The Flow: Creativity as a Form of Meditation by Abi Maynard
Creativity is defined as the use of imagination or original ideas to create something. In other words, being creative involves the ability to utilize objects and information in unconventional ways to come up with new and original ideas. Creativity is a complex topic as it can be seen in many different situations and there is no clear way of defining it. Although it is often associated with the arts, you don't need to consider yourself an artist to be creative. In fact, most people use creativity on a daily basis without even realizing it. If you haven't already thought about integrating a creative hobby into your life, then I hope the following discussion will persuade you, as creativity can massively benefit a person's mental health and well-being in a number of different ways.
What is The Flow?
The Flow, also known as the creative flow, is defined as the mental state of being completely present and fully immersed in a task. It’s an experience that everyone will have numerous times throughout their lives. It's not something that's limited to artists, musicians, poets, etc. It's a state that's accessible to every single one of us. Flow experiences can occur differently for different people but it most often happens when someone is doing something that they enjoy and which they are skilled at. Being completely immersed in a creative task takes a lot of focus and requires all of your attention at that point in time. Being focused on something means you are thinking less about what may be worrying you and therefore reduces stress and anxiety. It works in a similar way to meditation in the sense that your mind is completely at ease and thinking only about the present moment.
How does it help our minds?
There are a number of different ways that the flow state is beneficial to our minds, here are just a few of the many ways that we can benefit from being in the flow.
Emotional Regulation:
Being in a state of flow can help us develop skills that allow us to regulate our emotions effectively. Being able to regulate our emotions is important as our thoughts help us decide how to respond to situations, and good emotional regulation will enable us to respond in a way that is responsible and has the least negative consequences.
Fulfillment:
The flow state can give us an immense sense of fulfillment. When we get into a flow state, we enjoy what we’re doing more and therefore we are more likely to find it rewarding and fulfilling.
Increases Motivation:
The flow can help increase motivation by activating a positive mentality within us. Motivation pushes us to act in a way that brings us closer to our goals. It is the driving force behind our actions. Motivation helps us to feel more in control of our lives and encourages us to avoid unhealthy behaviours, improving our overall happiness and well-being.
Enhances performance:
The practice of fully involving yourself in a task can help to enhance performance. Practicing the ability to stay focused and be resilient can be useful in all areas throughout our life including things such as learning, teaching, athletics and artistic creativity.
Learning and Skill Development:
Achieving a state of flow indicates a substantial mastery of that specific activity, therefore, to maintain this state a person needs to keep seeking out new challenges. Because flow states happen during creative tasks, they often inspire greater creative pursuits.
The Psychology Behind it
In most cases, we find when we’re creating things we get lost in the activity because what we're doing requires all of our attention and concentration. Studies have shown that creative flow is caused by changes in brain flow whereby the brain waves slow down, meaning that our thoughts are able to form better. When we are in a flow state our brain releases large amounts of neurochemistry such as serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. These are pleasure-inducing, performance-enhancing chemicals that help to reduce stress and promote an overall positive mentality. Social psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his interview with Wired defined the flow state as ‘Being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.’
Picking up a creative hobby is a fun and healthy way of coping with stress and anxiety that is accessible to everyone. There are all sorts of different activities out there to choose from. The options are endless and when you are bored of one, you can just move on to the next. It's important that we don't take these hobbies too seriously as that would defeat the point of them in the first place. While it's great to develop our skills and progress in what we practice, the process must be enjoyable. Progression will come gradually and naturally as we learn more about the process and improve on our techniques.
Written by Abi Maynard
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This article was written in association with Mindless Mag. By partnering with the social change platform Guy Cry Club CIC could connect with their network of global storytellers who then produced a series of articles exploring masculinity, mental health and creativity. Find out more about Mindless Mag and the brilliant work they do below.
