Why do people fail to follow through on their inspired ideas and create the products and life they want?
Summary: Why Creatives are special & conversations with Dino Burbidge, Sky Innovation Coach (UK), Author and Consciousness Designer, Krista Haapala (USA).
Creativity is the source of all things, from human evolution to disruptive businesses, problem-solving to creating the life we want, and it all starts and ends with inspiration. The truth is most people will fail to follow up on their inspirational ideas. Their creative ideas or project get stalled, or we play safe. I have been researching why for years and found the reasons are traced to our neurobiology and nervous system, which can act like a belief bullet, halting us, limiting our courage to create or keeping us playing in the shallow end of creativity, repeating the same tired ideas - in life and work. Of course, a simple reason could be a distraction - like Dobby the dog sitting on my lap, stopping me from working. But even allowing that distraction to alter my focus and flow is rooted in something deeper.
But If you’re saying: ‘Well, I’m not creative! this doesn’t impact me’ - It does.
If you solve problems, your ability to solve them (well) requires creativity. I believe we can all be creative and need to be to create the life we want and be happy; otherwise, you are just drifting. I have been in conversation with some inspirational souls such as innovation guru Dino Burbidge, Sky Innovation Coach and Creative Author and Consciousness designer Krista Haapala. They share some of their thoughts and secrets for work and life.
What is the start of creativity?
Inspiration. So the questions are: Are you open to inspiration? Do you have the courage to follow through on your inspired ideas? Do you have the courage to create? What is blocking you? Are you playing at the shallow side of creativity or the deep end?
I have wondered about this formally since 2017 when I returned to university to do a Master's in psychology and did an essay on creativity. But my 20-year career in innovation and working with some great (and limited) people have always had me thinking of this. University and brain scanning studies just helped me get an under-the-hood perspective.
I was lucky enough to share a bit of this in an anthology book, Consciousness Revolution (out in Mid December 2022 - YEAHHHH!). Still, it will expand into a bigger book on the Secrets of Creativity & Flow Revealed (title TBC).
Update: The book is out February 2023: Pre-Order now!
Can you help contribute to the bigger book - Please answer this very short survey. In return, I would love to offer 25% off my 121 Intuitive sessions, designed to help you understand the subconscious and unconscious blocks of your genius.
So what is the answer to why so many people fail to follow through on their inspired ideas?
Because it's risky for our brain to be creative and follow through on inspiration.
At a basic level, our brains have a 9:1 negativity information bias (University of California, Berkley*), neurologically favouring survival and emotional safety. Inspiration often means a new and novel idea which may lead to success, acceptance or even, ultimately, joy, but then it might not. As it is risky for your brain to be creative, it puts a hold on it unless you can overcome the negativity at the neurobiology and nervous system levels.
And Creatives are special
Yes. Their brains are different; they are 34% happier* when in flow, and our consciousness is constantly creating, but will you let it? Will your consciousness let you be inspired or follow through on an idea?
Creatives use their brains differently
They are 34% happier, but they need to be in flow to sustain it.
Let me know how creative you are and receive 20% of my signature 121 Intuitive Flow and Mentoring session (deadline end of Feb 2023)
Consciousness here is more than the thinking mind; it includes the subconscious.
This could be good stuff like memories, feelings, and experiences, but also things you have packed away or have a self-limiting belief about. Call this a belief bullet (to quote Dawson Church from Bliss Brain). It may shoot you down if you are not trained to see it and deal with it. It will stop you from being fully creative, i.e. do you give yourself permission to be creative and follow an inspiration? To live and be in your fullest creative expression. If not, using simple tools and working at deeper levels can help reverse this.
I used to manage a beautiful, intelligent soul who was so shy that she would never tell us her ideas until she was asked and felt safe. The safety part was key. She’s still brilliant but now finding her voice, handling none-safe environments (which, let’s face it, is a reality at most companies/life) and now heads an amazing division and suite of technology.
Why is safety important?
