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• (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

[Anonymous]

What is creativity? Well, the purpose of this article is to answer that question. Creativity can be defined in different ways, depending on who you ask. However, I won’t actually give you a textbook definition of the word. Instead, I’ll explain a few basic concepts that define creativity.

First, let’s do a simple exercise. I want you to close your eyes for 2 minutes and think about nothing. Go ahead! Don’t be shy! This page will still be here when you reopen your eyes. Try not to fall asleep! OK, do it now! Think of nothing for 2 minutes. I’ll wait….

Good work! Now, in all honesty, were you able to think about nothing for more than a few seconds? Odds are that you couldn’t. It actually takes years of training to actually be able to shut your brain off completely. That’s what I’ve heard, but I don’t even believe it’s possible. I’ll explain why in a second…

So while you had your eyes closed, you probably had a bunch of different thoughts. Why is that? Well, there are a few reasons. First of all, you can’t “think” about nothing. Thinking requires a mental effort. Secondly, what is “nothing”? How can you picture it in your brain when it doesn’t really consist of anything? That itself is a challenging task. And third, to actually be able to think about nothing, even after years of training, you still need to “think”. To succeed, you need to fight with your brain in order to shut it down. So either way, you need to make a severe mental effort, which leads me to conclude that you simply cannot think of nothing.

So what does that tell you? It says that our brains function 24/7 whether we like it or not. It means that we all have creativity. And it explains why we constantly grow and innovate. Not just as individuals, but as a species. People who say they are not creative are greatly mistaken. The general perception about creativity is that it’s an idea that pops in your brain out of nowhere. EUREKA! I have and idea! Is that creativity? That very instant where a lightning bolt traverses your brain and you suddenly experience a state of clarity versus a specific problem or challenge? No. It’s not. When that idea suddenly pops in your head, it came from somewhere. It came from existing knowledge and experience that you have within you. Creativity is simply a skill. Being able to create something new with something old. Being able to recycle ideas and combine existing knowledge to from new knowledge. That is creativity. It doesn’t happen instantly. It requires discipline, patience and dedication. It is a process that takes time. And it is a skill that can be developed.
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[Anonymous]

Whenever you try to think about nothing, you're sitting there activly thinking about how you can do nothing, but in reality it isn't really possible. I don't think with years of training you can even do it. Think about it, you'll always be doing something with your brain, whether it be breathing, blinking, or anything else. We just don't realize that we're doing it because we've been doing it all our lives.

[Anonymous]

That was my opinion as well.

Chris, do you like articles of this nature? I mean, more serious. Or would you preffer the goofing around types or articles for your site?

[Anonymous]

Whenever you try to think about nothing, you're sitting there activly thinking about how you can do nothing, but in reality it isn't really possible. I don't think with years of training you can even do it.

I can do it. Spend extraordinary amounts of time with no conscious thought. When I used to gig more (I play guitar) I would notice that whenever I would play something difficult that I would hold my breath. I've always taped whenever I play so as  to go back and critique myself. I listened for the parts that I knew that I was holding my breath on, and sure enough those parts sounded (at least to my ears) choppy. I set about to correct this bad habit. Trouble was I couldn't do it on my own. Believe me, I tried. One night I was at a party at a friends house. She plays violin and some of her colleagues from the university were there. One of them was a cellist who I'd seen play. She's tremendously gifted. I asked her about the breathing thing, by this time I had talked to several other people with the same problem. She told me that she also used to have this problem and went to a therapist to resolve the issue. She helped me out and after the course of much time I too was able to overcome my problem. It's been several years since then. I've always had an eidetic memory, I 've never had to concentrate or really think about a song when playing. It just happens, you know? But since I did the whole breathing excersises and meditation thing my playing has been taken to a whole new level. I just close my eyes and everything takes care of itself. It's really strange and yet weirdly comforting at the same time. Whether or not you believe me, I assure that there is no conscious thought involved. Everything is autonomous. The body does everything it should through no influence of my own.

I can also do it away from the guitar. Let my body "idle" without thinking for long periods of time. As a side effect I can also drop my breath rate and my heart rate. It's amazing what one can accomplish.

[PeyoteCoyote]

Whenever you try to think about nothing, you're sitting there activly thinking about how you can do nothing, but in reality it isn't really possible. I don't think with years of training you can even do it.

I can do it. Spend extraordinary amounts of time with no conscious thought. When I used to gig more (I play guitar) I would notice that whenever I would play something difficult that I would hold my breath. I've always taped whenever I play so as  to go back and critique myself. I listened for the parts that I knew that I was holding my breath on, and sure enough those parts sounded (at least to my ears) choppy. I set about to correct this bad habit. Trouble was I couldn't do it on my own. Believe me, I tried. One night I was at a party at a friends house. She plays violin and some of her colleagues from the university were there. One of them was a cellist who I'd seen play. She's tremendously gifted. I asked her about the breathing thing, by this time I had talked to several other people with the same problem. She told me that she also used to have this problem and went to a therapist to resolve the issue. She helped me out and after the course of much time I too was able to overcome my problem. It's been several years since then. I've always had an eidetic memory, I 've never had to concentrate or really think about a song when playing. It just happens, you know? But since I did the whole breathing excersises and meditation thing my playing has been taken to a whole new level. I just close my eyes and everything takes care of itself. It's really strange and yet weirdly comforting at the same time. Whether or not you believe me, I assure that there is no conscious thought involved. Everything is autonomous. The body does everything it should through no influence of my own.

I can also do it away from the guitar. Let my body "idle" without thinking for long periods of time. As a side effect I can also drop my breath rate and my heart rate. It's amazing what one can accomplish.

Looks like I should have logged in first. My bad, Chris.

[Anonymous]

But you've just proved my point. You said they are not conscious thoughts, but they are still thoughts. Your brain just cannot stop.

[Dark Shade]

But you've just proved my point. You said they are not conscious thoughts, but they are still thoughts. Your brain just cannot stop.

Such as the phrase: If you ever stop thinking, or are thinking about nothing, you're dead.

This has serious meaning on my life.

[snyperx]

Does thinking about a void count as thinking?  Just visualizing black....

[Anonymous]

Well, I assume you have to make a really hard mental effort to visualiz and MAINTAIN the blackness. If so that I would say yes.