A Power of the Creative Process
By Leslie Sann
Dreamers only dream. Creators bring their dreams into reality.
~Robert Fritz
An object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. Putting things in motion creates momentum. The actual action is not as important as the taking of that action. As long as in action, I am moving forward.
You’ve heard it before. The only way to get there is from here. The path of creativity is embracing where we are and using our current reality to fuel the creative process.
Many of us don’t fully embrace where we are and where we choose to go. We either drift into daydreaming about what we’d like as a way of denying our current conditions. Or we fall into defeat as we assess our reality and give up the possibility of our dream.
The power of the creative process is to hold both what is and what we prefer simultaneously. The difference or discrepancy between what you have (current reality) and what you prefer (vision) creates structural tension. Structural tension may be resolved in either of two ways. It may be resolved by changing your current reality so that your outward circumstances correspond to your vision. Giving up on what you want and choosing what you have will also resolve the tension.
Envision holding your hands out in front of you, bent at the elbow, with your pointers sticking up. Let’s call the right pointer is your vision. And let’s say the left pointer is your current reality.
Now, visualize a rubber band stretched between your fingers. The natural tendency of a rubber band would be to resolve the tension created by pulling your fingers toward one another.
Instead, suppose you can participate in the resolution of this tension. Imagine an inner conversation like, “Oh, I never get what I want, so why bother?”What you are doing is focusing on your current reality, taking your eyes off your vision, and thus directing the natural tension of the rubber band to collapse into your current reality. And you get to be right. You don’t get what you are asking for.
Imagine saying to yourself, “Wow, this is how it is, and I’d prefer it to be like X. X is what I choose to create.” Now your focus is on where you are going, and the resolution of the tension will pull you toward your goal.
It is that simple. We have the power to direct our thoughts. Energy follows thought. What you focus on will call you forward. You will move into action based on where you place your attention.
Acknowledge what is, and choose what you prefer. That simple formula will set up the structural tension that will create forward-moving energy toward your intended outcome.
Blessings,
