How To Listen To The Creative Mind (But Stay Sane) | Alternative Fruit

It may be a childish analogy however despite the interconnectivity of the whole thing, our minds really can be seen as two distinctive thinking tools. One side is good at seeing patterns, listing information, and doing logical thought experiments. The other side is good at seeing things in a non-linear and non-rational way. When we look at the world around us, we see many unique things which could never be repeated and we see many similar things which seem to be repeated often. Sometimes things have both of these qualities together and we can focus on one or the other. Think of plants for example, each one is the same as others of the same species however depending on soil, light, genetics, and things like bugs and herbivores, each plant will have a slightly different and seemingly randomly created shape. Our minds can work with both of these qualities, and it's the creative non-linear side that does it the best.


The first thing to remember is that your dreams and fantasies are based on real desires. There is often a common ground between what you dream of doing and what you can do now. Rather than putting it off or subscribing to catastrophist thinking, we can actively seek a way of doing what we want to do at the degree available to us. Maybe we dream of being a musician, so learn to play. It will be hard, it won't make you famous to begin, but if you begin and then refuse to stop then we all know how far people can get. Napoleon the pig would say I can but you can't but that's only because he wants it all for himself. We're all equal and if we do the work, we can all achieve things.


Curiosity may have killed a cat once upon a time however in most situations, it's actually really healthy. Nosiness and gossip of course don't count, but learning really matters. When we learn things, we increase our power to do things. Sometimes it's a way of looking at a situation that helps us to overcome it, sometimes it's the knowledge of a tool that helps us to use it, when we combine thinking methods with tool application the world is ours. Creative minded people love an opportunity to learn, especially when it's from world class universities like these affordable online courses.


Believe in yourself! It may sound cliché however it's clearly something many people have trouble with. You are here and you are real, just as here and real as the other people you meet. You matter and if you want to take a path, walk in a direction, learn a new skill, improve your outlook, then do it. Don't fall into the prejudicial trap of writing yourself off before you even begin and don't hesitate to see your ideas through.


Creative people are really observant. They pick up on nuances, behaviours, phrasings, subtle dramas, and quirky sayings all with the intrigue of a chef in a herb store. When creative people see a style they think about how it applies to their own work. When they see a method of telling a story, they think about how they can tell their stories in ways like that, what would work best? The local and international soup of ideas and creativity is nourishing when we drink.


Thinking up ideas takes time and care, and all of it happens in what others might call time off. By sitting down with some music or in silence and switching our gaze to the inner world, we discover a huge universe of creative inspiration. Don't be put off by accusations of daydreaming or time wasting when the mind is your office.


Learning how to fail is essential, we all want the best outcome and rarely get it. Any outcome is good and it's something we can work on. Often when we go back to something a few weeks later, we have a whole new way of seeing it. This is the best time to give ourselves an appraisal. Every time something doesn't work out the way we want it to then we must ask why. We have learned first of all that this particular method doesn't work. That's a useful piece of information worth the time taken in learning it.


Creative people have taste and they're not afraid to say when something is in or out in their eyes. They'll say when they love something and when something doesn't go with their tastes they'll say so. It's not seen as ugly or uncaring to disagree and to not just stay quiet for politeness. For creative people, being dishonest or giving the wrong impression is uglier by far.


Creative minded people don't get full of themselves, if they do, they lose something special. Remaining humble and continually assessing one's own work is part of remaining ahead of the pack. It's not a good idea to say to yourself “This is perfect” because it probably isn't but it's okay to say “This is terrible” because if even you think so then most others will too. Learn to be your own nightmare critic and it will keep you on your toes for a good reason.


Do things in the way you want to, in the time you feel most comfortable, and don't get lazy. Dreaming and planning, and looking out of the window only works for the first phase of creativity. At some point we have to get started. A clear and comfortable routine is a big part of ensuring we do our work and do our thinking in the proper amounts. A strong work ethic based around your own creativity and not around a 9-5 lock down is always more productive in the end.  

One more thing, never give up! Adapt, grow, make intelligent decisions, and keep doing your best. That way you'll only go somewhere not nowhere. 

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