Treasures in the Creative Unconscious

                               Treasures in the Creative Unconscious
                                                                                          by John G. Johnson

And just what is creativity anyway? What is your definition? There are individuals out there believing creativity is just for the gifted, meaning they either have it, or they don’t. Then there are others living with the thwarted conclusion that even though they have a flickering of “it,” at random times, they need to “wait” for inspiration to be creative. Nothing can be further from the truth. Those are beliefs. And beliefs can change easily.

Everyone has the power to be creative and – at the moment of their choosing. Persons with this *choice* - to dynamically express themselves at any given moment - in time, throughout time, or in-between times, know how to access the appropriate altered states of mind to give them this ability. Once these states have been accessed, resources the individual needs to render their desired results are at their beck and call.

Your unconscious mind is constantly learning, storing, and associating new and interesting bits of information at a breathtaking rate. And as such, it is a vast storehouse of rich and creative treasures, all yours for the taking and sharing. If you are curious to find out what’s “in there,” so to speak, then the next question might be, “how do I get access to these treasures located in the secret recesses of my mind?”

One way to do so is through Stream of Consciousness writing. Stream of Consciousness writing is a time tested method used to persuade the creative explorer’s mind to reveal its precious secrets, those captivating ideas residing inside. The explorer, having found a provocative topic(s) that arouses his/her interest, then further investigates it, i.e. via research, contemplation, etc. Off he/she goes on their quest, energized, motivated to turn this spark of an idea into a dazzling flame. In short, they have written their mind alive.

The Stream of Consciousness writing technique is simple, and works like this:

1 Have paper and pen handy.
2 Set aside several minutes of uninterrupted writing time, i.e. ten minutes, twenty minutes, etc. 
3 Choose a topic, a theme, a subject, etc. and write it at the top of the paper.
4 Start writing. DO NOT lift the pen from the paper. WRITE, WRITE and WRITE until the time you've allotted yourself is up. As you are doing the exercise you will notice that most of what you are writing makes no sense. This is perfectly fine. The more it makes no sense the more you are unlocking the doorway and stepping into the subconscious – the vault where your creative treasures reside.
5 Once your time is up – YOU STOP, take a break.
6 After your break, review what you have written, and notice what sparks your interest.
7 Whatever holds your attention – investigate it, and build on it.

So, whenever you are feeling, “stuck” for an idea, whether it’s for a topic to write about, or to find a creative solution to a current problem, try this method. It works – wonders. Remember to…remember to…trust yourself, and your “other than conscious mind!”


© Copyright – John G. Johnson 2012 - All rights reserved! Subscribe to our mailing list for workshops, newsletters and events. Go to:www.nlpsuccessbydesign.com