Creativity, Innovation, and Transformation - Understanding Our Creative Inner Essence ; Barriers to Creative Thinking and Some Ways for Removing

Creativity and Innovation has to facilitate the transformation of individuals work roles, teams, and organizations into desired future states. It should be aimed at benefiting the humanity as a whole. Our lives are being disrupted by pandemics, global warming, wars, and political chaos. We must prepare for an unpredictable and unknown future - and this is the aim of Creativity, Innovation, and Transformation process we are talking about in this blog. We will be talking about discovering our unique creative and innovative nature, growing our sense of responsibility to ourselves and our community or society. 

 Creativity and Innovation are an essential requirements for the 21st century of fast changing technology, increasing aspirations of people and competitive environment. Creativity and Innovation are the fundamental elements of success for any organization or individual.  New and better ideas are needed  for almost  every sphere of  your professional and personal lives for improved productivity, efficiency, and quality of life.   Most successful businesses develop the culture of creativity and innovation. In today's world, creativity and innovation are more important than ever before. Everyone is blessed with the Inner Creative Resource which can be nurtured and used.

Creativity, innovation and transformation 

Creativity is unleashing the potential of the mind to conceive new ideas, processes and concepts.  Innovation is putting the ideas to work.  It is about applying creative resources and ideas to design an appropriate solution to the problem, and reap benefits.  Creativity and Innovation have to go together to facilitate transformation of individuals, teams, and society for a better tomorrow, improving the quality of living,

Creative Inner Essence or Source of Creativity

If we look at the  work done at Stanford University by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers (Creativity in Business) ;  creativity is the Inner Resource. In some sense you can't describe your inner creative resource in words. It is the very fact that it is beyond words that makes it so potentially powerful in our life . Our inner resource is so immediate and yet timeless, so basic, so individual and also universal that they have chosen the word "ESSENCE" to describe it. 

Intuition, will, joy, strength, and compassion - these qualities of ESSENCE form your Creative Base. Philosophical , psychological, and mystic  traditions often emphasize the enormity of essence by characterizing these quality as infinite knowledge, infinite intelligence, and infinite energy source within. In yoga they say DIVINITY (ATAMSHAKTI ) within. Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Menas Kafatos say  '"You and the Universe are One"  in their book "You are the Universe" - meaning every power of creation or manifestation is within us. 

We can say every one is creative, the  creativity is our inner resource, it is in the potential form and is to be harnessed. Life is one unified wholeness. Creativity can be learned and developed. In Sanskrit it is said "ANANTA SWABHAVE ", meaning  "My true self has no limits" or it is boundless, I am nature's creativity and intelligence.

Creativity in required in everyday life, education, parenting, sports and recreation, services and manufacturing, marketing, health and wellness, judiciary, governance, and so on.  That is, creativity is required in every sphere of our lives.  

Process of creativity

Creativity starts with the intended outcome ; stating and defining the problem ; Information gathering : Analysis of the information ; Incubation ; Insight ; Integration; Implantation; Incarnation . 

There are 5 stages of the Creative Process:

1. Preparation ; The Inspiration Phase
2. Incubation ; Absorbing and Processing.
3. Insight : Illumination -The " Eureka " Moment. 
4. Evaluating the Idea and Prototyping.
5. Implementation.

Developing a culture of creativity and innovation

"Innovate or perish" is a truism of our times. Every inspiring organization - Apple, IBM, Tesla, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Tata Group, Infosys, Wipro, ,  and many new startups have realized the importance of creativity and innovation and are developing the culture. Many universities, colleges, and school have set up Innovation Centers/Hubs.   

 In India, many organizations have understood the importance of creativity and innovation for being competitive in the international market and for having an edge. For example - Tata Group has setup Tata Group Innovation Forum(TGIF) to develop a culture of innovation. The glimpses of their work are given in the books "Making Innovations Happen" by Ravi Arora . The book talks about the new method known as "Innovation Foresight (IF)". This model IF provides a framework to induce and execute innovations, measure performance and encourage self-correction. Many Indian and international companies are now focusing on developing the culture of creativity and innovation.

Barriers to Creativity and Innovation

The single biggest reason why most organizations and individuals do not achieve their full potential is fear of failure. We must accept failing is an important part of learning, development, and progress.

