Meditation for the Creative Mind

Ultimately, creativity is about turning ideas and imagination into a reality. The thinking stage of creativity, seeing things in new and interesting ways and coming up with ideas, is hugely important – as is the action stage, where you take these ideas out into the world. Unfortunately, there are plenty of things that can interrupt and hold back people in both these stages, and many of us aren’t as creative as we’d like to be.

Meditation is something that can become an integral part of both the cerebral and productive aspects of creativity, and here’s how meditation can help break down the barriers that hold us back from being truly creative.

Meditation for the Creative Mind: How it Helps.

• Lack of Ideas 

A lack of inspiration can feel very frustrating. When every idea feels like a cliché, or even worse, you can\’t muster any  ideas at all, taking time out to meditate can kick-start your creativity. Meditation can help you let go of the habits, preconceived ideas and insecurities that make coming up with anything new and innovative difficult.

• Time Wasting

Two of the biggest enemies of otherwise creative people is distraction and procrastination. The imaginative, day-dreamy part isn’t a challenge for fanciful and whimsical types, but sometimes sitting down and actually creating is. This is especially true for the easily bored, who just want to go off back into their own imagination again and think about something new, leaving half finished projects all over the place.

Over stimulation, a whole Internet’s worth of distraction, and the pressures of everyday life all take their toll on a creative process. Meditation leads to improved concentration and productivity, both of which are vital when you want to see an idea to fruition.

• Fear

Meditation will help you feel more relaxed and less stressed, perfect when there’s a scary deadline looming. If you find that feeling anxious makes it difficult to creative anything but a screed of panic, and meditation is a way to put yourself in a much calmer state of mind.

• Keeping Healthy and Getting Enough Sleep

One of the romantic images of a creative’s life is one of dissolution, hard whiskey drinking and staying up all night with no company but a typewriter and overflowing ashtray. But as irresistible as this idea can be, the majority of famously wild artists, musicians and writers created great work despite of their lifestyle, not because of it. I may be wrong, but I feel that Hunter S. Thompson is the exception, rather than the rule, as far as the creative’s life goes.

It’s probably not realistic to expect yourself to eliminate all bad habits but meditation is a great keystone habit which will make you generally healthier and well rested. It really is vital to let your brain power down and rest, and get good quality street, as stress and exhaustion aren’t conducive to creativity. You’ll generate your best work when you are feeling happy and healthy.