About Creativity

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How To Let The Subconscious Mind Do The Creative Work (By Fernando Soave)

From time immemorial mankind has wished for an Aladin’s lamp,
which would make wisheds come true.

The closest thing to this magic lamp is the subconscious mind.
The “genii” of the subconsious mind
will work for you if you follow a certain process.

How can we trap the subconscious mind
into a great deal of our creative work for us.

Here are eight tested ways.

1. Give yourself a motive.

The subconscious mind works at its creative best
when you have a purpose.

2. Make a date with your subconscious mind.

Prod it with definite orders as to what you want,
but don’t tell it what methods to use.

Let it use its own methods.

Example : “Genii, at 2 p.m. tomorrow,
I want you to tell me just how I am going to sell 3000 crates
of oranges to hard boiled Mr. Mack.”
It will help the genii if you have obligingly
collected on cards all the pertinent information about Mr. Mack likes,
dislikes and hobbies.
This will make it easier for the genii to figure out the best approach.

3. Always keep a pad and pencil at your bedside.

You never can tell when the subconscious mind
will suddenly come up with an idea.
When it does, write it down.
Always carry a small notebook or pad with you.

4. Write every idea down.

When you first get an idea,
don’t try to figure out whether it’s good or bad.
Write it down.
“The faintest ink is better then the best memory.”
This is particularly true of creative ideas.

5. Don’t be critical of your ideas too soon.

You have a problem that can’t be solved by cold logic.
It needs the spark of imagination.
But the moment your subconscious mind tries to throw out a spark,
your conscious mind says :
“That idea is a lemon. It will never work.”

In the early stages of the creative game,
the conscious mind must be told to shut up.
Nothing will cause the genii to scamper away
so much as being told by the conscious mind
that their ideas are worthless.

6. When stymied, stop for a while.

Of course, most creative problems can’t be solved overnight.
After you had a creative session with yourself,
it’s usually best to stop trying to think up any more ideas.
This stage is called the incubation.

7. Keep yourself motivated.

Whenever you have temporarily abandoned
seeking an answer to a problem,
the uncounscious mind should have its orders :
“This is important to me.
Don’t give up the ship.
Keep on working on this idea while I sleep and rest.”

8. When the heat of creation is gone

put your work aside for later evaluation.

Just as a period of conscious thinking and gathering facts
usually precedes a creative idea,
so a period of conscious thinking should eventually follow it.
This is the period of evaluation.

Creativeness is wonderfull.
But it is only half the battle.
The other half is evaluating your idea
or hearing another’s opinion of it.

Sometimes an honest opinion may spark a new idea.

Fernando Soave
CEO CUTTING EDGE MLM
http://www.cuttingedgemlm.tk
Free Cutting Edge MLM Newsletter.
mailto:mnet@followup101.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE

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Fernando Soave is the author of "Cutting Edge MLM News." He has been in marketing for 20 years and is helping individuals succeed online. Visit his site to find out how you can get free reports.http://www.cuttingedgemlm.tk or Subscribe to the Free Cutting Edge MLM Newsletterand receive your +$585 MLM Value Pack.mailto:mnet@followup101.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE

7 Things Sapping Your Creativity Right Now (By Linda Dessau)

This was a very easy article to write. I was late in getting started this month, and as my publication deadline got closer and I could no longer wait until I “felt” like writing an article, I was forced to sit down and do it. In doing it, I thought about the last month (when I meant to be getting started on this as well as other creative projects), and I identified seven things that have gotten in the way of my creativity. Maybe you’ll see yourself in some of these.

1. Not getting enough sleep – I noticed this one the most when I DID finally get a good, long sleep (the night before writing this, actually). All of a sudden my muse was speaking to me again (see below for more on that), the day looked positive and full of promise and I was open to the ideas that are always flowing around me. And I just plain felt good! Sleep is something I write and speak a lot about, and it’s still a practice I need to consciously keep up so I don’t slip back into bad habits.

2. Trying to do it alone – Bouncing ideas off someone else is invaluable to me. When I stop before I start (see below), and I don’t consult or collaborate with others, I miss out on the collective voices that are available to me. Just hearing my own telling of an idea – reading it aloud or describing it – can be enough. Any feedback or new ideas is a bonus. If the idea is really fresh and precious, I may ask the listener not to give feedback, and let them know I just need a sounding board at this point.

