Improving Creativity with Mindfulness
Using the ability to think outside the box and create innovative ideas to develop our society, we still are not sure why some people may be more creative than others. The curiosity to constantly want to develop and learn, by creating new ways and ideas is an important ability for us that many forget using. Mindfulness has shown to be one of the ways to develop this ability.
Mindfulness has different types of definition. Some definitions are based from the budhismen and some of them is based from the science. However, the message is the same as be in the present and embrace new things by using your fully attention. By that, we develop awareness of our actions, taking the present much importantly and not thinking about our actions from the past.
From this, mindfulness has shown a significant correlation to higher creativity and development (Henriksen et al, 2020). To enhance our ability for being creative, one thing that makes us different is our thoughts and mindsets we develop and processing. Langer (2000) explains the process of our mindsets to be as mindful and mindless in the sentence of being creative. By being mindful we can focus of the things that matters to us. We don’t feel forced to learn, but instead, we use the material to find a creative way to learn without feeling judged. Mindfulness is therefore importantly for our creativity and has shown before to have significant correlation between the two variables (Carson & Langer, 2006). On the other hand, creativity is such a complex area and it is hard to define.
The four stages of creativity
Creative process can be described as of the four stages, Preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Verification. Processing mindfulness could be the way to enhance all these stages to be as productive as possible.
For example in preparation its about learning and handling information as much as possible. For in-learning it is important for us to keep focusing and making the in-learning process to be intrinsic as possible. Mindfulness could make us be able to focus on the things that matters to us (in this case, information) and it also prevents us to not judge the material we learn. Instead, we only tries to learn as much as possible, staying in the present to develop new thoughts and ways to understand the material.
Separating the thoughts into two sections
To create a divergent thinking, we might need to separate thoughts into sections, irrational thoughts and rational. Irrational thoughts are the thoughts that judge, focusing on stereotypes and usually puts our mind in past as what we could have done better. These thoughts are also the beginning of developing a mindset called mindlessness.
The rational thoughts are thoughts that focus on the present as what can be done now. These thoughts are the mindset of being mindfulness.
By focusing on processing a mindful mindset you can therefore develop your creativity and easier focus on the things that matters to you. Not focusing on judging yourself, or to think about past decisions or future options. Only progress new income stimulants and reflects using your mind.
In the depth of mindlessness
Mindlessness is what Lanner (2000) describes as a human error. This is something we develop from stereotypes and prejudice and usually can create conditions in form of anxiety and malaise from limiting our creativity. Usually students or workers that do not get the ability to use their creativity can cause sleepwalking since their tasks is premade and their in-learning is not stimulating the creativity.
This tend to make the human feel less important since creativity is not only a big part for us to come up with new ideas, it is also essential for our wellbeing (Henriksen et al 2020). This usually comes from the distinction we draw between people by stereotyping them into different races with premade behaviours. These behaviours are usually not rooted in any facts but only based on mindless learning from the society.
Why be mindful?
Being aware of the present will make you constantly being curious of creating something new because you stop worrying about what can be done or what could have been done, only what you will be doing. You will also be intrinsic of what matters to you, making it easier for you to constantly chasing your goals and stop creating irrational thoughts of who you are, and what you haven’t done.
Increasing mindfulness in life would therefore be helpful for our creativity, wellbeing and expression of life. It would create acceptance between us humans for developing in our own pace and be supportive to make humans be more creative in their learning. Mindfulness should therefore be a process we all can use to focus on what is important for us and to be creative.
