama corpus callosum. Mara tu tunapotambua kuwa ubunifu uko kila mahali, tunaweza kuutumia kama suluhisho la tatizo au chombo cha kujieleza kwa chochote tunachotaka. Ubunifu kama ufumbuzi wa tatizo unaweza kuwa chombo chenye nguvu sana. Ubunifu hauhusiani tu na kujieleza kwa sanaa bali pia na ubunifu na uwezo wa kutatua matatizo. Kwa hivyo na yote haya yakisemwa kwa wale kati yetu ambao sio lazima wawe wasanii au wawe na kazi katika ubunifu, ambao wanahitaji kupata njia hii ya kufikiria ni nini faida za kujieleza kwa kisanii zinaweza kuwa kwa wasio wasanii. (Kumbuka: Uumbaji unapatikana kila mahali na katika kila aina ya kazi, inakuja tu katika aina tofauti. Uwezo wa ubunifu wa uhandisi, ubunifu wa matangazo, au ubunifu wa ujasiriamali. Faida za sanaa na kujieleza ubunifu <unk> kwa nini kujieleza kisanii ni muhimu Maonyesho ya kisanii inaruhusu sisi kuchunguza ulimwengu wetu wa ndani na kueleza yao kupitia sanaa ya kuona, muziki, na dansi. Pia zinatusaidia kuelewa hali ya kibinadamu na jinsi tunavyojiona na wengine. Shughuli za sanaa husaidia watoto kujifunza kuhusu hisia zao, kukuza kujithamini, na kupata maana na kusudi katika maisha. Kwa hiyo, kuchochea ubunifu wa watoto ni sehemu muhimu ya ukuzi wa ubongo. Maonyesho ya kisanii ni muhimu kwa sababu nyingi. Mojawapo ni uwezo wa ubunifu wa kueleza mawazo, hisia, na mawazo. Faida nyingine ya kujieleza kwa njia ya kisanii ni kwamba ubunifu hutusaidia kujifunza mambo mapya, kubadili tabia zetu, na kuanzisha urafiki. Hobby ya ubunifu ni muhimu kwa kila mtu kwa sababu inatuwezesha kuunganisha kihisia na mazingira yetu na wengine, wakati pia inaongeza kujiamini. Kila mtu ana kitu cha asili cha kutoa kwa ulimwengu, iwe ni kupitia muziki, fasihi, dansi, mitindo, au sanaa. Hii ndiyo sababu naamini kwamba watu wote wanapaswa kujaribu kujieleza kisanii angalau mara moja kwa wiki, hata kama hawajioni kuwa wasanii. Matibabu ya sanaa yametumika kwa karne nyingi katika tamaduni mbalimbali ulimwenguni kusaidia wale wanaopatwa na magonjwa ya akili au majeraha. Inaweza kusaidia watu kuelezea hisia ambazo huenda wasingeweza kueleza kwa maneno, au inaweza kuwawezesha kuchunguza hisia kupitia njia zisizo za kawaida. Utafiti uliofanywa na Tania Singer, Mtaalamu wa Sanaa wa King's College London, uligundua kuwa watu wanaoshiriki katika shughuli za sanaa kama vile uchoraji, uchoraji, uchongaji, uchoraji, muziki, au michezo ya kuigiza wanapata kupungua kwa akili kidogo kuliko wale ambao hawajihusishi na shughuli hizo. Watafiti walipata kwamba athari hii ya kinga ilikuwa huru kutoka kwa sababu zingine zinazohusiana na afya bora ya akili, ikiwa ni pamoja na kiwango cha elimu, utajiri, shughuli za mwili, hali ya kuvuta sigara, matumizi ya pombe, kiwango cha wingi wa mwili (BMI) na kutengwa kijamii. - Kuongeza matatizo ya kutatua - Kuongeza kujithamini na kujiamini - Kuboresha afya ya akili - Tiba (ubunifu ushauri) - Kuongeza katika udhibiti wa kihisia na afya