I Have The Power!

Other times, it all just falls together. Songs write themselves. Melodies fly from your guitar. Words populate the page as if your fingers have a mind of their own. You have been endowed with creative super powers! How could you be the same person, who yesterday was ripping out that beautiful new haircut from your head in frustration?

Creativity is an elusive thing. It comes in bursts. Sometimes you are overflowing with it and other times it's like a dried up ancient river bed in a desert. How do we harness it? How do tap into it when we need it? And how do we overcome our creative road blocks? It may come down to playing a mental game of chess, against yourself.

Play Mind Games on Yourself

Everybody is creative, even those who claim not to be. You are being creative in just about every decision you make. Picking out an outfit for the day, making breakfast, taking a detour to avoid traffic are all examples of creative problem solving. Give yourself credit for this. Your mind is a very impressionable thing. If you tell yourself you are not a creative person, you will believe it and behave as if you are not. You will look to others for answers. You will question your decisions and become paralyzed by indecision. Reinforce your creativity in your thoughts and you will begin to believe that you are, in fact creative, and you will then begin to behave that way.

Kill the Critic

Our mind is said to be divided into two portions, the left brain and the right brain. The left side is your logical side and the right the creative side. When you are in the early stages of creativity, you want to be more right-brained. Nothing kills your creativity more than your inner critic. That inner critic is the voice in your head that is questioning everything you do. Is this a good chord progression? Do I like this melody? Is this a good first sentence for my research paper? If you allow this inner voice to be heard, you will undoubtedly come across writer's block. It is because that part of your mind is comparing your brand new, embryonic idea to all of the completed, polished finished products you have ever see, heard or read. It is the voice that says "this simple little melody I just wrote is nowhere near as good as 'Yesterday' by the Beatles." It's like having a race between a week old infant and an Olympic track star. Your idea has not been refined and edited countless times. It doesn't stand a chance.