3. Stopping before I start – Not carrying out my creative projects because of self-doubt, real or imagined obstacles, perfectionism or generalized fear. When it came to writing today’s article, I had to “Just Start”.

4. Poverty mentality –It’s very constricting to be worried about money all the time. I’m doing a lot of reading and learning about this topic right now – I’m sure I’ll be able to share more in future issues.

5. A cluttered work/living space – It’s been over two years since I finished my first major de-cluttering and it’s time for another one! Exciting! While my living space has stayed tidy, some clutter (things I don’t need, use or love) has crept back in and is starting to gnaw at me.

6. Disconnection from my inner wisdom – When I’m rested and feeling well, I can much more easily tap into the ideas that are flowing around me. Whether it’s being open to something useful in an article I’m reading, or just listening for the solution of that problem I’ve been struggling with for a few days (and really, it just “came to me”), the answers are there.

7. Disconnection from my body – If I’d been paying closer attention to my body’s needs, I think I would have arranged sooner for some nights of extra sleep. I need to listen to the messages my body is sending me – do I feel nourished by the food I’m eating (or am I getting hungry too often), am I hydrated (or do I feel thirsty or light-headed, or is my skin extra-dry)? Am I showing physical signs of stress – muscle tightness, shallow breathing or headaches? My body will reward me if I listen to it, use common sense and give it what it wants.

If you saw yourself in some of these examples, take heart. Awareness is the most important step for change to take place. To look in more detail at your self-care habits, take the free quiz on the “Resources” page of my website.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. If you want to read more about what might be getting in the way of your creativity, sign-up for the Roadblocks to Creativity e-course – it's free! And it includes a subscription to Everyday Artist, Linda's monthly email newsletter. Grab it now by visiting http://www.genuinecoaching.com

"Attraction": What We Attract With Our Creative Choices (By Linda Dessau)

I used to be a jazz singer. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, they were wonderful and I strived to sing like they did. But no one impressed me as much as Billie Holiday. The tragedy and the talent meshed together into a musical offering unlike any I'd heard. I was inexplicably drawn to the drama and the heartache.

Louise Montello points out, in her book, Essential Musical Intelligence, that I was drawn to those songs for a reason. They corresponded with how I was feeling about myself and my life, and the real or imagined conflicts or unresolved issues that were going on for me.

Later, I found myself still listening to music that was at a different 'frequency' than me, simply out of habit. I either didn't notice that all the songs I was choosing were focused on 'negative' topics or content I didn't agree with anymore, or sometimes I was drawn to the music or musicality of the performers. Or it was simply habit.

There was sometimes a 'coolness' factor - maybe the performer emulated a quality I wanted to possess. Maybe it was their version of success I was after.

A common concept in the personal growth field is that whatever we put our attention on, we unconsciously manifest into our lives. This is the purpose behind the gratitude list - taking time each day to focus on what we're grateful for. It helps to balance out the time that most of us spend lamenting what we DON'T have.

Last night I saw the new movie, 'What the Bleep do We Know?'. My mind is still reeling from all of the scientific evidence that supports the notion that the possibilities, for all of us, are infinite - AND definitely within our control if we choose to think a certain way.

One of the most fascinating and concrete examples came from a Japanese researcher who documented how water crystals changed depending on which thoughts were directed towards them. For more information about the movie, see http://www.whatthebleep.com.

This is not to say that we shouldn't ever sing sad songs, that we should only paint with pink and yellow, or that we should use our computer to filter out negative words in our writing. It's not to say that we should in ANY way censor our authentic expression.

My point here, as it with many of the topics I speak about, is that we should consciously choose and be aware of what we're expressing. AND, as an experiment, we can choose to try and manifest what we want by describing THAT in our art, instead of focusing on expressing our feelings about what we don't.

Today I experiment with choosing songs, both to listen to and to sing, which evoke images of things I want to create in my life, or things I'm grateful for.

