How do you create space for your best ideas to surface?
By Lisa Seppala, True North Implementation
Have you ever had that experience where you’re involved in one activity (e.g., washing the dishes, having a shower) and an idea surfaces that gives you new insight into a completely unrelated area of your life? When this occurs, these moments, dubbed ‘aha’ moments or epiphanies, are often brilliant.
Fritjof Capra, Ph.D., Physicist and Systems Theorist, beautifully described these moments in The Tao of Physics when he stated, “During these periods of relaxation after concentrated intellectual activity, the intuitive mind seems to take over and can produce the sudden clarifying insights which give so much joy and delight…”. While Dr. Capra was talking about intuition complementing rational knowledge and activities within the context of scientific research, ideas that emerge in this way are certainly not exclusive to scientists. They occur for all of us, and they often offer significant value when they do.
There are many methods to help these ideas surface more frequently. Two of my favourite techniques are from the book The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. After being told about the book back in the 1990s, I finally read it a few years ago, and I’m grateful that I did. It was the 25th Anniversary Edition!
- The ‘Morning Pages’ – This method requires you to complete three pages of long-hand, stream-of-consciousness writing, preferably in the morning when you wake up. (Given my night owl tendencies, I find this easier to do in the evening before bed.) I’ve used this method since 2018 and am astonished at the actionable and valuable ideas that have surfaced for me.
- The ‘Artist’s Date’ – This method requires you to set aside time to nurture your creativity. Like booking a date with a friend, this ‘date’ is for you to be alone with your creativity. This ‘date’ may be visiting an art gallery, walking along a beach, or any other activity that permits you the solitude to open your mind and allow ideas to emerge.
At first, these methods feel indulgent, but when you realize how creative and productive they can make you, they soon become an activity that you miss when you can’t get to them. The key point is that sometimes you need to allow yourself time to break away and shift into a different state of mind for your greatest ideas to surface.
I’m curious to learn, how do you create space for your best ideas to surface?