Debra Robertson ProductionsMarketing Media Communications

Slay The Mind and Put It To Good Use

creativity umberella

The battle of the heart vs the mind

What stops us from working our creative potential is often our own self limitations, which is usually the state of allowing our brains to be more dominant decision makers.

This tension between the heart and the mind is what most people deal with every day, yet to access the magic ingredients we need for creativity, our minds and our hearts need to be functioning together. Actors who are developing their craft, for example can have this problem. They have socially put their minds on high alert because maybe that is how they have been raised and educated. The point is, you can see when their brains make decisions and not their hearts. There is a rigidity and disconnect between the heart and the mind. They are unable to activate their emotional range to bring the full creative potential and truth to their performance.

The term *flow* coined by the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is also close to describing the experience of having the mind and heart in balance. The state of flow is a highly creative space because your skill set and confidence levels are high - you are ready to take on a challenge and make creative leaps.

To be in flow, is like a dance between the unknown and the confidence you have in yourself to know what can be, rather than what should be.

In creative flow, your heart and mind work together. Your authentic self is fully present to be free, open to the unknown and to all possiblities. You are calm, yet energised and absolutely focused on the task at hand.

What you learn from the experience, of allowing your heart mind to have a defining say in the creative space, is that a fixed mind-set is not very useful.

I often ask myself, where would I be if I had stayed in the same mind set, which I had a few years ago and I probably would say: dying from the inside, because I was locked in fear about the validity of my own creative process, instead of allowing my authentic self to step in and take me sideways ... out to where the new answers lie. Once I did, I was free.

It is the heart set that I think we need to hitch our sails to when we get wind of where we could go as creative beings. Although our minds carry good information, they can also be holding onto a few self-doubts. It is worth flushing out these systems of belief, if they hold us back and sabotage our creative potential.

To anyone who feels stuck in a mind over the heart way of living or working, I would say: get out of the same chair you have been sitting in. Call in your creative energies because ultimately they are going to make you feel amazing and provide the shine to whatever you are doing.

Be honest with yourself.
Be honest about what you can do and transparent about any limitations.

Unlimit yourself.

Start manifesting more of your whole self - and get out of the way as it comes through. Also, stay open to grow and learn - invest time in building your knowledge base and skills set.

Un-censor yourself.
You know the probabilities, head for the unknowns instead. Allow the universe of possibilities to flow through you.

Tap into source.
Why not? Your deepest self and the whole universe. It’s there for the taking. Trust your intuition to lead you.

Go into your heart space.
You need to go there - back to yourself - and allow the whole of you to be involved. That is the universal font for creative output, whether your heart is in management, graphics, research or engineering.

Hold the space for creativity.
Invest the love you have for what you do - and not be shy in showing it. Find the key that gets your blood flowing - and the urge to dive in - come what may. This is the key to move your potential.

Above all, just enjoy being you, in the creative and productive space.

Thank you for reading - Debra Robertson

If you like this article, please share it:
_________________________________________________________________________
Some recommended reading and viewing:

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 1991)
BOOK DESCRIPTION ON AMAZON- Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness and greatly improve the quality of our lives.

Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention

by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Harper Perennial, 1997)

BOOK DESCRIPTION ON AMAZON - Creativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. The author's objective is to offer an understanding of what leads to these moments, be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab, so that knowledge can be used to enrich people's lives. Drawing on 100 interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists to politicians and business leaders, poets and artists, as well as his 30 years of research on the subject, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous theory to explore the creative process. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the tortured genius is largely a myth. Most important, he clearly explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world.

Also view this Ted Talk presentation: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness

© 2016 Debra Robertson Contact Me