Have you ever been excited by a magic trick? Found yourself trying to figure out how the magician did it? Well, the fun idea is that creativity and magic are often intertwined, so if you have a conundrum or other issue, the key is that both involve imagination, wonder, and the ability to make something new and unexpected.
Love this quote by author of Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert, “I believe the creative process is both magical and magic.” * The value of leaning into your creative spirit is the better you will make decisions and problem solve. So, it does seem like magic!
Try This: Get Creative - Feel the Magic
In last week's blog post, I mentioned handwriting as a way to get in touch with your creativity, and this also works like magic. Lean into Gilbert's idea which is to partner with magic. She says, "working together toward something intriguing and worthwhile. You can live a long life, making and doing really cool things the entire time."* Here is a fun way:
- Think of a problem or issue for which you would like a solution.
- Pick up a pen and start doodling to allow your magic to get to work. A definition of "doodling" is to scribble absentmindedly. **
- Sit quietly, try not to be distracted by social media or text notifications, even email on your computer. Just wait for the magic to pop a solution into your mind.
Creativity is like a muscle that needs to be exercised and combined with magic leads to amazing ideas to enhance your life. To gain more insights, I often jot down thoughts that pop in but don’t act on them right away. Then things start to gel and a good idea happens when I'm least expecting it!
* Elizabeth Gilbert on Writing and Creativity, https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/advice/elizabeth-gilbert-writing-and-creativity
** https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doodle