Research shows that people under high stress or trauma cannot be creative(*) as your nervous system puts a break on your system and disconnects the brain from doing anything other than the same old-same old. Same old idea. Same old result. But stress and anxiety also cause a disconnect, so feeling safe in your environment and body, is critical to allowing inspiration and creativity to flourish.
Which End of the Creativity pool are you playing?
“The creativity pool: Are you playing at the shallow end of the creativity, getting stuck in the middle, or playing at the deep end?”
What’s under the hood
My brain scanning studies revealed to me, and other studies prove, that different brain wave states lead to inspiration and aha moments. In another post, I will write more about how to engineer the right brain wave states. and exactly why creative brains are different - I share some of this in the chapter in the anthology book on Consciousness Revolution on Conscious creativity, Still, all this work on creativity is linked heavily to our well-being, nervous, and energy systems.
But why is creativity so important?
Because how we approach creativity, I believe, is how we approach most things: it is a reflection of your life. I offer that the upper limits of your creativity are the upper limit of you.
Does that statement feel true to you? While you ponder, I will share one quote from someone I interviewed to help me write this chapter and will form part of my bigger program of work.
I asked Krista Haapala: What does inspiration look and feel like for you?
She said:
“Following inspiration is like being pushed from behind and pulled from the front.’”
Krista is an author, poet, artist, sexologist therapist, Consciousness Guide, Bliss Mystic and runs a Rebels Queens Circle. She has been courageous enough not to let her inspiration dwindle even during her many life traumas and challenges. Her successful book, Body 2.0, actually helped in her healing process after she chose to have an elected mastectomy, after losing her mother to Breast Cancer. Just as she was about to go on tour with her book, her husband suddenly collapsed and had brain surgery with many uncertainites hanging over their family and young sons at the time.
Nevertheless, Krista never stops running towards inspiration and creativity. She tries her inspiration on and sometimes consciously lets it go if it's not right for now.
When I asked her: What does inspiration look and feel like for you? she said “Following inspiration is like being pushed from behind and pulled from the front.” And I was like, hell yer. For me, it's like, trust this energy - jump - do that bungee jump again...' feel that! The Bunjee jump I nearly didn't do; That was a pivotal moment in my life.
Innovation Coach at Sky Innovation labs
Taking a leap and creating were the sentiments reflected by Dino Burbidge, Innovation and Inspiration Coach for Sky Labs. He constantly follows his inspirations through to actual fruition, or in one case, the woodwork table. While interviewing him, he was in the process of making a (nearly) 3-foot tall bingo device that automatically spits out numbers. He was inspired by an idea and wanted to bring it to life for his audience at the 2022 tech Sky Summit so they could play Bingo Web 3.0.
Dino is not just an ideas guy; as he said, magic happens when you bring ideas to life. In fact Dino remarked that he doesn't really like just 'idea-guys'. It’s easy to see why: He walks the walk and talks the talk. Building the Bingo machine is just one example. But this something many people find hard to do or, at least, follow through with: Like a bungee jump.
Regarding the statistics, 34% of creatives are happier; he embodies this.
Dino, I, and I’m sure lots of you are constantly inspired by different things: Letting the world inspire you and bring you happiness by doing and getting lost in your passions. It’s a simple secret source and something Mihaly Czcehmentaly found in his research for his bestselling book, Flow, how to achieve happiness.
My conversation with Dino flew by over two hours, so more on this inspirational chat later. Still, Dino embodies what I call, a creative mindset: always looking for an opening, an alchemist in play!
So to pause. One secret of creativity: See the new in the old; everything is divine. We just need a new perspective. To be a divergent thinker (the second part is convergent thinking, which requires different techniques).
Back to the point:
Inspiration is tricky, and creativity is hard for your brain as it's risky. Even if we create for ourselves and have intrinsic motivation, we are, in essence, social animals wanting to create something valuable for our tribe to appreciate. We want to make sure we use our time productively and that it is successful: Please deliver now, act with assurance, and we want to be supported when creative.
But inspiration doesn't work that way and doesn't care about our immediate gratification or means. That's the ego-protective mind’s job.