I have a very special collection of songs that I listen to every morning. Every song in there is very deliberate. Some of the songs remind me to be grateful, some songs remind me to celebrate and all of the songs connect me in some way to my spirituality.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. To receive her free monthly newsletter, “Everyday Artist”, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/artist-newsletter.html

Fear & Creativity (By Linda Dessau)

My fears are most powerful when they’re simmering just under the surface of my awareness. I’m resistant to a new idea, I’m defensive about holding on to my old ways, I feel excited and panicked at the same time – these are sure-fire signs that there’s some fear under there.

Shining a spotlight on my fear has been the best (and only) way to get to the other side of it.

"Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love" - Ranier Maria Rilke

My fear is there for a good reason – to protect me. If I can have compassion for my fear, and understand what it’s looking for, I’ll be more ready to let it go.

I’ve been thinking about how fear and creativity often go hand in hand. As creative artists, what is our fear looking for? What does it think it’s protecting us from? In exploring these questions I decided to brush up on Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”.

Abraham Maslow suggested that all human beings have the same basic needs, and that we spend our lives striving to meet them. His famous hierarchy of needs explains that at the basest level we need protection from the elements, food, water and other physiological needs.

Then, we need to feel safety and security within our family, our home and in our place in the world around us. We need to feel that we fit in and understand where we fit in and how everything works.

Next, we need to feel love and belonging - that we're accepted and appreciated.

We need to feel competent and masterful and that we're being recognized for our talents.

Finally, when all of those needs are met, we strive for the "top" level, "Self-Actualization" - to really live up to our highest potential, to feel a oneness with God, the universe and all of our fellow travelers on this Earth.

For some of us, long after the needs HAVE been met, we still fear losing them and having to meet them all over again.

Maybe that’s why creating our art can evoke so much fear. Creativity is a direct form of self-actualization. When you’re feeling fear about putting your creative ideas into motion, which of Maslow’s needs are you concerned about meeting or losing?

* If I commit fully to my art then I won’t be able to support myself financially – I could lose everything and be penniless and homeless

* If I put my creations out into the world, people may not like them – that means they won’t like me, they may laugh at me, I won’t fit in

* If no one likes my work, I won’t fit in. No one loves, understands or knows me. I’m not fulfilling a need in the world – no one needs me. I’m not serving a purpose.

* If I try to create, I could make a mistake. I’ll feel stupid and no one will like me.

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

* If I go another year without trying to get my creative projects off the ground, I may never break free of my limitations, and I may live the rest of my life with unrealized potential. I may die with my creativity still inside of me.

Even the fear of death is nothing compared to the fear of not having lived authentically and fully.
- Frances Moore Lappe

Have I missed any? Probably. Of course each of us have our own unique fears – and these are more universal ones that relate to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and to our creative hopes and dreams.

A well-known acronym for fear is:
FEAR = False evidence appearing real

In other words, even though what we're fearful of seems very real to us, it's usually something we've made up in our heads, as opposed to something we're facing in physical form. Studies on the stress hormone cortisol show that our bodies react to our thoughts regardless of what is actually in front of us. Our fears feel VERY real. And……they’re not.

SARK, author of Make Your Creative Dreams Real suggests you to try this acronym on instead:

Fill yourself up creatively – Julia Cameron advocates something similar with her “Artists’s Date” assignment in The Artist’s Way. What sparks your creativity? A long drive in the country? Making a vegetable soup? Meditation? Prayer?

Explore what stops you – looking at your own unique methods of self-sabotage is a cornerstone of the Everyday Self-Care Workbook (http://www.genuinecoaching.com/esc-workbook.html), and of my upcoming book just for creative artists.

Accelerate movement – Do something, anything, to combat the inertia of staying still. SARK advocates “micro movements” that take anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes to complete. Those micro movements are the building blocks for our creative dreams and most importantly, get us moving!!

Repeat – luckily for us, this process continues as long as we’re up for it!

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
- Dorothy Bernard

Self-Care for Creative Artists: 10 Reasons To Care About It (By Linda Dessau)

1. To be more comfortable in performance situations – performance anxiety usually stems from a variety of causes – physical, mental and emotional. Maintaining your overall health and wellness, including keeping your stress at a manageable level, managing your negative thinking tendencies and getting the emotional support you need, will diffuse some of this anxiety before you hit the stage.

