January 2010 – The creative process

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January 2010 – The creative process

This is a creative year, which means that it is time to plant seeds for what we want.

The creative process is very much like planting seeds for vegetables, flowers or trees, or even the seeds needed to create children. Each seed has a unique blueprint inside it that will eventually become a tomato plant, a bean plant, a bunch of tulips, a watermelon patch, an oak tree, a child who will grow up or whatever it is we want to grow.

So too with our dreams and wishes. We create our seeds by imagining what we want or what we want to see happen. That imagined idea becomes the seed's blueprint that tells it what it should look like when it becomes a fully formed manifestation of our original idea. The blueprint is the structure that tells the Universe what it needs to know to create whatever the idea is to become.

If you have ever planted a seed and watched it grow, you know certain things:

The seed has to be planted at the right time of year.

It must be nurtured and cared for during the time it is in the ground.

Each different type of plant requires specific types of nourishment - some amount of space that is just its own, water, rain, sun, warmth, appropriate fertilizer, rich soil to support it, protection from storms, possibly some additional support (like bean poles or tree stakes).

And your plant bed must have the weeds removed periodically to give the plant room to grow.

There is a certain amount of time (depending on what you plant) that it takes before the tiny shoots become visible above the ground.

There is a amount of time that it takes before it is fully formed into the plant that you want to have. In the case of tomatoes, they can grow within a few months. Same with tulips. With oak trees, the growth time is longer.

While the plant is in the ground and before the little green shoots appear, you can't dig it up to see what's happening or it will be destroyed.

Creative idea seeds require many of the same things that plant seeds do.

The idea will be most successful if planted an economic, social or political climate that supports its growth.

The idea must be nurtured and cared for during the time it is in the gestation period.

Each different idea or type of ides requires specific types of nourishment that is devoted just to it. It may need physical space. It may require your time and energy to work on the idea. It may require money to fund it. It may require friends, family, partners, co-workers, brokers, agents, and other types of people to assist in helping it grow.

You must not allow negative thinking, second guessing or fear to disrupt the idea before it has a chance to grow into its potential.

There is a certain amount of time required for the idea to grow and develop from just an idea into something that is tangible and visible to you and to others. Once the idea becomes something visible, there is some amount of time that it will take to become fully formed into the end result as envisioned in the original blueprint.

With known plant seeds, that amount of time is already known. With ideas, it is less well known. Some ideas burst forth within days or weeks. Others take months or years to become fully formed. Patience and diligence and persistence are required.

While the idea is in the formation stages and before the visible signs are manifested, you can't dig it up to see what is happening with it. That means, you can't say or think, "Gosh, I had that idea and I haven't seen anything happen, so I'm giving up on it." It could be that the idea is just under the surface ready to burst forth just as you are giving up on it.

Because the time involved in taking a project from a idea to fulfillment is so unpredictable, people have a tendency to give up way too soon and their best ideas never grow.

Some seed ideas can manifest very quickly, such as: I want to have bacon and eggs for breakfast, I wish the sun would come out, I wish so-and-so would call, I wish the snow would melt.

Others can take longer and involve other people such as: I wish I had a different job or a different home, I want to take a trip or I want to write a book.

This year, the environment is ripe for new creative ventures and ideas to be planted. Some of them will manifest this year; others may take many years to become fully formed.

The past few years have been filled with war, fear, economic downturn, etc. that are not as conducive to creativity as the present times are today. We have had much stress in the world. During times of high stress is when creativity is most needed and the environment can also most support new ideas.

The old saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention" is still true. There are so many areas of the world and our individual lives that could use some creative ideas.

What ideas do you have that haven't been nourished enough? What seeds can you plant that will help solve the world's problems, or maybe just your own problems?

We have some detailed tips for drawing out creativity on the Institute for Management Excellence website this month. See the January 2010 article.

May you be truly blessed in 2010 with magical adventures.

If you are thinking about creating sources of income, new business ideas or exploring expansion of a existing business, our book Income Without a Job has some great creative ideas and exercises to assist with that. The book is a great gift for friends who have been laid off or need extra support during these times.