Inspiration is about the world of possibilities and opening you up to ask:
'Imagine if we could fly..'
Imagine if I could live a life of joy?
Imagine if I could live a life of adventure?' (Imagine that, huh, who deserves that.. not me, according to my mum when I was younger)
But here’s what I’ve come to believe.
How you do anything is how you do everything (as Tony Robins says).
Years ago, I nearly didn't do a bungee jump in New Zealand, conditioned by my mother’s fear, but my kick-ass cousins, Sangita and Leena, were fully in.. hell yeah, we're doing this..
So I followed their inspiration, and that's me: a full body- arms spread hell-yeah! Saying YES - YES - YES (Megan Ryan, eat your heart out). And, I haven't stopped jumping since, whether out of planes, out of jobs, into courses, businesses and inspirational ideas or situations… I try to find an opening.
My alchemist-warrior-inspired soul needs to live in coherence to my values, in fun and meet my responsibilities. It’s not always easy, but the biggest price to pay is regret, and I’m not paying that price! But all my experiences are learning curves, whether I have fallen flat on my face or hanging by ankles with my face against a hard rock!
For creatives, the answer is: Keep getting up when you fail or succeed & be open to all experiences:
The invitation is to follow your small voice of inspiration and let it gracefully nudge you, push, or pull you…
But I ask, have you felt it? Your Inspiration. Maybe it's an idea that follows you around! The invisible muse, or if you looked up, the repeating signs or songs that play around you? Pay attention. Find an opening... it’s for you.
So what's blocking you?
What's deeper than that? Blockers to your creativity is a big topic (or several chapters in my book, it’s an unpacking of you to create the new you, your environment, and heuristics), but for now, if you are curious and ready to follow your inspiration - Jump. It will be an adventure.
Remember, inspiration comes to YOU for a reason; it just needs some tender care, and don't do what most people do and turn it away. Creatives are special; I'm special, and I know you are. We all can be, but do you know how to unleash your special?
Final note:
As I cut the cord of my corporate work with Sky ( I loved it there), I'm finally ready to open the doors to clients this quarter (so excited). If you would like a 'life-changing' Intuitive flow mentoring session (that’s a quote from a recent client). Remember you get 25% off if you take the small survey and book by the 8th of November 2022
It's not for everyone, but I'm sure you'll know if it's for you, or at least... the special part of you that wants to shine does. Just ask it. Ready?
With Moonbeams
Nila
PS. The e-book is now an Amazon.com best-seller! So proud to be next to some revolutionary women. You can read more about these inspiring women here.
E-book Now available or Pre-order the book here
Anthology book, Conscious Revolution.
My Contribution is Conscious Creativity & Flow, the secrets to unlocking your neurobiology and nervous system to create, innovate at the deep end and heal. This chapter argues that your relationship with creativity is essential for your evolution. It reflects your relationship with your life, energy, innovation and resilience. It helps you to find an opening whether you’re thriving or surviving and offers tools that allow you to befriend Chaos (who always come to the creativity party), avoid burn out and flow.
This chapter introduces you to the characters (allies & Foes) in the Creativity, including Chaos, Anxiety and Flow.
References:
University of California, Berkley: Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Sucess in Work and Life (New York: Crown Business, 2010)
Scott Barry Kaufman, 'The Real Neuroscience of Creativity," Scientific American, April 19, 2013;
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/the-real-neuroscience-of-creativity/
Kotler, Steven(2021). The Art of Impossible. HarperCollins. NY. pp.79
Adobe, State of Create Study: Global Benchmark Study on Attitudes and Beliefs about Creativity at Work, Home and School, April 2012; Steven Kotler (2021). The Art of Impossible. HarperCollins., NY (p162
Church, Dawson (2020). Bliss Brain. Hay House, Inc USA. pp.62-63, 66-67
Yoga informed Poly Vagal Theory. 8 Week Certification with Embody Lab (20210, led by Dr Ariella Scwartz & talk by Dr Steve Porges