 Second is the lack of leadership. Innovation must be led from top, and top management should give it a strategic importance to innovation as a business driver.

 Third is  the short term thinking about the returns on investments and  expecting immediate returns. People are looking for returns to come within the financial year.

Fourth is absence of  long term view. People do not have time, money or the will to focus on something that will give them a result in four to five years.

 Fifth is lack of collaboration between teams and departments. Internal budgeting and different departmental structure don't always facilitate collaboration.

Sixth is lack of focus - lots of people doing stuff is not really innovation, if it is not focused, is not managed and planned. For many organizations having ideas is not a problem but having relevant ideas and progressing them can be incredibly hard.  Crag Linton says " The sticking point is that people say they want to be innovative. They come up with  ideas and then don't do anything."  

Seventh is lots of ideas but no delivery to market . Innovation process is lacking.  Having a process to filter and drive ideas forward is very critical for making innovation happen in any organization. So many brilliant ideas slowly die as they do not have a structure or processes  for taking ideas forward.

Creativity can be nurtured

Creativity is not just an innate ability but something you can learn by applying creative thinking processes. Kelley brothers Tom and David in their book "Creative Confidence" say that thinking creativity as a fixed trait, like having brown eyes- either you are born with creative genes, or you are not is a myth. It is a myth that far so many people share. They feel the opposite of that myth. It is about what they call "creative confidence". And at its foundation is the belief that we all are creative. Swamy Muktanandaji has said  : " The truth is that the inner Self of every human being is supremely great and supremely lovable. The creative power of the entire universe lies inside everyone of us. The divine principle that creates and sustains this world pulsates within us as our own Self." 

But how do we tap into the creative reality? How do we open the channels for its free flow in our lives ?. The methods and ways are given in the Tool-Kit .

A toolkit for creativity

Tools for creativity are used during a regular innovation process where teams should generate new ideas to to further explore their feasibility as proper business models -the phases that utilize creativity are most challenging . Because of this challenge, people in this field have developed a wide range of tools to help people unleash and nurture their innate creativity. There are some tools focused on generating as many ideas as possible like brain storming. There are tools which strive to analyze, filer and merge ideas , in order to select the best ones.

Here are some thoughts :-

1. SURRENDER-If at first you don't succeed , Surrender. 

Many thinkers working in the field of  creativity and innovation have stressed on the need and importance of surrender. 

What does surrender mean? Surrender doesn't mean to quit or give up, but rather to let go of any emotional attachment to the final outcome. Surrendering is letting go of attachment to the result of our efforts and allowing the higher power (our creative essence/ resource) to take over and and do whatever is needed in whatever way it deems fit. This is quite consistent with Max Plank's assertion that the determined casual relation can be upset by the supernatural (infinite intelligence). This tacit approach takes our efforts to higher levels to end in even better results than we can conceive. 

 Surrender is based on the unquestioning belief in the power of yourself.. Surrender to the divinity within, to the creative resource within. Business man Stephen Portis says " To whom do I surrender? For lack of better word, I would say I surrender to God. God provides a feeling of hope and goodness that I cannot always find within my own intellect. The feeling that accompanies the action of surrender is one of great relief.. When I stop trying, it means I can also stop worrying. Suddenly a big weight is taken off my shoulders. My mind is set free and a feeling of expansion prevails. In fact experience of  surrendering is so wonderful that I think the best way to live my life would be the following: Don't try. just surrender! "

For Surrendering there are four pathways:

1. Drop Mental Striving- The wise man says "The world is ruled by letting things take their own course It Can not be ruled by interfering ". Relax , close your eyes and breathe normally . If thoughts come let them go, or observe them as clouds going by . Do not get involved with them . Just pay attention to your breath . You will be surprised at the calming results of even a few minutes of such practice . 
2. Apply Yourself to a Task- You don't have to strive, just apply yourself to a task for the sheer joy of doing it . In this sort of effort you can experience your inner creativity.
3. Maintain a Spirit of Inquiry- Do as the scientists do: Objectively and openly observe your actions, reactions, emotions, motivations- and constantly question their validity in terms of your growing understanding of creative thought processes. As you do this, you will build up confidence in surrendering through the things that start happening to and through you. 
4. Acknowledge that You Don't know How It's Going to Turn Out- instead of worrying over the many possibilities in any situation, just let go. You really surrender when you drop attachment to a particular outcome. 

