Let’s get started by answering your first question: What is my Creative Gravity, and why do I need to hack it? The words, creative & gravity, already have very specific meanings to you, but I want you to drop that baggage off at the curb, and re-define creativity as: The act of rubbing two or more ideas together to create action. This means every action you take is creative, and if you judge it any other way, you’re selling its magical ability to transform your life, short. Next, gravity: The attractive force of re-actions that your creative actions receive from your fellow human beings.
So, Creative Gravity is the weight of re-actions and responses that make-up the total amount of Attention that your creative actions receive in the world. Think of it like this: Creative + Gravity = Attention. Or: Cr+Gr=Atn • the sacred maths of action.
Bonus Gift: The more attention you pay to your own creative actions, the more free energy you tap, because your Creative Gravity creates a slipstream that pulls you toward your goal and helps you expand your vision, attract allies, and secure resources with less effort – as long as you don’t let your judgements get in the way (more on that later). Nike is right, just doing it feels great!
N ow a word about attention, because it is the most valuable tool that our conscious minds possess. Without attention, survival would be improbable, civilization would be impossible, and everything that we created in the last seven thousand years? Never happened… Want an example of the power of attention? Just follow the money, because ‘money’ is the most concrete example of attention in action. Less concrete, but even more powerful is love, love is all about attention, think about it for a moment – when you love anyone or anything, how much attention, time and energy are you lavishing on it?When we say that we’re ‘giving’ something our attention, it means we recognize it’s true value as a gift, one that you give to yourself, and to the object of your attention. It’s a transcendent act of presence, appreciation, gratitude and natural grace. Why? Because the mind bending illusion that we are separate from what we are giving our attention to is dissolved by our desire to become one with it’s magic.
The last word that I am capitalizing unnecessarily for you is Judgment! Let’s re-define this tricky little, hot cross bun of an attitude. You may think of it as a negative: Nobody likes to be judged. Or a positive: Good Judgment leads to positive outcomes – please drop both. I want you to define Judgment as “The Black Hole where ideas go to die.” (or to be sucked back into the vast ocean of collective unconscious for someone else to use). My central point on Judgment is this, all ideas have a life of their own, and they’ll lead you where they want to go. Judging an idea just makes it angry and more stubborn, and a stubborn idea is a real pain in the derriere! You can’t fit a square peg in a round hole without destroying its unique squareness. If your idea isn’t making you happy, suspend your Judgment, or drop the idea and move on.
Think of ideas as your movable feast; a call to adventure that leads you to new places, people and cultures. Follow them willingly, and they’ll show you worlds full of dazzling wonders and awe-inspiring insights. Listen to them carefully, and they will translate the eternal secrets of the universe for you. Dance with them, and they will fill you with the pulse pounding, soul bending rhythm of life, because they are the DJ’s of enlightened creativity.
Congratulations! You’ve already begun the hacking process by reading to this point, and re-defining how you think of creativity, gravity, attention, judgment and ideas. Now I’m going to add a few more brain tweaks, and then you can start live streaming your wild gravitational ideation.
Tweak #1: Be a Sponge, Bob. When you give your full attention to the world, you are soaking in all the magnificent bits that make a wonderful life. So suspend judgment, take it all in, and remember this, a wide view provides a shallow experience, but a focused view provides a dynamic link to the colorful possibilities that run riot in the depths of your idea reservoir.
Tweak #2: Don’t Rush! Think of your relationship to creativity as a hot date; pick a comfy spot, set the right mood, relax, and play through any blocks that come up. I like to keep a lot of balls in the air, so if one idea defies gravity, I just give my attention to the one that I get the most attractive vibe from. If that fails, take a walk, play a game, read a book, listen to music, or consume a tasty snack – distraction is a great tool to use, as long as you don’t beat yourself up with it. Slowing down also helps you hear when your ‘brain’ is sneaking in a judgment that your conscious mind has to dispose of.
Tweak #3: Creativity as Play. Remember when you were a Sandboxer? Play was everything, and you had no filters between you, your ideas and your fellow sand-folk, so share when the idea prompts you – that’s intuition giving you a nudge – and open up to the creative flow of your playmates. Think of a butterfly, hold it too tight and… Well, you get the picture.
Tweak #4: Have Fun, Fun, Fun, (‘til your Daddy takes the T-Bird away). I can’t stress this tweak enough. If it doesn’t feel good, stop! Then find out where the buzz kill is coming from and end it. Creativity is your T-Bird, so tell Daddy to take a hike. You own the road my friend, so hit the gas and enjoy the ride. One last thought, even scary ideas and hidden fears can be fun to explore, so play with those closet monsters if it feels right, as long as nobody gets hurt.
Tweak #5: Keep it Sticky, Baby! My favorite tool for boosting Creative Gravity is to keep it sticky, which means get it out into the world, even if it’s a very small world. Ideas are like bees, their purpose is to flit from person to person, pollenating everyone in sight to inspire more Ideas to bloom. So pick a medium, create a tangible expression of your vision, and let us have it! What you share makes a difference in the world, just like you do – we are the ideas we love.
Tweak #6: You are ‘That’ – there is no ‘That!’ Yeah, you’re all that! Which means you are not separate from the infinite web of creative energy that binds all matter, you are the web. You are also a conduit of attention on a cosmic scale, shutting off that tap, only causes pain. What about the second part, ‘There is no that?’ Well, when you say ‘I’ am That, you are creating a separation from it, and to flip the script on our corporate HR evangelists, There is no ‘I’ in ‘That!’
Tweak #7: Desiderata. Absolutely everything you do is an act of creativity, and the joy that results from each thought and action is your birthright as a sentient, conscious being. Creativity is as essential to us as breathing, and your happiness depends on it. If you appreciate even the smallest action, you are living large.
Here is The Seven Step ‘Code’ to ‘hack your Creative Gravity.’ Internalize it. Boot up your creativity. Be mindful of its workings and tweak, or re-order as necessary, to derive the highest degree of satisfaction from every step.
1 • Start by reminding yourself that everything you do is Creative – It’s your nature.
2 • Suspend Judgment – Judgment is malware! Use your BS checker to detect and erase it.
3 • Sponge it all up – Your divine database needs the energy of attention to fly.
4 • Don’t Rush – When you relax, your mind opens, and ideas love open minds.
5 • Play – Remember the rules of the Sandbox, and build your castles accordingly.
6 • Have Fun – If it feels good, you’re doing it right!
7 • Get Sticky – Get it down, and get it out in the world, your nature abhors a vacuum.
a. Got Blocks? – Play through, switch ideas, or take a break – it’s all good.
b. Worried what others will think? – That’s a Judgment – delete it.
c. But… – Remember you are ‘That,’ there are no ‘buts’ in ‘That.’
Repeat all steps until they’re second nature, have an amazing time, and let me know if it works for you!
Photo Credit: SHTTEFAN
