And just what is creativity anyway? What is your definition? There
are individuals out there believing creativity is just for the gifted, meaning
they either have it, or they don’t. Then there are others living with
the thwarted conclusion that even though they have a flickering of “it,”
at random times, they need to “wait” for inspiration to be creative.
Nothing can be further from the truth. Those are beliefs. And beliefs can change
- easily. Aug
2005 Issue
Everyone has the power to be creative,
and – at the moment of their choosing. Persons with this *choice* - to
dynamically express themselves at any given moment - in time, throughout time,
or in-between times, know how to access the appropriate altered states of mind
to give them this ability. Once these states have been accessed, resources the
individual needs to render their desired results are at their beck and call
Your unconscious mind is constantly learning, storing, and associating new and interesting bits of information at a breathtaking rate. And as such, it is a vast storehouse of rich and creative treasures, all yours for the taking and sharing. If you are curious to find out what’s “in there,” so to speak, then the next question might be, “how do I get access to these treasures located in the secret recesses of my mind?”
One way to do so is through Stream of Consciousness writing. Stream of Consciousness writing is a time-tested method used to persuade the creative explorer’s mind to reveal its precious secrets, those captivating ideas residing inside. The explorer, having found a provocative topic(s) that arouses his/her interest, then further investigates it, i.e. via research, contemplation, etc. Off he/she goes on their quest, energized, motivated to turn this spark of an idea into a dazzling flame. In short, they have written their mind alive.
The Stream of Consciousness writing technique is simple, and works like this:
1 Have paper and pen handy.
2 Set aside several minutes of uninterrupted writing time,
i.e. ten minutes, twenty minutes, etc.
3 Choose a topic, a theme, a subject, etc. and write it
at the top of the paper.
4 Start writing. DO NOT lift the pen from the paper. WRITE,
WRITE and WRITE until the time you've allotted yourself is up.
As you are doing the exercise you will notice that most of what you are writing
makes no sense. This is perfectly fine. The more it makes no sense the more
you are unlocking the doorway and stepping into the subconscious – the
vault where your creative treasures reside.
5 Once your time is up – YOU STOP, take a break.
6 After your break, review what you have written, and notice
what sparks your interest.
7 Whatever holds your attention – investigate
it, and build on it.
So, whenever you are feeling, “stuck” for an idea, whether it’s for a topic to write about, or to find a creative solution to a current problem, try this method. It works – wonders. Remember to…remember to…trust yourself, and your “other than conscious mind!”
© Copyright - John G. Johnson
2005 - All rights reserved!
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and see forthcoming workshops.
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WHERE: New York City!
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First, Find Your “Gladys”
By: Judy Rees
If you've been reading these newsletters for a while you've probably already
noticed your persuasion skills improving considerably.
When a person shows an interest in whatever you're selling, I'm sure you don't reel off a list of features! Instead you probably ask your prospect a few questions, find out exactly what they're looking for and what's important to them about it. Then it's child's play to pitch your product or service to fit their requirements.
Now imagine you've been asked to write a short piece about your business - for a local or trade magazine, or website, for example. Would that be just as easy? It can be. Even though you're selling to a large audience, rather than a single person, the trick is to find your "Gladys".
Gladys was the fictional woman for whom the Birmingham (UK) Evening Mail was written when I worked there in the 1990s - retired, working class, with relatives and friends all over the city. She didn't care about the details of local politics or bureaucracy - she wanted her bins emptied! My old editor would ask: "What does Gladys want to know?" and that's what we'd include in the story.
Of course, we had thousands of readers. Somehow, though, by writing the paper for Gladys, everything fell into place for our other readers, too. We kept our language direct and straightforward, we avoided giving too much unnecessary detail, and we never stooped to the kind of journalism that would make Gladys blush.
It works the same way with any piece of writing for publication. Once you've identified a stereotypical reader and learn what makes them tick, the rest will follow naturally. It's easy to imagine them reading your words and reacting in exactly the way you'd like them to: picking up the phone and calling you.
"But stereotypes are bad and wrong!" you may think. I disagree. Stereotypes are very useful - as long as we don't mistake them for reality. So, why not build your own Gladys? You might begin by thinking of someone you know slightly, a potential customer who you'd like to buy your product or service. It's not important that they're "typical" of your entire customer group. The first person who came to mind will be fine, as long as you don't know them well.
What can you confidently say about them, Age, sex, occupation, social status, interests, enthusiasms? Where do they live? If you know what they look like, hold their picture in mind. If not, use your imagination!
Then start to fill in the gaps with what you know, adding an entire lifestyle to your picture. Yes, you'll be guessing, and that's absolutely fine. What TV shows do they watch? Where do they socialise? What sports do they follow? How is their home decorated? And so on, until you feel you can step into their shoes.
That's the time to ask yourself:, "What is important to this person about my product or service?" As you see it through their eyes you can sense what matters, and which aspects really aren't important at all.
Now, step back into your own world and sit down at the keyboard. Imagine you've had brief e-mail from this person asking what you do. And write back.
Are you curious about how the finished piece will look? You could try it now, and be ready when opportunity knocks. My experience has been that the more you work with your Gladys, the more real she becomes, the more you'll feel you know her, and the better your writing becomes.
And what if, one day, you find yourself face-to-face with Gladys? Don't forget to remember that you made it all up - and don't laugh too loudly as you discover just how many of your guesses about her turned out to be right!
© Copyright - Judy Rees 2005 - All rights reserved!
Judy Rees is a journalist and an NLP
Master Practioner based in London. Until recently she was executive editor
of Teletext, the UK's unique TV information service. Her current writing projects
aim to take NLP “mainstream", at least in the UK.
Find out more about Judy Rees at: www.purpleflash.co.uk