About a week ago, I did something I’ve never tried before – I created my own abstract painting. To make my homegrown masterpiece, I used blank canvas I bought already stretched on a frame, along with bottles of craft paint and a few shakes of glitter. I’d had the small rectangle of canvas in my supply closet since I bought it on a whim last fall while browsing around a big artist supply shop. I turned to painting last week because I was bored after spending a couple of days recovering from a virus. I wasn’t feeling well enough to do my regular work, but I could handle squirting paints onto a canvas. I swished the paint blobs around with a couple different brushes. I sprinkled the glitter onto the canvas almost as an after thought (the tube of glitter was in the box of paints for some reason), but I’m glad I did. It adds a sparkly touch to my color swirls.
I’m not telling you this to find a buyer for my canvas. I like the end result well enough that I’m going to frame it and hang it in my house. I’m not announcing I’m the next Jackson Pollock. I like my work, but there’s no guarantee anyone else would. I’m telling you this because my foray into abstract painting got me thinking about where the creative impulse comes from, so I researched whether science has discovered non-viral ways to trigger the urge.
Prime Your Pump
Turns out that scientists have spent a fair amount of time studying creativity–enough for me to come up with suggestions on how to prime the mental pump and keep the creativity fountain flowing. Using the research results from several scientists, along with my own experiences, I’ve created a plan for myself that I share here with you, along with some suggestions on avoiding creativity killers.
The next time you need to come up with an idea and your mental well is dry, it’s time for a break. Stop working on the project, and do something as different from your normal routine as possible. If you’re a night owl and like to work late, try getting up early and take a walk or weed the garden. If you like getting up with the sun, take in a late-night movie. Do what it takes to shift your mental focus onto something entirely different.
If anyone asks you what you’re doing, tell them you’re working because that’s what you’re doing. Tell yourself this if you’re feeling guilty for not sitting at your desk or computer. You’re not wasting time. You are shifting your mental gears to let your unconscious mind work on the problem. You’re doing the most efficient thing you can because scientific research has revealed that the unconscious mind is much better at cooking up creative ideas than the conscious mind.
The unconscious mind is so good at being creative that we don’t need to do much to get it going–it’s always churning away. Feed it idea ingredients, such as the scope of a project, the design purpose, and maybe a few symbols and colors. Then, give your unconscious mind room to work by keeping your conscious mind occupied with something else.
After the unconscious mind has worked for awhile, thoughts, impressions, or other snatches of ideas will bubble up into your conscious mind. Don’t push these bits of cognitive fragments away because they don’t fit into a frame your conscious mind — or your boss — has imposed on the project. You can be critical later when the unconscious has had its full say.
Keep track of these creative communications as they arise. Gather them and treasure them. I keep a small notebook handy for jotting notes and making small sketches. You may find, as I do, that the pieces of ideas come to you as visual images. You’re not spinning off the edge of the sanity plane. Your designer mind is getting the job done. Draw some pictures. Doodle on a napkin. Grab some canvas and a few bottles of paint.
While your unconscious mind is supplying you with materials for your project, keep your thoughts to yourself. Sharing them too early can confuse and even alarm people. At best they think you’ve been wasting time. At worst they wonder if you’ve fallen off that sanity plane I mentioned earlier.
Don’t be in a hurry to shut off the flow or find enough material to piece together an idea you can turn into a paying project. I struggle with this imperative on a regular basis because, like you, I’ve got to turn out creative work on a regular basis so I can pay the bills.
I’ve found that if I’m patient enough with myself, I can sense when the unconscious has had its full say. Then I’m able to take the bits and pieces and put them together into something structured enough to share with others, and the project gets done. Any leftover pieces I drop back into my unconscious for next time.
A Good Day’s Work
While I worked on my painting, I found myself remembering a walk through a modern art exhibit several years ago, as well as an exhibit of art quilts I’d seen a few months ago. When I wondered if my painting was any good, I made myself stop the self-criticism. I kept painting until my unconscious was satisfied. I was being creative and it felt good. I’m not surprised to find that experience gave me the idea to write this column. It’s all part of a good day’s work.
This article was last modified on August 28, 2023
This article was first published on August 28, 2023
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