Steps Towards Surrendering : Relax the body and when body is relaxed mind also gets relaxed- it becomes calm and quite. Letting Go, physically and mentally. Yoga has some methods of relaxation and letting go . 

Dreaming, creative visualizations - sleeping is probably the most common form of surrender. All the blocks to your creativity that occur during striving - judgement, ego, false personality, fear, and the chattering of the mind - are gone by sleep. Deep sleep produces a state that is completely refreshing and relaxing. This allows you to operate more easily from your creative essence. We can bring this dream like state into our waking part of your life, by creative visualization methods. In Body Mind Programming, which I will be discussing very briefly in this blog there is a method for creating a dream like state and surrendering.

2, GETTING IN TOUCH WITH YOUR INNER GUIDE 

 Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers have talked about this in their book "Creativity in Business" which is based on the Stanford University course. Napoleon Hill has  discussed about "The Master Mind as an Inner Guide" in his book "Law Of Success". Dr. Krishanasamy and myself in our book "Create Your Own Future Through Body Mind Programming" have talked about BMP Guide as Inner Guide - someone to whom you can turn for guidance. This builds up confidence in inner guidance coming from the creative essence. 

3, DESTROY  JUDGEMENT

In our minds there is constant chattering keeps on going.  If you have trouble in taking risks, you are probably afraid of stumbling blocks thrown out by your own mind. If you lack confidence to create, you are probably tuned in the Voice of Judgement (VOJ) that we all have within. This voice of judgement is quite destructive to creativity.  

4 . PAYING ATTENTION - BE A GOOD OBSERVER.

Pay attention to what? To start with pay attention to what you are feeling, what you are sensing, and what you are thinking, the taste and texture of what you are eating, This type of paying attention immerses you in life in a new way, if you pay attention at every moment, not only do you become immersed in that moment; you become that moment .This kind of attention - paying is thoughtfulness or mindfulness  without thinking .

Developing the art of attention and becoming keen observer, helps in knowing more about the object . Maharishi Patanjali, father of yoga , has written that when you keenly observe illumination takes place . For example when you observe your own breath, inhalation and exhalation for ten to fifteen minutes , the breathing pattern changes for better and physiological and psychological changes take place .

The mere act of observing something changes the nature of the thing observed - Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. First we see the hills in the painting, then we see the painting in the hills.

5. ASKING QUESTIONS , EVEN DUMB QUESTIONS .

Most people are afraid to ask questions. They are afraid they will appear stupid . It is lack of confidence . And in creativity it is the confidence which is most important. You will find that questions leads to other questions ; so questioning mentality gets going . Implicitly, or explicitly creativity always begins with a question. And in both business and your personal lives, the quality of your creativity is determined by the quality of your questions. A creative approach makes life a questioning process. What is a dumb question " The only dumb question is the question you do not ask " . An even dumber one- more courageous and more basic- is " What is a question?" Ask a dumb question and you get smart answer. 

A question is an invitation to creativity. A question is a disguised answer.

6.KNOW THE THREE POWERS(SHAKTIS)  AND MAKE USE THEM 

Three powers are  Power of Intention(Iccha- Shakti); Power of Knowledge (Gyan Shakti),  and  Power of Action (Kriya Shakti). These three powers are behind the manifestation at the universal level and also at personal level. Have an intention(desire); Have the knowledge ( Knowhow) ; Take action .

7. LEARN TO USE WHOLE BRAIN

Dr. Sperry was awarded Noble Prize in 1981for his work that two sides of the brain perform different functions. Most researchers feel there is much more broader creativity or Essence than that attributed to the right half of the brain. There are methods especially in yoga to make best use of both the hemispheres of the brain.

8. UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE HOLOGRAPHIC BRAIN AND  HOLOMOVEMENT- Our thoughts have an effect on what we really experience in the world, Mind and matter are two parallel streams arising from the a common ground beyond. Thought is not mere reflection but has real existence. Part represents the whole. As you start contemplating on the problem, the solutions will start emerging . 

