When Are You Most Creative?

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Bruce Keener

I’ve been giving some thought to what makes me the most creative. One thing I have found is that I am more creative when I am not trying too hard. For example, almost invariably when I pick up a guitar after not playing for a few days, or a week, a new tune just sort of rolls out of me. All I have to do is just start playing. But, if I try to “warm up” first, forget it … a new tune is not likely to follow.

Another condition that seems to be good for my creative juices is being unattached to an answer, and feeling unpressured. For example, if I am trying to solve a problem related to my blog, and I get “too serious” about having to find “the right answer,” I just seem to get stuck. But, if I take the problem and have a what-the-hell attitude about it, I think of a variety of possible solutions.

And, using mind mapping seems to free up my creativity.

Those are some of my observations on creativity. I look forward to hearing yours. For those who would like some additional resources, Brian Clark has a couple of interesting articles on creativity:

Also, the Mahalo Top 7 List for creativity has some good links, including, at this writing, a worthwhile short video. By the way, Mahalo is an interesting site and I plan to write a separate article on it in the near future.

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  • Capo

    In one of Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide” books, one of the characters learns to fly. The knack, he says, is to throw yourself at the ground and miss. I think that pretty well describes creativity. I agree with you – I’m at my most creative when I’m not trying. That’s when the best ideas happen. That’s usually followed by a period of intense work to grow and develop that idea into something substantial. The frustrating part for me is being so busy with other stuff that there’s no time to let my mind wander, and no time to follow up on any ideas I might still have. I’ve found that sitting down with a guitar or piano or whatever and saying “okay, I have 4 hours to myself – I’m going to write a song.” is almost always a prelude to frustration. The pressure pretty much determines that nothing even vaguely creative is going to happen. The Muse won’t submit to a regular schedule.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce Keener

    Talk about creative, Douglas Adams was certainly that. A creative genius.

    The not having time to be creative is indeed a problem. It’s hard to just allocate a block of time, though, and say “I’m going to be creative now,” as you point out.

  • http://www.punintended.com/blog Bamboo Forest

    I’m actually unsure when I am most creative. What I am sure of however, is that creativity can hit me at any time, any place. This is why, I carry a notepad wherever I go. You never know when a flash of inspiration is going to come by for a visit — so always be prepared!