ya kihisia (huamua hisia hasi kwa kuongeza hisia chanya) - Kupunguza mkazo (mfumo wa kuondoa mkazo) - Inaweza kuunda hisia ya jamii na kuboresha mahusiano wakati kufanyika katika kundi ubunifu (ubunifu mawasiliano) - Channels nishati na kuongeza hisia ya uzalishaji au mafanikio - akili energizing - hisia zaidi ya ubora wa maisha - Ubunifu kwa ajili ya ubunifu Hobbies kwa ajili ya ubunifu: - kufanya muziki au kucheza ala - kufanya sabuni - kufanya mkuvu - kutafakari - inaweza kufanya sisi zaidi ubunifu? Mawazo ya ubunifu hutoka ndani yetu, ambapo tunapata mawazo, tunatatua matatizo, na kugundua mambo mapya. Hii ni sawa na mawazo yetu na mara nyingi huchorwa kutoka au kuchochewa na kila mmoja. Kutafakari hutusaidia kugundua ulimwengu huo wa ndani na kuwa wabunifu. Kuna aina mbili za kutafakari: (1) kuzingatia na (2) kufuatilia. Njia zote mbili za kutafakari hutusaidia kukaza fikira na kujidhibiti. Kutafakari kunaweza kutusaidia kutambua mawazo yetu ya ubunifu na kuruhusu yaonyeshe. Hii ni kwa kuwa makini na kujisalimisha kwa mchakato wetu wa mawazo ili akili zetu ziweze kukimbia huru na mawazo mapya. Mara nyingi sisi kuzuia na censor mawazo yetu mwenyewe ubunifu ndani ya akili zetu subconscious na hii ni wakati 'kufungwa ubunifu' inaweza kuweka katika. Hata hivyo tunaweza kushinda vizuizi hivi kwa ubunifu kwa kupata akili zetu kwa ufanisi. Ubunifu huamsha akili nzima na tunajua sasa kwamba kutafakari huimarisha akili. Kutafakari kunaweza kuonwa kuwa mazoezi ya akili. Hata hivyo, akili huwa na mawazo mengine mengi ambayo wakati mwingine hufanya iwe vigumu kugundua ubunifu ulio chini ya kelele hii. Fikiria akili kama ziwa. Unapokuwa na shughuli nyingi, kila wazo linalofanya kazi huanguka juu ya uso kama jiwe la mawe linalotupwa majini. Kadiri mawazo yalivyo mengi, ndivyo mawimbi yalivyo mengi zaidi. Kabla hatujajua, uso wa ziwa hili (akili yetu) umejaa mwendo. Ziwa hilo limepoteza utulivu wake. Chini ya uso ni mahali ambapo mawazo yetu ya ubunifu yapo. Ni vigumu zaidi kuwaona wanapofichwa na mwendo wa uso. Kutafakari kunasaidia kuondoa tabaka hili la juu la mawazo ya uvamizi na kuingia ndani ya mazingira yetu ya ndani ambapo mawazo yetu ya ubunifu yanakaa. Ni wakati huo kwamba tunapata nafasi ya akili ya kuelea mawazo yetu ya ubunifu juu na kusikilizwa. Tunawezaje kutafakari kwa uhuru zaidi wa ubunifu? Aina mbili za kufikiri zimepatikana ili kuchochea ubunifu. Wao kufanya hivyo kwa kuchochea madereva ubunifu wa kufikiri divergent na kufikiri convergent. Moja ya madereva hayo inaitwa "kufuatilia wazi" na inahusisha kugundua mawazo na hisia katika wakati wa sasa bila kuzisimamisha. Mwingine, unaoitwa "umakini ulioelekezwa", hukazia fikira jambo moja huku ukijaribu kupuuza mambo mengine yote. Zikiwa pamoja, huchochea aina zote mbili za kufikiri. Kutafakari na kuwa makini ni njia ya moja kwa moja ya kupata mifumo hii ya mawazo. Mbali na kutafakari kunakoongozwa, kuandika katika jarida au <unk>kuandika kutafakari<unk> pia ni muhimu sana kuboresha kufikiri kwetu kwa ubunifu. Hii inatumia wazo la "mtiririko wa ufahamu" yaani. Kuandika kila kitu ambacho kinakuja bila kuhukumu, kupima, au kufikiria sana. Mazoezi ya ufahamu <unk> mkondo wa ufahamu kuandika kutafakari Chukua pumzi chache za kina, polepole na kukaa ndani. Hakikisha kwamba unajisikia vizuri. Tumia kalamu au kalamu na karatasi kwa mazoezi haya <unk> tunatumia sehemu tofauti ya ubongo wetu tunapoandika kwa mkono dhidi ya kuandika. Ni muhimu kuchunguza im-ukamilifu hapa, hivyo basi "makosa" kuwa huko, na usijali kuhusu mtindo, sarufi, au muundo wa sentensi. Hii si kuhusu kuhariri! Jambo la maana zaidi ni kwamba, usiache. Jaribu kutumia mkondo wa fahamu. "Kujaza ukurasa mmoja na kisha, ikiwa una muda, kujaza mwingine. ""Kujaza ukurasa mmoja na kisha, ikiwa una muda, kujaza mwingine. ""Kujaza ukurasa mmoja na kisha, ikiwa una muda, kujaza mwingine." Mawazo ambayo umeandika kwenye karatasi sio lazima kuwa mawazo yako yote ya kipaji lakini badala yake huunda nafasi katika akili yako kwa mawazo hayo ya ubunifu kuja mbele baadaye. Kutafakari na kushiriki katika aina fulani ya ubunifu pia kuna kitu kingine cha kawaida - inatuwezesha kutumia hisia ya kuwapo. Hii pia inaweza kutajwa kama eneo au kuwa "katika mtiririko". Hmmm, hilo lamaanisha nini? The artistic au ubunifu eneo la ubunifu michakato Nini inajulikana kama <unk> eneo <unk> au kuwa <unk> katika mtiririko <unk>? Eneo au kuwa "katika mtiririko" ina maana kwamba wewe ni kabisa kuzamishwa katika kile wewe ni kufanya, na wewe kupoteza track ya muda na nafasi. Ili uwe na mtiririko, unahitaji kuzingatia kikamilifu kazi iliyopo, na kupuuza kabisa kila kitu kingine karibu nawe. Hii ndiyo sababu <unk>mtiririko<unk> ni dhana maarufu kutumika katika taaluma kadhaa kama vile michezo, muziki, sanaa, na biashara. Je, unajua jina hilo? *drumroll* wewe got it <unk> Mindfulness! Kwa kumalizia, ningependa kusema kwamba kutafakari ni chombo muhimu sana cha kujitambua. Inatuwezesha kujijua vizuri zaidi na kuwa na ufahamu zaidi wa kile kinachoendelea ndani yetu. Kutafakari kunaweza kukusaidia kukuza ulimwengu wako wa ndani kwa kujifunza jinsi ya kuchunguza mambo kutoka nje na pia kutoka ndani. Hilo litakufanya uwe na ufahamu zaidi na kuruhusu akili yako iwe na utulivu, iwe wazi, na iwe huru. Kwa mfano, unaweza kutumia mbinu za kutafakari, mbinu za kutafakari, mbinu za kutafakari, mbinu za kutafakari, mbinu za kutafakari, mbinu za kutafakari, mbinu za kutafakari, mbinu za kutafakari, mbinu za kutafakari. Hizi zinapochanganywa na mazoezi yanayofaa ya kupumua, huongoza kwenye kupumzika na kuongezeka kwa uwazi wa akili. Kwa hiyo ikiwa unataka kuboresha uwezo wako wa kufanya kazi kwa ustadi, tafakari kwa ukawaida! Utaona ni rahisi kuliko unavyofikiri na athari zitaonekana mara moja. Kama kawaida, kumbuka... <unk>Ikiwa hakungekuwa na vizuizi, basi maendeleo yangekuja kutoka wapi? <unk>