In the first of a 3 part article, Damian Mark Smyth, creativity mentor explains the key block to the creative process.
I believe that the original quote went something along the lines of ‘changing yourself first’, but I think that’s a load of old trash… and here’s why: Every good idea that ever came out of the human species didn’t happen as a result of being well trained in ‘good ideas’. Every invention, every eureka moment, every giant leap forward for mankind, came from our ability to tap into a creative resource which is available to everyone, all of the time, without having to ‘do’ anything.
In fact, it’s in the ‘not doing’ that it happens more easily. In a recent survey of senior execs, they were asked: “Where and when do your best ideas come to you”. The answers were strikingly similar: “In the shower”, “Out walking the dog”, “On flights”, “Whilst shaving”… in fact, most of them, if not all, came from doing something totally different to the problem or scenario that they were looking for insight, or a solution to.
Why is that then? How does that work? Well, firstly, it’s one of the reasons that I call myself a ‘creativity mentor’ in that I guide people towards this resource, available to all… with no training. So notice I didn’t call myself a coach or trainer. That would be saying ‘you’ don’t have the resource… but ‘I’ do… and I’m going to give it to you. A mentor on the other hand, knows that you already have the resource and instead coaxes it out of you. I assist you in the ‘not doing’ if you will… so let me explain further.
Every single living being on this planet requires thought to have a reality. Thought is the conduit of experience. We all experience separate realities, as we all think differently. Therefore, life happens for us from the inside out. A good example of this is that two people will have a totally different experience of winning $1m. One person might dread it and the other revel in it. It only works one way – inside out. We are always feeling our thinking in the moment and not the circumstances. Which might seem a little off-piste with the subject of this article, but it’s actually a critical piece and one which, when insightfully seen, is actually life changing.
The only thing that ever prevents us from doing anything at all in life, including creating endless masterpieces… is thought. Got no arms or legs and want to go surfing… what’s stopping you? Want to create a house from nothing more than a paperclip… what’s stopping you?
Your thinking gets in the way of everything, and by understanding how the system of ‘thought created reality’ works, you will be able to access the clarity and wisdom that I’m talking about. So I guess the cat’s out of the bag – that’s what I really do. I show people the nature of the human experience through an understanding of thought. And when the mist clears, clarity appears. So stay tuned for part 2 where I will be describing this process in more detail!
Damian Mark Smyth is a creativity mentor who helps you uncover your innate wisdom through an understanding of the human operating system. He is the Author of ‘Do Nothing!: Stop Looking, Start Living’ available on Amazon. Damian mentors only 7 projects per month, so if you would like to be added to the waiting list and discuss your project with him, go to: www. damianmarksmyth.com
