Filmmaking Tips October 31st, 2008
Be More Creative
Image by © G. Schuster/zefa/Corbis
Anybody who has suffered from writer’s block or reached a creative plateau knows how frustrating it can be to try to finish a project sans inspiration. Many have set out to discover the secret to being more creative, and some artists develop their own methods of making sure their minds are open to new ideas.
Learn what the experts have to say about tapping into your creative consciousness after the jump.
In an interview with Time, R. Keith Sawyer, the author of Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation, says that creative people solve problems “not with one brilliant flash but in a chain reaction of many tiny sparks while executing an idea.” Instead of taking all the suspense out of that mythical ‘creative flash’, Sawyer argues that people can work at being creative.
One way to do that is to embrace collaboration. Sawyer advises, “Ideas don’t magically appear in a genius’ head from nowhere. They always build on what came before. And collaboration is key. Look at what others in your field are doing. Brainstorm with people in different fields. Research and anecdotal evidence suggest that distant analogies lead to new ideas - like when a heart surgeon bounces things off an architect or a graphic designer.”
But the trick is to generate enough ideas. A composer friend swears by this creative cheat sheet by Innovation Tools. You pull out one of these exercises and apply it to the problem you’re trying to solve. Examples include “Act Childish. How would a 5-year-old see your project?” and “Pick a word. Grab the book closest to you. What’s the first word you see? How does it relate to what you’re doing? What associations can you make?”
Director David Lynch uses a much more elaborate method. He released a book called Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity, where he argues that transcendental medidation is the key to expanding consciousness, creativity, energy and intelligence, and this in turn allows people to “catch ideas, find solutions to problems and get a smoother flow of ideas as they work.” Lynch meditates for 20 minutes every morning and evening, and has been for 34 years.
Lynch argues that an artist does not have to suffer to write or direct about suffering, which sounds like sane advice, since studies show that creativity is directly linked to adequate sleep and exercise. In addition to keeping you healthy and alert, exercise can be a source of inspiration. Novelist and runner Haruki Murakami says that, “I try to not think about anything special while running. As a matter of fact, I usually run with my mind empty. However, when I run empty-minded, something naturally and abruptly crawls in sometime. That might be an idea that can help me with my writing.” Also, the blog Creative Creativity has loads of useful advice on the topic of creativity, which is definitely worth an inspirational read.
We’d love to hear what works for you. Do you have any tricks you use to tap into your creativity?
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