Every creative process requires some input – some raw material. Nothing can be created from void. Any creation, any original thought, any dream, vision, hope, desire, and feeling is a product of hundreds, thousands, or millions of bits of information, experience, memories, things we saw, smelled, or touched. Our mind is a like a grand machine taking all this raw material, filtering it, disassembling it, reconstructing it again, until something new is created.
An essential key to creativity is therefore our ability to mindfully look around us, as well as within ourselves. We have to train ourselves to look at everything as potential raw material for the creative process. We have to try and see the things around us differently – interpret them, give them new meanings, contexts, or associations. Compiling such raw material and bringing it to life in a different context is the essence of creativity. And improving these abilities can be really fun!
Let’s try something together. Look around you, no matter where you are, and try to find something Weightless. Ok, this might sound tricky, because nothing around us is really weightless. So try to clear your mind, and without really thinking about what Weightless means or what you might find, look around you. You are not looking for anything specific. This is not a riddle. Just look for something that reminds you of something Weightless. Or something that appears to be weightless. Don’t give up. Carry this concept with you during the day and eventually you will see it.
Once you’ve got something, two things will happen. The first is you will probably smile. You will smile because you will realize you’ve just managed to see something nobody else has. People were probably passing by whatever it is you saw without realizing it is so magical and could have a surprising and nontrivial meaning. The second thing that will happen is that you will want to look around for more of this magic!
Now, if you want to make things even more interesting, do the same exercise again, but this time limit yourself to the room or office you are in: can you find something Weightless there? Found it? Great! Now, try to find something weightless on your desk, or in your bag.
This may sound very basic, but this is the essence of creativity. And that’s what makes it so amazing. We have to feed creativity, and the world is full of great raw material we can use to create delicious dishes out of. We have to play with creativity, and the world is a perfect and endless playground for that. All you have to do is decide you are joining the game.
Sounds fun? Great! Pick a Seed from the ever-growing collection at seempli.com, and go explore the world: observe it, play with it, imagine and create. Change how you see the world. Anyone can do it. Anywhere. Anytime.