5 Ways to Boost Your Creativity
Creativity and art are part of human nature. They are part of what separates us from animals. Without creativity, there would be no new inventions, there would be no electricity, no water, and no Internet. Everything surrounding us in our physical environment is the result of creative human thinking. Whatever you can think of, somebody first had to have the concept. In his famous 1964 book ‘The Act of Creation’, author and polymath Arthur Koestler compared many different examples of invention and discovery. Koestler concluded there is a common thread in human creativity, which he called “bisociation” – a blending of ideas from previously unrelated lines of thought, into a whole new surprising and unexpected idea. According to Koestler, creativity can be practiced and developed, and even people who think they are not innovative or creative, can become so.
How can we hone our creative thinking skills?
**1. Enjoy. **Once you know how to do it, you too can come up with a new idea. Have a “creativity space” in your office or home. Maybe with scattered papers, colourful objects, crayons, markers, pens, etc. Hang a corkboard on the wall, where you can pin up odd newspaper clippings, magazines, photos, kids’ drawings, flirty messages. Try to pin up all kinds of things. Then rearrange them. This is your creative environment. Be innovative. You can attach stuff to the curtains, to the refrigerator, on your desktop – interesting magnets, mirrors, memos, beautiful art images, jokes, wisdom. You want this environment to be fun, to uplift your mood. Interrupt your work to laugh about something with colleagues, to juggle balls, or throw darts at the wall.
**2. Set your mind to being creative. **Take time for creative thinking. In pure mathematics, a problem will have one right solution, and mathematicians will throw all their energy and time into finding that one answer. In the real world though, there is usually more than one way to solve a problem. The best way to approach any problem requires some creativity; of course, some people will pooh-pooh this approach, or come up with totally silly ideas. With a little practice, and experience you can get better at coming up with new ideas. The new ideas are all around you; knowing that will make it much easier for you to think of them than if you were not sure whether there really is an answer.
Imagine if everyone believed that everything had already been invented! Would we have so much variety if people really believed that? Think about how we need to store more and more information. Would we still be stuck with floppy discs? Anything can be improved upon. The best story is not yet been written, the fastest possible cars do not exist. Medicine continues to evolve. Scientists continue to seek for answers to the thousands of questions that are still unanswered. There are always hundreds of solutions to a problem, and there is no reason why you couldn’t think of some of them.
**3. Go back to the child in you. **Consider what things give you real pleasure. Look at them from a new angle, as if you’ve never done them. You can look similarly at everyday problems from a different perspective. Look at them with fresh eyes, the way children do. As we get older and older, all that experience and learning makes our thinking rigid. Children are unencumbered by the weight of accumulated information that constricts adult thinking. We take the same route to work, cook the same meals from the same proven recipes, and complain that things are not going right, not realizing that the problem might actually be in the way we do things. Children see things with fresh eyes. Have you ever been surprised by a child, asking a perceptive question about a problem when you couldn’t think of anything new about it.
Go outside. Change the route to work. Use a different recipe for a familiar dish. Consider the problem backwards. “Put on foreign shoes”. Colour grass orange, paint the sky green, and turn the sun blue. Turn your ideas about everything upside down. Ask yourself how you would have thought as a six, eight or 12 year old child – about some of the world’s “unsolvable” problems. They see the world through rose-colored glasses. Maybe we should too.
**4. Unleash your curiosity. **Every new idea is based on previous knowledge. Sir Isaac Newton, who discovered the laws of gravity and motion in 1687 said, “If I have seen a little further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants, who came before me.” New ideas are not necessarily discoveries that nobody has thought of before. Usually they combine elements of already existing ideas. Curiosity is the collection of heterogeneous information – historical, geographical, philosophical, and scientific. It is curiosity that helps in the exploration of an object, a country, or even an idea. Albert Einstein said “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” Ideas occur to people who are interested in everything. Then, when they need it, creativity will combine with the knowledge in their minds, and grow into something original. Gathering more information always helps. Get a notebook that you can take everywhere with you. Record in it everything you find interesting and important. Learn to combine ideas. Read professional journals, documentaries, diverse literature. Watch interesting T.V. The internet is rich too; use it to visit forums and social networks.
5. Record everything. Don’t let it gather dust. Review it regularly. Summarise everything that might be useful. Do not be afraid to experiment. Even the crazy ideas might be useful to you later on. Just ask and be creative!
About the Author
How to Catch Your Dreams
Dreams are the easiest portal to the otherworld which we are granted in this human landscape. It is in these nighttime sojourns that we connect with Angels and Guides, converse with our Highest Self and are afforded the luxury to work out that which cannot be readily digested in our waking hours.
I’m always fascinated by this in between space, yet am heartily disappointed by traditional dream meanings. I prefer to dive into the shadowy depths of my own psyche without such pedestrian notions spelled out. Carl Jung perhaps posits the best path to decipher the meaning of our dreams. It is the archetypes – the rich characters whom we encounter – who can lead us best to extract the meaning of our dreams. As they each represent an aspect of self, unravel the archetype to see how this underlying energy or persona plays out for you presently.
