Creative Advertisements: the Psychology of Flow - Unleashing the Flow of Creativity
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We human beings have unlimited mental capacity. But all of it would be worthless without our ability to visualize and imagine. That’s the main source of creativity. In our visualization exercises, we can travel around the world by flying; in our inner world we can do everything. You see, there are no limitations, no pressures, and you aren’t risking making fun of yourself. You are just playing around like a little kid.
Since we live in a world where everybody has places to visit, people to meet, deals to close, projects to finish, deadlines to meet, we have long forgotten the notion of the word “relax.” We don’t know how it feels to be totally relaxed anymore; you finally go on that long anticipated vacation with your family, lie on the beach in Tampa, FL, and your cell phone rings. It’s work-related.
Due to the omnipresence of the Internet, cell phones, and our great infrastructure, we can be reached almost anywhere. Thus, in the back of our minds we know that we could be contacted at any time. It is crucial to learn how to relax. If you want to exceed your expectations and become creative, then you need to overcome stress.
If it’s work-related and you are pressured, talk to your supervisors. Explain that you cannot think straight and that you cannot be productive and creative due to the feeling of being pressured. They will understand. Once there’s no “external” source that hinders your creativity, you need to take care and resolve your inner issues.
First, you must understand that it is okay to fail. You need to befriend failure. It is just negative feedback that you can learn from and move on. Don’t be too hard on yourself and try to avoid the following motivational forces: money, social status, recognition, value, admiration, etc. Instead of trying to “go solo” without sharing the “rewards,” try to collaborate. Another person can always help.
The aforementioned issues are not quick fixes; they require changing your attitude and mindset toward creativity. You may not change them overnight, but gradual progress is possible. Anyway, let’s see some of the workarounds that will spark sudden bursts of creativity.
Say you have been brainstorming and couldn’t come up with anything worthwhile. The main thing to do right now is relax, take a deep breath, and change your position. Staring at the screen or at that piece of paper won’t help. What you need to do is: focus on and involve more of your other senses in order to feel a bit relieved.
Go out and take a walk. Pay attention to the details – that is, the beauty of nature that’s all around us. Contemplate the color of your car, listen to music, do something that requires working with your hands (any kinesthetic activity will do). Doing these will totally disconnect you from the problems associated with being creative. Try to focus on those senses that you have ignored lately. Is it touch? Or is it smell?
And no, you aren’t going to “forget” your purpose. Chances are that during this time you will have sudden bursts of creativity. In the amount of time you were struggling to “call upon” your creativity before, you have clearly and explicitly determined your goal. So while you are disconnecting yourself and feeling detached, your mind can finally find solutions, invoke creativity, and so forth. Relax, all will be well.
It is a well-known fact that big views of nature, such as oceans, high mountains, even landscapes and paintings of them, encourage deeper perspectives. As a result, you can think freely without caring that much about the results – you can “keep” your right-brain thinking. Review your brainstormed ideas the next day, after you’ve slept on it. Chances are you will see them differently.
So if you find yourself facing a creative block and yet you are calm (both mentally and physically), aren’t pressured by deadlines, aren't looking for quick ways to earn money, success, or recognition (these really hinder your creativity), then I would advocate doing the following: take a walk. Yes, walk. Yes, leave the car at the nearby parking zone and visit places where you can enjoy big views of nature.
As soon as you are there, try to detach yourself from work. Just enjoy the view and nothing more. Sure, it's best to go solo, since that way your mental chatter will react differently, but if you'd feel better with your significant other, then feel free to go together. Just take the time to be silent and enjoy the view.
Ultimately, creative artists know that you cannot know the outcome from the beginning. Sure, you need to have a goal in mind, but creativity flows and your product becomes molded as you go on. This means that you actually need to begin your activity to see where it will go and how you can spin it around. Later on, you can analyze it critically to see if it’s worth your while. Don’t ever procrastinate, just do it!
Next: Taking a Break >>
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