2. To connect more and isolate less – other creative artists can provide you with inspiration, understanding and support. Looking at your social and communication habits can help you to deepen these relationships and allow them to enrich your life.

3. To have enough energy for everything you want to do - healthy habits will give you a fresh spark of energy and a clear mind.

4. To relax – relaxing, letting go and gaining some perspective on the creative process can help you to ease into it, and to let what's meant to be expressed come out naturally.

5. To use your physical environment to make you more creative – paying more attention to your physical surroundings and how they affect your creativity and well-being can have infinite rewards, once you take the steps to create your ideal environment.

6. To find time for what's important – learning how to say "no" to things that are draining your time and energy, in order to say "yes" to yourself and your art.

7. To deepen your creative experience - self-awareness and personal growth will add depth to your creative expression.

8. To stop sabotaging your own efforts – more awareness into the choices you're making will help to shine a light on your hidden and destructive self-sabotage patterns.

9. To take the power away from your inner critic – learning to recognize, hear and then dismiss the voice of the inner critic will increase your confidence and give you back a sense of empowerment.

10. To have easier access to your muse – whether it's speaking to you as your own higher self, a higher power greater than yourself, or through someone else's music, art or words, it's sometimes necessary to "set the stage" for these important conversations. Why make your muse compete with your inner critic, your busy schedule, your late-night adventures or the many other users of your time and energy?

Think & Grow Rich (By Leslie Fieger)

All wealth is a product of mind. Some economists will try to convince you that wealth comes from productivity. Many people believe that wealth is a matter of ownership or the accumulation of possessions. They are blind to the truth. They see only effects, not causes.

It is ideas that produce wealth. The process of creating anything, including wealth, begins with the idealization, the conceptualization, the visualization. Everything that follows is simply the implementation of the original thought. Everyone has the capacity to think and to choose what and how to think. Therefore, everyone can be wealthy.

The great thing is that ideas are free. You don't have to exchange or pay anything to have an idea. The problem most people have is that they don't have any original ideas. Of course, it is possible to refine someone else's idea or to find a better way to implement someone else's idea and thereby create wealth. That is actually what most people do. But why not just come up with your own concept. After all, ideas are free. Yours for the asking. No cost.

Hold onto that thought. Something you can produce with no visible effort, something you can have an endless supply of, something that you can have for free, can make you wealthy. Just one simple idea.

Hey, why don't we create an online flea market?

Zap. eBay. A multi-billion dollar company.

Hey, why don't we create a 24-hour international TV news channel?

Zap. CNN.

Hey, why don't we create a better delivery system than the post office?

Zap. FedEx.

Hey, why don't we create a personal computer?

Zap. Apple Computer.

The experts at IBM laughed at the two Steves. "Who would want a computer in their home? You guys are nuts." Now IBM's business relies on the sale of PCs. And the world is a different place. What would your life be like without a personal computer?

His college professor gave Fred Smith a 'C' on his paper proposing the need for a guaranteed overnight delivery service. Now even the post office copies Fred's FedEx concept. Fred is wealthy. The prof is still not. Not wealthy and not thinking correctly. Thinks A ideas are C value.

Ted Turner knew nothing about TV. His business was outdoor advertising. Billboards. Now, the major TV networks copy little old upstart TBS. And now it is CNN/Time Warner/AOL.

Ideas. How great they are compared to tangible things. Here's why. If I have clay pots and you have apple pies, I can trade you a clay pot for an apple pie, but then I'd have one less clay pot and you'd have one less apple pie. But if I have an idea and you have an idea, I can trade you my idea for your idea and now we both have two ideas. Not only that, two ideas often act synergistically to make a third idea and maybe even a fourth or a fifth idea as well.

Tangible things do not grow when exchanged. They merely change hands. Ideas change the world. Tangible things do not create wealth. They are the effects of wealth creation. Ideas are the cause of wealth creation. Had any good or original ideas recently? You are equally as capable of having them as any one else. Ok, maybe you don't know how to think original thoughts. Improved upon anybody else's ideas lately? At least you can do that. No? The find a good idea and implement it. Copy. Mimic. Do the same thing.

