No LSD Required (The Creative State of Mind)

Yeah sure, you could down that bottle of absinthe and vomit something that resembles creativity onto the page and floor before you. And yes, you could drop that LSD tab and brain bleed a story that resembles Last Exit to Brooklyn, and die shriveled in your own bodily fluids (or would you look more like a rehydrated sultana?) or walk around preserved like Keith Richards. Who you are not.

Unless you are and then, ‘Hey – you’re looking…er…good!’ *shifty eyes*

And yes I know there’s the age old adage of ‘write drunk, edit sober,’ which has been somewhat inaccurately attributed to Ernest Hemingway* – however there has been something lost in translation.

But I’ll come back to that.

Now it may or may not be an obvious fact (and by fact, in this instance, I mean widely believed thought) that being somewhat inebriated opens up the mind, and I’m not denying this to be true, but it’s not a prerequisite,  and there are much easier, or at least less harmful ways, to get into that (not as elusive as you may think) creative state of mind, and understand that you (believe it or not!) are creative.

And it’s good for the whole family!

So going back to the ‘write drunk, edit sober’ paradigm, let’s just understand that ‘drunk’ refers to a state of mind, rather than the actual physical state of being drunk.

Now we all know someone who has been ‘well trashed,’ if it has not at least been you at some time. And so I’m sure that you are familiar with the key indicators that would prove, one way or the other, that someone isn’t in a state of sobriety, other than an inability to stand without swaying.

But as a quick refresher for those who have not (yet?) obliterated all grey matter from within their skull – and therefor still have a decent level of comprehension – some signs that the guy (or gal) in the street is likely to be the town drunk are: the stream of consciousness rambling, the lack of thought prohibiters, absolutely no inhibition, sometimes (or often?) a lack of self control and an eagerness to play (or play up). And the occasional slurred song.

Now all these things help with the initial stages of the creative process and also to understand the feeling of being in that creative headspace, and yes, certain drugs may open up your mind in a way that allows you to see and experience things sometimes entirely removed from real life, or an expansion of the world before you, but it is (not only illegal) it is a waste of (what I hope are) really good brain cells.

I should also mention that this feeling, this mindset, is not unlike getting a visit from the sandman or slipping into a daydream, though maybe the senses are a little less heightened than when in the drug fuelled state. Unless you’re someone like me who dreams vividly AND has been known to visualise conversations so deeply, that I have been busted standing there talking to a wall. Unfortunately a true story.

So creativity and the creative state (or creative state of mind) is not so much a gift given by some random muse, who is more likely to stand you up than show up, but rather a way of operating**,  a state of mind entered into.

Therefore it’s something we all can learn. Or more accurately relearn. Or even just remember (unlike last weekend) without the impending hangover.

STOP THINKING (START DRINKING)

So laying off the booze (for now) when you hear or read ‘write drunk,’ it generally means that you should go with the flow, just start getting everything down on the page, no second thoughts, no delete buttons, no inhibitions.

No sitting there going ‘but I’m not creative!’ – because that’s bullshit.

It’s a matter of stopping those thinking parts of your mind and just letting it all roll out. The doing part of the mind is the creative state of mind in action. It’s the first indication that you are in the ‘creative flow.’  Sometimes sitting down to think inhibits the process more than anything else, like taking a handful of uppers and downers at the same time, which negates all effects and can essentially leave you useless.

When you first start you just want to get stuff down. Forget about the rest. Editing comes later. So take that pen and paper, chuck on those beer goggles and hammer something out like it’s your last few moments before you pass out and/or vomit on yourself.

Don’t know what to write?

Ok time to backtrack just a bit. I guess it’s easy enough to say sit down, stop thinking and write. But what about discovering just what it feels like to be in this creative state of mind AND knowing what to start with when you do sit down?

So let’s think of the ‘no thinking’ part as a warmup. A place to begin. But so you trust me, so you really know what that State of Mind feels like, I want you to do one simple thing.

RECALL A MEMORY

See, I am making this very easy for you, because I’m nice like that. And because it really is that simple, and because I really want you to understand just what this creative state of mind feels like (no I’m not about to handout joints. Sorry).

Just think about something that happened yesterday. It doesn’t have to be anything much. Just try and recall details, maybe it was a conversation or an event that happened. Sit with that for just a moment. I’m not even going to get you to write anything down yet.

All I really want you to do is recall your memory with as much detail as possible. Feel like you’re there again. Think about where you were, what time of day, what the weather was like, the colours, the smells, the mood, what was said, what happened. Get inside and re explore.

Have you done that? Good. Because that, my friend, is how the Creative State of Mind feels.

EXERCISE: Write down a memory of your choice, give yourself maybe 7 minutes (it really is a magic number) to just write. Once you’ve started don’t stop, just keep writing until the buzzer goes off. If it doesn’t make sense, or you’re lost for words just make sure to keep the hand moving. Just get lost in the memory, like you’re right back there reliving it again.

Now go back in and change something about the memory. Maybe what was said. Who was there. The same way you might replay a scenario with a much wittier comeback than you gave the first time.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM

They may call you crazy (who cares?) or they may get you arrested, or at the very least they will give you some weird stares if you go and start playing on the playground and joining in the games with the children. Yeah I know some days we ALL want to be pirates but let’s leave the little tuckers alone for now and simply just take a leaf out of their grubby little books.

