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Setting your stage – a guide to removing blocks to creativity

Have you ever had a brilliant idea flash into your head? An idea which is so pure in inspiration that it makes you burst with enthusiasm to get it down on paper? Then, have you experienced the frustration of trying to convey the brilliance of this idea into words only to find they fall flat and heavy on the page or remain glued to your mind? Or have you ever experienced trying to express the essence of your thoughts into a simple paragraph and instead sit for hours in front of your computer tortured by the struggling words as they trickle onto the page like dripping molasses?

How many times have you simply given up on a story or an inspired thought because you just cannot get past what has been commonly termed “writer’s block”? Well, you are not the alone in your frustration with this but what if I told you that this simple phenomenon is merely an illusion of the mind? Would you possibly find a few “perfect words” to break free from your creative chains and express your opinion of my bold statement both eloquently and succinctly? Well before you begin to berate my lack of compassion let me elaborate and share with you the concept of setting your stage.

I will start by posing another question. When you write or create something, where are your inspired thoughts coming from? Some of you may answer this question as, the brain, while others may say, the mind and I would I agree in part with both these answers. I say “in part” because of course you need your brain and your mind to process your thoughts but I do not believe this is the inspirational thoughts originate from.

To explain, if you write or create using only your brain then you are limited in what you produce by that which has already been programmed into your brain. That is, by the things you have been taught or experienced in the past and while this can be useful it does not leave a lot of scope for anything totally original.

Similarly, the mind is also busy processing all that you have learned. If you watch the mind for a few minutes you will become aware of the endless chatter it indulges in, like an endless recital of your mental to-do-list, the problems you need to solve, the events of the past and the potential of the future. If you find the “off switch” and quieten your mind (refer to the exercise, “Giving your imagination room to move”) you will certainly create some space to allow fresh thinking but again where do these new thoughts come from?

Scientifically, based on Quantum Physics, thoughts are just another form of energy, like light or sound. And they travel through space in much the same way. It is the subconscious mind which tunes into these waves of energy much like selecting a radio station by using the dial on your radio to find a clear frequency amongst the static.

Now I can hear many of you closing your minds with comments like, “I’m no good at science so this can’t be for me” or “This is sounding a little freaky for my liking” but bear with me because I am going to explain how you tap into original thoughts without having to really know or understand any of this (but I thought it was worth giving a little bit of scientific background to the concepts none-the-less).

So let’s get down to business and look at how to avoid/clear this misnomer known as “writer’s block”.

Setting your stage is about clearing the mind and by-passing the brain (momentarily) to allow you to tap into the energy of creativity using the subconscious mind as a gateway. The process only takes a few minutes and the basis of the concept is not so much in the words you use (although they are important as to their meaning) but in the feeling you put behind them.

Different words evoke different impressions and feelings which is why in the thesaurus you can find many words which technically mean the same thing however the specific word you choose will often depend on the subtle differences in the feeling it suggests. For example when a person is being sarcastic they often use the same words as someone who is expressing enthusiasm but the sentiment behind the words is very different in both cases. To illustrate this point a little further, imagine the scenario where you have just been told that you have lost your job (or failed your maths test). You could look at your boss (teacher) and say “Well that’s just terrific!” and based on the emotion used with your words he/she would know if your use of the word “terrific” meant that you were very unhappy or very happy with the news.

Okay, enough background let’s get down to the nuts and bolts. Here are the steps for setting your stage.

Step 1. Before you start any creative process be it writing, paintings, singing and so on, take a few minutes to sit down and quieten your mind. This process has been explained in more detail in the exercise “Giving your imagination room to move” but in essence this means to become the observer of all the mind chatter that runs in the background of your thoughts. To show you what I mean, close your eyes for a moment and watch the thoughts which come into your head. Try not to grab any of them or run along with them, just let them “talk amongst themselves” and notice them as an observer. Every now and then you will notice a pause in the chatter. Like the mind is drawing breath before babbling on again. It is when you notice this gap that you have the opportunity to set your stage. This moment may be less than a second but it is enough for your purposes.
Step 2. When you seize this moment set your stage by making a simple and direct statement declaring how you would like to experience your creative moments in your day today. Remembering to put the desired feeling behind the words you use because this is where the key to your success lies. Your stage setting statement may be something like, “Today my creativity flows through me onto the page in a continuous stream of inspiration.” or “I allow all creative and original thoughts to come to me easily today.” Use the words which feel right for you when you say them.
Step 3. Once you have made your statement let it go. Don’t hold onto it or try to polish it, reword it or improve it. Treat it like you were posting a letter. Once you put a letter into the post box, you forget about it and allow the postal service to get it to its destination. You don’t hang around the post box waiting for the postal van to collect your letter then follow it to the mail sorting room to make sure it gets to its destination. Nor do you try to snatch it back to re-write the letter while the post van waits for you to perfect it. It is the same with your stage setting statement. Once you have made it you can relax and allow the performance to begin.

It is that simple. But don’t take my word for it, give it a go and see how inspired you feel throughout your day.

I use this technique every morning just after I wake up. I find those few minutes at the beginning of the day a perfect time to set the stage not only for my creativity but for all the other aspects of my day.

So, if you suffer from “writer’s block” try setting your stage before you begin writing and allow your imagination to flow onto your blank page (or into your Dictaphone for those whose fingers cannot keep up with the new pace of great ideas pouring in!)