Michael Dell did not invent the personal computer. DHL is merely copying FedEx. The boys at Google did not invent Internet search engines. They just built a better one. It was someone else's original idea.

I did not invent eBooks. Online marketing was not my original idea. I took my ideas, added the ideas of others and presto, a wealth creation business.

Yes, you can think and grow rich. I know. I have the proof. That's what I do. So can you. Go ahead; I dare you. Think. Idealize. Imagine. What if...

Why don't we create a...

Leslie is the author of The DELFIN Knowledge System Trilogy: The Initiation, The Journey and The Quest plus many more success publications. He also the co-author of The End of the World with Hugh Jeffries and Alexandra's DragonFire with his daughter Ashley. Subscribe to his free and ad-free eZine at http://www.ProsperityParadigm.com or http://www.LeslieFieger.com.

Reprinting and republishing of this article is granted only with the above credit included. Permission to reprint or republish does not waive any copyright.

Creating and Living Your Ideal Legacy (By Steve Brunkhorst)

A legacy is more than a gift that lives on after you. Certainly, a legacy is a contribution to humanity. A legacy provides value to future generations. However, if you are creating your ideal legacy, it will also make your heart bubble with passion and excitement today!

Louisa Alcott wrote:

"When Emerson's library was burning at Concord, I went to him as he stood with the firelight on his strong, sweet face, and endeavored to express my sympathy for the loss of his most valued possessions, but he answered cheerily, 'Never mind, Louisa, see what a beautiful blaze they make! We will enjoy that now.' The lesson was one never forgotten and in the varied lessons that have come to me I have learned to look for something beautiful and bright."

Emerson left future generations with a philosophy of creativity, spiritual development, and individualism. He saw value and quality in each moment of life. His writings continue to share the message that people have the mental and spiritual capacities to achieve their dreams. He lived a philosophy that continues to benefit humanity.

The building blocks of your legacy are the ideas and philosophies that you live and value. Your contributions will provide something beautiful and bright to cherish during this lifetime. They will increase your sense of aliveness and fill you with the energy of a unique purpose for which you were born. They make up the quality of your life now.

How can you begin creating and living your ideal legacy today?

1. Decide What You Value the Most

Write down all the things that you value, and select at least five core values: those things that provide the foundation for your actions, beliefs, and philosophies. Examples of values are love, health, spirituality, family, career, adventure, peace, and community.

2. Draw a Time Line of Your Life

Draw a long line and mark it by years and months beginning with your birthday. Extend it for decades after your life will have ended. Include all the things you have done and things you want to do. Include the benefits future generations will experience from your contributions. Show how your life's work will actually continue after you. Your timeline is a very eye opening exercise. Spend adequate time with it and fill in as many details as possible. Then return from time to time to update your timeline and add extra details.

3. Write a Purpose Statement

Notice the themes running through your timeline. They can help to reveal your purpose if you are not already aware of it. A purpose statement is a simple, private statement that guides your daily actions. For example, you might write, "I help others to live happy and healthy lives" or "I create art that brings spiritual awareness." Do not confuse a purpose statement with a mission statement, which is a more specific way you might fulfill your purpose.

4. Focus on Today

Your timeline presented a large picture. What is your focus just for today? Spend sufficient time focusing on your current steps as well as on the future. How are your actions in each moment supporting your values and contributing to your purpose? If you are on purpose, you will feel authentically happy and fulfilled.

5. Move Forward with Gratitude

Live your ideal legacy by taking positive steps each day toward your vision for a better world. Savor the small treasures in your relationships with people. Live with gratitude for each contribution you have received and created. Give thanks even for the setbacks that ultimately reveal clearer paths forward.

Evangelist, Billy Graham said, "The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives." What legacy does the quality of your life reveal today? Envision your ideal legacy. See your role in creating a richer humanity. The legacy you share and live today can create a better world for future generations.

© Copyright by Steve Brunkhorst. Steve is a professional life success coach, motivational author, and the editor of Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration, a popular mini-zine bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve more in your career and personal life. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com