Play? Yeah. What I think we all want to do deep down ALL the time.

When you’re in the middle of play, things start to change. Your ideas start to come and evolve, because you’re moving, you’re doing, you’re acting out. This movement creates a direct link to the creative mind, which is an endorphin and adrenalin junkie, and loves you to get up a sweat and start expressing yourself through that body of yours.

No need to break into interpretative dance though, unless of course, that’s your thing, and who am I to hold you back from your dreams?

When you’re right in the middle of the action, all sorts of creative and dramatic scenes may be played out. Sometimes it’s just a matter of switching on that internal play button and leaving the mundane world behind. You see, in the middle of play, when your mind is engaged in the imagination and not confined to the real world – when you’re up dancing and playing and freestyling like a mofo – this is what creativity feels like.

And crazy things can happen. (Dramatization below).

EXERCISE: Make time for play. Go out,  get up and get moving, or involve yourself in some sort of active play. Invite your friends to join you in some roleplay at a Dress up party. Or maybe you could build yourself a sheet fort, go ride a bike or pull out those skates, or even pick up some Lego and enjoy being lost in it all. 

TALK IT OUT

Ever been in a heated debate and have thrown out maybe some half truths or embellished the story just to get your point across? No? Er – me either.

But if you’re deep in conversation or you are throwing ideas around like mini hot potatoes (remember that game?) this is you in that creative state of mind.

So next time you’re all having a lovely dinner and you bring up some topic which may become heated (go on, I dare you, it makes family ‘get togethers’ that much more interesting) or even if you’re on Facebook and debating via the comment section of a status, getting into a flame wars or just engaged in a battle of wit, I want you to remember that this is what the creative mindset feels like.

And it’s something we do everyday. (Unless you’re a full blown recluse and then maybe you don’t?)

EXERCISE: Start commenting on people’ statuses. Start involving yourself in more conversations. Start telling your friends stories from your childhood or involve yourself in an ideas brainstorming session.

Or even try this – pretend you are talking to someone on the bus. Have a conversation with them. Ask the questions and provide the answers. Just go with it and see what happens. Write it all down.

READING, WATCHING, SEEING, LISTENING.

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

The desert was the apotheosis of all deserts, huge, standing to the sky for what looked like eternity in all directions. It was white and blinding and waterless and without feature save for the faint, cloudy haze of the mountains which sketched themselves on the horizon and the devil-grass which brought sweet dreams, nightmares, death. An occasional tombstone sign pointed the way, for once the drifted track that cut its way through the thick crust of alkali had been a highway. Coaches and buckas had followed it. The world had moved on since then. The world had emptied.

Stephen King – The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower 1

So, what just happened then? What happened when you read that passage? What happens when you slowly read the passage, taking in every detail?

Did you imagine what the Gunslinger looked like and the man in black? Are you wondering what is going on, why one is chasing the other? Did you se the expanse of the desert in your mind’s eye? Yes?

How often have you been lost inside of a favourite book, gone on that journey to different locales and visualised just what the characters look like? Or you watch a film and it transports you to this other place? How many times have you listened to a song and grabbed a hair straightener (because hair brushes are so 1980) and pretended you were rocking out on stage?

More often than you care to admit?

Well, just so you know, this is also what it feels like to be creative. It’s that same state of mind. (I wonder how many more times I can write that before the end of this article?) and is a place, I believe,  we all know intimately.

EXERCISE: Grab your favourite or nearest book and start reading. Read slowly so you are involved in what happens. When you’ve read, say, a chapter, think back over it and the feeling you had. Were you immersed in the story? Did it materialise in your mind’s eye?

AND…

Have you ever told a lie – no matter how small? Have you ever made up a story or embellished one or drawn little doodles (mind.gutter.out.) while you were maybe taking a phone call? Have you ever fantasized about Charlie Hunnam in some form or another (come on admit it we all have!)?

I’m guessing at some point you have experienced any number of these things, and I dare say at least once in the last 20 minutes? Correct?

These are the things that show you that, first of all, this creative state of mind (there I said it again) is something that almost happens by accident. On a secondary note, we are all creative, and this creative side to us all is aching to get out any chance it gets.

So. Knowing that the creative state of mind is something we all experience on a daily basis, are you going to go around saying you’re not creative? That you don’t know what it feels like to be creative? That you don’t know how to get into that state of mind (without blaming some absent muse that never comes, or drugging yourself to the eyeballs?)

No? Good.

(If you said yes then you’re a shit stirrer!)

Also, none of the above took any kind of substance abuse to obtain, which makes becoming a prime candidate for AA or NA completely unnecessary, and ill advised.

So on that note, put away the shot glasses  and go immerse yourself in that creative state of mind, after all, it feels so.damn.good!

 

* Peter De Vries. “Reuben, Reuben” – “Sometimes I write drunk and revise sober, and sometimes I write sober and revise drunk. But you have to have both elements in creation — the Apollonian and the Dionysian, or spontaneity and restraint, emotion and discipline.”

** John Cleese, during his talk on Creativity.