Beyond the gentle soothing of rest and restoration, others have skillfully navigated psychic landscapes through this dark revery. David Wilcock, in his extensive dream work, has been able to predict many global events. Over the course of many years he meticulously journaled his dreams upon waking and was able to accurately extract their greater significance. Edgar Cayce, the sleeping prophet, was so skilled in these realms he was able to carry out precise and highly personalized readings for people. Unable to access such knowledge in his waking state, his dreams presented a doorway to far-reaching knowledge which helped thousands of individuals and still has lasting relevance today.
Here are some ways you can begin to tap into the powerful portals of the divine through your nighttime escapades.
Set an Intention
The universe, in its respect of free will, can only act in accordance with what we directly command. State an intention to easily and readily recall your dreams upon waking. I proclaim this aloud. Speaking things into being and giving vibrational frequency to your desires magnifies the likelihood of success.
Keep a Dream Journal
To best utilize this nighttime landscape for yourself, record your dreams as soon as you wake. Keep a journal by the bed and make a habit to jot some notes in the morning. More than the specific encounters and details, I find the feelings evoked are more telling.
Personal Dream Interpretation
It is helpful to go back over these jottings from time to time to see what has transpired. Don’t grab a dream interpretation book, instead seek to decipher your own meaning in hindsight. Can you see your own archetypes and patterns at play? Once you identify themes and key players you can more readily understand your dreams as they occur. This is a refined process that takes time to develop well.
Once you can navigate your own internal landscape, you can more readily make use of the profound insight being shared.
Crystals for Dreaming
Crystals are allies for all occasions but potently paired with dream work. A crystal under your pillow will aid in the retention and recall of your dreams. You can easily program a crystal to support any intention you wish but it is especially helpful to store, or encode, dreams. Upon waking pick up the crystal and hold it while you capture your escapades.
Beyond recall, other benefits of crystals for dreams are:
- Amethyst – a gentle crystal which aids in restful sleep; psychic stone of the crown chakra helpful for deepening dream states
- Ametrine – connection with highest self, it creates a portal for this wisdom to be transmitted to you
- Azurite – 3rd eye opener, can bring through spirit guides, past life memories and the connection with psychic gifts
- Quartz – best for programming to act as an ally for dream recall
- Modlavite – a powerful generator which illuminates personal issues and brings them to the surface, aids in lucid dreaming
Dream Guide Meditation
Allow yourself the space to delve into this guided meditation to meet with a Spirit Guide offering assistance for you in your dream work. Gently and easily meet with a guide that is personally devoted to you.
- Close your eyes and breathe deeply into your belly
- See yourself in the night sky, held by a blanket of velvety stars
- You will see in the distance a platform of pure white crystal
- Stand atop this stage and request that a Dream Guide join you
- Spend time getting to know this guide. Feel their vibration, request a name and ask how this partnership may best unfold
- When you are complete, thank your ally and commit to accepting the assistance
- Stand alone atop the platform to receive restorative cosmic blessings of the universe
- Slowly bring yourself back to your physical body feeling these offerings of abundance
- Commit to invoking this guide nightly and connecting again upon waking to best utilize the support offered
Dream Catcher
You may have seen these beauteous decorations hanging from walls and rear view mirrors. The dream catcher looks much like a spider’s web and is said to catch the nightmares. Peaceful, blissful and supportive dreams are able to pass through with ease and support you.
The ritual use of these sacred objects is well documented. Beyond ornamental, they are handmade with great care and created for a specific individual in mind.
The tradition began with the Obijway Native Americans. Made from sinews, or plant fibers, and hung over sleeping children, the web would catch the bad dreams and allow the good dreams to pass easily through the hole in the center. When the morning sun illuminates the dream catcher the bad dreams would be vanquished.
How to Make Your Own Dream Catcher
Used as a scared object the dream catcher can have a beneficial effect on sleeping and dream recall. Whether literal or a placebo effect, crafting your own object of power for your nighttime journeys can be a space of deep connection and healing.
1. Gather Sacred Items
Traditional dream catchers include bone, feathers, crystals and beads. Find your own items that convey special meaning. Remember that the final design will be rather delicate so avoid heavy objects.
2. Choose the Frame
You’ll need a 2-6 foot length of pliable material. Red willow or soaked grapevine are easy to obtain from a craft store. Remember, this is a sacred quest and gathered items should feel important to you. Invoke Spirit to lead you to the best suited materials for you.
3. Weave the Hoop
Perhaps the most ritualistic step of creating a dream catcher is in weaving the sinew through the hoop. Take this on as a sacred task. All myths carry stories of weavers – to the Nordics it was the Norns, or Sisters of Wyrd, to the Native Americans it was Spider Woman. Weaving is the act of creating the web of time, the very fabric of reality, and is a channel for all manifestation, spiritual work and healing. While you weave your hoop, hold your intention close to your heart and chant your selected mantra(s).
Many tutorials are available on how to create this sacred art yourself. Intention is key and the finished project will carry your intentions.
Your dreams are a most personal gift and direct link with the divine. Making conscious use of this nighttime travel will aid spiritual development and support your path of Ascension. Use it well lovey and know there is no more powerful way to access your Highest Self!
