The Case for Creativity

Einstein believed that imagination is more important than knowledge. He would probably be very concerned today to learn that creativity has been declining for the past 30 - odd years. It might not surprise many of you that scientists believe the reason for this decline is that we are spending less time daydreaming, our minds now focused on tasks and/or on screens from the moment we wake up to when our eyes close at night. These days our brains are occupied even in the in-between times, like waiting in a queue, travelling on public transport and even going to the loo! Sadly, we are so addicted to the dopamine hit from our phones that we cannot endure even a few moments visiting our own minds.

Yet it is in these moments that creativity is born. When your brain is not focused, when you are doing irrelevant and mindless tasks where your mind is allowed to wander free, you are more likely to have creative thoughts. When your brain is allowed a break from the constant processing demanded of it, inspiration is more likely to seep in.

This is so important for your psyche, and for your soul. Research suggests there is an important relationship between creativity and happiness; creative activities increase our wellbeing and positive emotions lead to an openness to ideas and experiences, which in turn, facilitate creative thinking. To get a bit technical: engaging in creativity releases dopamine which, besides feeling good, improves flexible thinking and problem solving. No wonder employers value creativity – ideas and innovations can give their companies a competitive edge.

Creativity helps you to process past experiences, manage your mood and emotions and can help you make meaning out of your life. Time spent expanding your imagination can transform your life…

Turn your phone off, and your imagination on. Get off the sofa and away from the screen. Go for a walk, stare out of the window, watch the world go by. Try something new: a skill, a new place, new people. Play with your children, your pet, join a club. Keep your eyes open, listen, follow your curiosity, ask questions. Then pick up your pen, paintbrush, clay, glassblower, knitting needle, wooden spoon … any instrument you like … and play. Create. Design. Dance.

It is not about being original, nor what other people may think of your art. It is about allowing yourself to dip into that part of you, that playful part, that flow, or whatever your experience of creativity is like, and letting it possess you. If you wish to create as a means of resisting the system, you may need to be brave. You may also need courage to express yourself creatively. Have courage. Better to live an enchanted life driven by curiosity and creativity than the alternative. In the words of the author, the lovely Elizabeth Gilbert, “life is short and rare and amazing and miraculous, … the clock is ticking, and the world is spinning and we simply do not have time anymore to think so small”.

So be free. Let your mind wander. What has the mystic got on offer for you to create today? Delight in it, take pride in it. Enjoy it for no one else but yourself.

Then, if you like, go back to your sofa, return to your screens, turn your phone back on. But make sure you occasionally allow yourself to indulge in a daydream.

Lauren Richards GMBPsS, MSc, EMCC, HGDipl, Cert Ed., BSocSc 

Positive Psychologist and Coaching Psychologist

www.larkcoaching.co.uk

larkcoaching@gmail.com