#473 – How will emptying your mind make you more creative?

The idea is so simple that spending time writing or reading about it seems ludicrous: the less you have in your mind, the more you'll create to fill it up with stuff––an idea for a short story, a tune, the vision for an art installation.

Yet, in our information-overloaded lives, we seem to have forgotten that. We keep accumulating: courses, posts, inspirational quotes, videos, books.

A few years ago, I noticed how many mornings my head brimmed with ideas while running. After breakfast and scrolling through LinkedIn, though, those ideas were gone.

You tell yourself that staying current is your duty––you may call it business networking or research. You take everything in. It feels necessary. It makes you feel informed.

When I noticed how my ideas died in the noise, I asked myself: what would I do if those ideas stayed alive? The response lit me up: I'd write, create.

But because my mind was full of what everyone else was creating, it didn’t spark anything: it was too busy digesting.

I needed more space in my mind, empty like a ballet studio.

To achieve that, I started writing morning pages. Then I learned Transcendental Meditation, and more recently, I've come across the Golden Key technique.

Besides taking you closer to God, if that’s your choice, the Golden Key keeps your mind open to receiving what it needs rather than forcing outputs. In doing so, your creativity and problem-solving abilities become intuitive––no analysis necessary.

The practice is simple: let's say you want to create something––a meal, an email, a collage––but feel stuck staring at the blank page. Instead of obsessing or forcing an output, turn the Golden Key: set the issue aside and think of the creative force that fuels you.

Don’t know what that force is? That's the point. As you think of it, your mind stays open, in search mode. It doesn’t store anything; it doesn’t block anything either.

Soon, an idea (or two, or three) will flow in. Because creativity isn’t summoned by force; it’s received when there's enough room.

What will be possible for you when your mind stays empty and in silence?

Love,

Carolina