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psychology of creativity
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Site author: Douglas Eby
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"Through this online platform creative people come together to explore how innate nature inter-plays with outer culture. This site powerfully allows the inspired, creative, spirited essence of many to emanate outward and blend with the world."
One of the many things that can fuel our sense of failure is comparing what we do and attempt to do with what others have accomplished.
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, is, of course, a prime example of success and accomplishment.
But in this video, her Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination” (at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association), she reminds us that achievement is not a singular event or a linear progression.
Gabrielle Anwar on film sets: “It is a very isolative environment. It forces a sense of autonomy, and I suppose, I think, I may thrive on that kind of loneliness!”
Kendall SummerHawk is an expert in business coaching, branding, and marketing. She thinks “Each of us has a bigger ‘WHY’ that motivates us to do what we do. But when you speak or write about client results, do you tie in those results to your bigger why?”
Author and coach Cheryl Richardson points out, “We all have varying levels of sensitivity. “It’s the fundamental part of us that allows us to be touched by beauty, signs of grace, or intimate moments with others… and provides an internal warning signal.”
From article on Social Phobia – “Some of the mental and behavioral attitudes that you might be struggling with include: You have an extreme and persistent fear of one or more social situations where you need to perform, interact or are exposed to unfamiliar people or scrutiny by others.”
“Anxiety is not a mental illness… no more so than smoking or alcohol abuse; all three are habitual behaviours born of and perpetuated by conscious repetition.” Charles Linden.
Einstein’s concept that “time is relative depending on your state of motion” had been explored by others, but “they were too confined by the dogmas of the day.
“Einstein alone was impertinent enough to discard the notion of absolute time.” Walter Isaacson, who wrote the biography Einstein: His Life and Universe.
Robert Ornstein, PhD, author of The Psychology of Consciousness declares, “If you spend too much time being like everybody else, you decrease your chances of coming up with something different.”
For many people, finding an outlet where you are free from worry is a great way to find some respite from the stress. Find time in your day to do something you enjoy.
Do you have a hobby you enjoy or an interest you would like to pursue but you haven’t devoted sufficient time to it? Stop waiting and start finding the time to enjoy your garden, a game of softball with friends, your bowling league or walking on nature trails.
There are so many ways to find avenues of enjoyment and spend time with friends and loved ones. You need this time to recover from the stress of daily life and build up reservoirs of strength to deal with new challenges.
In his Positive Psychology News Daily article, Derrick Carpenter writes about experiencing a firefly: “Its body flashed, emitting a gorgeous amber light… I was instantly reminded of innocent and perfect childhood summers.”
He goes on to write about Stanford psychologist Phil Zimbardo who “discussed the research presented in his book The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. Zimbardo explained the power of situational influences that push otherwise good people to do bad things.
“But just as fireflies use an enzyme luciferase to create their glow, Zimbardo believes there may a positive flip side to the Lucifer effect.”
ScienceDaily — “The effect of anxiety on academic performance is not always obvious but new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council suggests that there may be hidden costs.
“The research found that anxious individuals find it harder to avoid distractions and take more time to turn their attention from one task to the next than their less anxious peers.”
“We’re taught to be ashamed of confusion, anger, fear and sadness, and to me they’re of equal value as happiness, excitement and inspiration.” Alanis Morissette
To live a full life, we need to deal with extreme and self-limiting levels of feelings like anger, anxiety and depression. But too often, people run away from or try to suppress emotions that help make us human – and creative.
Below is a brief clip from one of psychologist Michael Britt’s outstanding PsychFiles podcasts.
“I didn’t discover I was an artist until I was 17… It was very hard to be an artist and a child… it was like having sand up your butt when you go to the beach.”
First, a provocative quote from psychiatrist Thomas Szasz:
“People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates.”
In the following clip from one of his many podcasts, Leo Laporte quotes internet entrepreneur Jason Calacanis: “When times are tough, you invest in yourself…”
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