9. LIVE IN THE ETERNAL NOW - We have no present because we are almost completely preoccupied with memory of past and expectations of the future. We do not realize that there never was, is, or will be any other experience than present experience. We have to learn being in the present. Present Moment Living (PML). Living your life in the eternal now means living fully in each moment-because there is in reality no other moment in which your creativity can operate. 

10. MIND-MAPS- Mind maps are usually a great way to organize ideas. We can use them to explore associations and divergence between ideas, clustering all those concepts coming from ideation.

11. THINKING HAT -The thinking Hat is popular technique, very useful to explore the upside and down side of every idea. We might define several hats, each one representing a different mindset . Edward de Bono Six Thinking Hats is quite popular..

12, LATERAL THINKING - This way of thinking involves looking at a situation in a different way- essentially stepping sideways from our current strategy. A nice way to do this is the " three ifs " tool , which is very useful to challenge our assumptions and change our prospective. In this we should ask ourselves what would happen if our situation was different in three ways .

13. BRAIN STORMING - I had the opportunity to participate in a brain storming session way back in 1970 and was amazed at the number of ideas emerged in the brain storming session. I got fascinated with this . Brain storming is a means of getting a large number of ideas from a group of people in a short time. Success in brain storming depends on the application and enforcement of three guidelines- Suspend judgement, Free-wheel ( all sorts of ideas, good and bad, sensible and silly are allowed and recorded, Cross-fertilize ( ideas of other people are picked up and developed .Cross fertilization allows the ideas to be  exchanged, developed and changed by the group under the guidance of the group leader. 

BMP (Body Mind Programming

Body Mind Programming( BMP) is about tuning the resources we possess -body and mind- to create a new way of thinking and living. In this new way of living and thinking you accomplish your goals whatever they may be . In this way it can help you in finding creative solutions to your problems . BMP is a systematic seven-step technique predominantly based on the mode of outcome thinking, It is the outcome of coupling of ancient Indian and eastern wisdom with western scientific thinking. It involves defining the problem, collecting all data, analyzing it using logical thinking, diving deeper levels of consciousness, conveying the problem to subconscious mind ( our creativity essence ); surrendering. BMP has the tools and vehicles to help the creativity process. It helps in developing the desired mindset, and making use of the goal seeking mechanism of the human brain. It helps in experiencing the beautiful state in which body is completely relaxed and mind is calm and quite, a dream like state ,state most conductive for programming and reprogramming the mind; and also for creating Virtual Reality(VR), BMP uses the whole brain -both the left and right hemispheres of the brain . It has been widely tested on a good number of people individually and in the workshops for leading universities, institutions, business houses . 

Professor K N,  Krishanaswamy and Raj Kumar Dham of the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore   have  developed Body-Mind Programming (BMP). BMP is a tool for training the right-brain function of Intuition, and integrating it with normally well-developed left-brain function or Logical Thinking. BMP helps in creative problem solving as shown in the diagram above.  

The diagram shows how BMP helps in the development of the creative process. From the diagram, it can be seen that education and training enhance the rational mode of thinking, inculcating greater analytical and logical thinking capabilities into the mind, which are helpful in systematic and predominantly logical approaches to problem solving. Whatever intuitive or creative approach is used in such a problem-solving effort is vastly left to the individual who draws from his experience and untrained natural intuitive abilities. Thus , in such situations, the problem-solving approach tends to be predominantly rational.

The role of BMP in developing problem-solving capabilities is to reinforce the intuitive mode of thinking, to systematically link it with the logical mode( through connecting the conscious and subconscious states), and to present the problem for a more balanced and whole-brain derivation of solution, which tends to become more creative and efficient. 

Share your comments, views , and queries . Interested in knowing more , I invite you to my half a day Online WORKSHOP " Creativity is INTELLIGENCE having FUN "  ; it is free as a special gift for you. Click to reserve your seat https://bit.ly/CreativityWorkshoP 

Raj Kumar Dham 

rkdham@gmail.com 

Bangalore +919845287581 

References;-

1. Creativity In Business , Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers 

2. Making Innovations Happen , Ravi Arora 

3.Art of Innovation, Tom Kelley 

4. Creative Confidence, Tom Kelley, and David Kelley 

5. Create Your Own Future Through Body Mind Programming , K N Krishnaswamy , and Raj Kumar Dham

6.Creative Thinking and Brainstorming, J Geoffrey Rawlinson