Tapping into the "flow" experience

Mihaly's studies into the optimum human performance revealed that the brain produces the best work at a stat of mind, which he termed "flow".

Flow is defined as the experience of a person when he is totally focused and absorbed in the task such that the person and the task becomes inextricably fused with each other. The mind then takes on a magical world of its own and all other dimensions like time, hunger, pain and the immediate surrounding become irrelevant and unimportant.

Mihaly says that even with the most optimal environment, flow can only be experienced a few times a day and usually last about 1 to 2 hours at a time.

The revealing fact is then that creativity needs TIME. It has to be based on information, facts and understanding that is already stored int he brain. That is why there is a strong correlation between memory and creativity. Buzan believes that the key to memory is a strong sense of imagination and association. This is also the sme key to creativity. Therefore, the more you exerciese your memory through the use of this key, the more creative you become as well. As you gather information over time, you have a larger storehouse to create more imagination and association. So contrary to the belief that your memory deteriorates as you age, you actually have more arsenal to develop a stronger memory.

The early artists drew their creativity from nature. Today, there are more forms of art to choose from and some, like Andy Warhol, drew his creativity from looking at basic household items from a different angle.

The creative person does no have more facts or time, he does however look at and process infromation differently.

source : my critical thinking class