One of the reasons you stop creative efforts is your feel you are not getting the praise you want from others. Consider the praise and growth you get from the Universe. Another reason you stop creating is you think your creation is not as good as others; so what? It's yours. Stop comparing your projects with other people's. I love to paint and sculpt horses. If I go online, open an art book or go to a gallery, I see that mine are not the same as the pros. Should I stop doing something I enjoy? I don't think so. Learn to enjoy your work. If others do too that's great, if not, so what?



How to Awaken your Genie

While being amazed by other peoples' creations, it is important to get in touch with your own creative Genie. Start by creating projects: - Gardening - Cooking - Painting - Needle work - Sculpting - Listening - Planning a trip

The media doesn't matter; it is the creating that matters. If you create something weird; smile and try again. Creating is a trip. Enjoy the trip rather than rushing to the destination.

Spirituality and Creativity

Consciousness, creativity, and spirituality are fundamental to the nature of the Universal Mind. The Universal Mind exists to create. You are one with the Universal mind; therefore, it follows that creativity is at the center of your being. Your Genie may be bottled up but she's there. By accepting yourself as a creative force you'll awaken the Genie within.

Creativity is a mystical union of you with the Creator. If the Universal Mind be a creator, you too must be a creator. Meditate on that.

We've all had Ah Ha moments. Those moments when your inner mind leaps into your conscious mind with such force that you are taken aback. You can be awestruck with the vividness of a new creative thought. You are excited and ready to begin.

An Ah Ha moment seems to come from nowhere; actually it comes from within because you've opened yourself to receive it. You are so full of the Universe, how could you not be creative?

When you hear a voice within say, "I could do that." That's your Genie trying to jump right out of the bottle. You are creating all the time, consciously or unconsciously. Try to consciously awakening your Genie.

You cannot separate spirituality and creativity. They are one in the same, a part of the Universal Mind and the Universe which it created. Each and every one of us is creative. You are automatically inherently creative. So to say you are not creative is to say you are not spiritual. Do you really want to say that?

As a child you created friends, drawings, stories and all sorts of things. Then as you went through the schooling process you learned that having imaginary friends was wrong, weird and not to be encouraged. When you were little, your rough drawings were displayed lovingly on the fridge; Later they might have been greeted with a smile; no more displaying on the fridge. You drew the conclusion, why bother?

Or maybe you took an art or writing class, where a teacher told you your creative ideas are all wrong and you should draw and write like they did; not like your inner voice wanted to. By the time you're a mature adult, you have decided you are not artistic, can't make a living with things like art, and writing. So you put aside childish things and concentrated on adult things. It's no wonder you say, "I am just not creative."

Stop it! No more. If you want to rub the lamp where your creative Genie resides you could do some of the following Genie rubbing tasks:

- Brainstorm - when you brainstorm you allow no self criticism. You simply write down as many ideas as you can. You can set a specific number of ideas or write for a specific time. I like brainstorming for 10 - 15 minutes. You are less likely to censor when you time your brainstorming.

- Branch - branching is a wonderful way of brainstorming. Start with a blank sheet of paper, put your idea or problem in the center and start connecting branches. Each branch will have branches. This is a great way to clear problems and come up with creative ideas. Try branching for 10 minutes non-stop.

- Keep a note pad handy. Jot down ideas as they come to you.

- Speak ideas into a hand-held recorder. - Open a magazine or a book and see if it sparks a creative idea. Allow the Universal Mind to talk to you. It's great fun.

- Write a list of things you'd like to do. - Go some place quiet, take deep breaths, let ideas come to you. You'll generate lots of ideas, discard some and keep the ones that excite you.

Summary

Abraham Maslow said, "The key question isn't 'What fosters creativity?' But why in God's name isn't everyone creative?"

Copyright (c) 2009 Wee Dilts