2 steps to set the stage for creativity

Creativity doesn’t happen by magic.

There is no such thing as ‘creative people’ and non-creative people.

Creativity happens from setting the stage. It can’t be forced. It can only be cultivated. Once the stage is properly set, it happens. It flows.

How do you set the stage? There are 2 simple steps. That’s it. The only question is, will you do it? It’s far from glamorous.

Step 1: Boredom

The creative stage starts with… boredom. Yes that’s right, boredom.

Boredom is a lost art. Few allow themselves to go there. Most are busy checking this, checking that, watching this, watching that, doing this, doing that. Getting caught up in the cyclone of stimulation is seductive.

Turns out, too much stimulation isn’t good. It crushes creativity. The antidote is to do nothing. Do nothing in particular.

Take long walks. Sit in-front of the ocean. Sit in-front of the stream. Go for long hikes. Sit in your room with no objective. Don’t listen to anything, don’t watch anything, don’t check anything. Do nothing.

You will become bored. Which is exactly where you want to be.

Step 2: Acceptance

Once you’ve become sufficiently bored, you will naturally sink into a place of acceptance. You accept boredom. When you accept boredom, you accept life. Once this happens, ironically you’re no longer bored. You’ve just entered into a completely different dimension of experience. The state of full acceptance is literally an altered state of consciousness.

Once you’ve sufficiently accepted boredom, peace will become paramount. Now you’ve properly set the stage for creativity and it naturally happens.

3 Rooms & 2 Doors

Visualize this as 3 rooms and 2 doors. An internal labyrinth you navigate to arrive at a new place.

Room #1 is the default room. This is where most of humanity hangs out. This room is filled with distractions. Ipads, cell phones, food, drugs, flashing lights, self-deception and pointless banter. There’s a door in Room #1 that lets you into Room #2. However, in order to notice when it opens you have to stop distracting yourself with gadgets and cheap thrills provided in Room #1.

After a certain amount of time, Room #1’s door opens. You walk through it. You enter into a new room. Room #2.

Room #2 is a room of acceptance & peace. This room feels very good. Cozy. It’s a much better experience than Room #1.

The energy in this room is cool and calm. A “fung shui” is in the air. You could stay here forever.

Once you’ve hung out in Room #2 for long enough another door opens up that allows you into Room #3.

Room #3 is where creativity flows. It flows effortlessly. You find yourself connecting dots and coming up with new things. And it isn’t through strain and effort, it just happens.

Room #3 only allows you to stay there for a bit. It boots you out after you’ve had your turn.

This can be frustrating when you’re not exactly sure how you got there in the first place. But know you want to go back and now you know how to make it happen.

Build Boredom into Your Life

These days, you have to consciously choose to build boredom into your life. There are a million and one ways to distract yourself with cheap thrills.

The key creativity is the build boredom into your life.

Let yourself be bored. Long walks, sitting at the beach, morning meditation, not listening to anything, not watching anything… allowing yourself to just be bored. You’ll find yourself walking through the open doors into peace and creativity.