10 ways to get in a creative mindset

There are an ♾️ number of ways

Last Sunday I shared with you the core concept of why creativity can help you get out of the modern world traps.

Musing #41: Creativity is your only way out.

As promised, are 10 ways I have discovered/created over the past couple of years.

What are yours? Let me know in the comments.

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1- Open Monitoring Meditation:

Learn more about its relationship to creativity with Andrew Huberman’s podcast episode on the topic.

Open monitoring helps divergent thinking which opens your mind to the precise neuron activation that allow it to get into that creative space (as opposed to convergent or single point focus meditation).

Check out this video below, I think it does a good job at summarizing it.

2- The 15-10-5 method 

🏃 Move for 15 minutes (yoga-walk-qigong)

🌬️ Focused breathing for 10 minutes (surface the emotions using diaphragmatic breathing)

🧘 Meditate for 5 minutes. (allow the insights to bubble up)

Then get into a creative zone and work on something.

I came up with this one, it works for me!

Let me know if this helps you.

3- Good morning and Good night method

This one really helped me stay motivated and creative throughout my novel.

The idea is to work on a creative project first thing in the morning and before you sleep.

It creates a really powerful feedback loop.

The gold shines through when you lay in bed and think of what you will create the next morning.

You let your creative project work itself out in your subconscious while you sleep.

It also helps you get out of bed in the morning because creativity is play.

Try it and thank me later.

4- The Rick Rubin Process

If you have not read The Creative Act: A Way of Being yet, do it.

It is a book that I anticipate reading for the rest of my life.

5- Morning Pages:

This is from The Artist’s Way: Wake up and write three pages of pure stream of thought. Do not judge it, do not read it, and do not think about it.

Just let it out, and then go create.

This is powerful and has helped me a lot. The idea is that you let go of all the feelings that block you from creating, and after the pages are written, you have a clean slate.

6- Internal Family Systems

If you know me, you know how much this process is helpful to me. I use it in my coaching and have been in therapy with it for years.

The idea is that you have inner protectors that stop you from accessing more vulnerable parts of you because they are too painful.

However these inner parts are what hold a lot of creative juice. We did an episode on that earlier:

Ep07. The Shadow w/ Ryan Ginn

7- Other methods of fighting demons. 

If you go to therapy,

or do yoga,

or art therapy

or have a deep truthful conversation with a friend,

you are still tapping into the deeper well of human experience and creativity.

Remember that your creativity is just your demons unleashed.

8- Research not consumption

We all consume media in all forms all day.

The next time you are listening to a podcast or watching a youtube video, take note of what ideas resonated strongly with you.

See if you can stitch a group of ideas in a new way that makes it your own.

9- Change your scenery and Observe

Another concept from the Artist’s Way is the Artist’s Date - you basically take your inner creative child out for a date to get him/her inspired and nourished.

It really works.

Go out for a walk.

Watch a mother carry her baby.

Witness birds hover over a cafe.

Smell freshly baked pastries.

Watch a construction worker smoking a cigarette.

Hear the sounds of traffic.

Watch a father play with his son.

Hear a conversation between an investor and a founder.

Take in the human experience, and see what observations make you curious.

Make something out of that.

10- Write a letter to a friend

This is pretty straightforward. To be witnessed is to heal. That is why having a penpal has always been a worthy endeavor.

Write a long letter to a friend that lives far away who you do not see often. Tell them about your creative pursuits.

Get the juices flowing.

Simple but powerful.

There is an infinite number of ways to be creative.

This is my main message today.

If this was helpful, don’t keep all the gumption to yourself…

Which of these worked for you? What other methods do you use to get into that creative flow? Hit me up in the comments!