Kudesia (2015) argues that creative individuals demonstrate qualities of alertness, non-conformism, flexibility, intellectual curiosity, broad mindedness and self-confidence, all of which are desirable qualities for an excellent leader to demonstrate. We might think of someone like this as ‘thinking outside the box’, an appropriate description, because creativity demands that an individual stop using well-worn and habitual strategies to deal with issues and see situations with a fresh or beginner’s mind and become receptive to new ideas and possibilities, even those that have perhaps been deemed irrelevant or unworkable previously. It’s often this ‘way out’ thinking that might be just the ticket.

And this is where mindfulness training comes in. We learn to view life as it is, rather than put our own interpretation onto it. We might see a blue river – but another person might see what we think we are seeing as a different colour, and definitely not a river, perhaps a stream, and even that might change depending on which direction the body of water is travelling in…

And it is trainable, making it an ideal workplace intervention.

Positive vs negative affect and creativity

As well as our past experience for solving problems having the potential to create an impasse, creativity can be suppressed by stress and anxiety, and therefore the stress reduction and increased concentration and attention span that a regular mindfulness practice can offer can also give space for the development of spontaneity and innovative thinking. The idea is that when people are experiencing a positive mood, they have the mental space to naturally allow creative thinking to emerge. In a negative mindset, there is much less space for this to happen, as there is when employees are overworked and overwhelmed by too many tasks and deadlines. When there is less cognitive overload there is more space for becoming curious, and for leaving behind preconceived ideas and mindsets, allowing ourselves to become more open to different possibilities for change.

Here’s an example:

In an experiment carried out by psychologists at the University of Maryland in 200, two groups of students were asked to solve a puzzle in which a mouse had to find its way out of a maze. One group was told that there was an owl hovering above the maze that could attack the mouse if it didn’t find its way out, and the other group were told that they needed to help the mouse find the cheese at the exit of the maze. Both groups completed the puzzle successfully in about two minutes, but the difference became evident when both groups were asked to follow the activity with a creative task. The scores of the first group (negative situation of avoiding the owl) were 50% lower than the second group who had the positive story of helping the mouse to find the cheese.

What this indicates is that if our minds are closed off by stress, anxiety and overwhelm (negative affect), we are much less likely to develop creative ideas for innovation or problem solving, unlike those whose minds are less cluttered, perhaps through a regular mindfulness practice, where these attributes can be free flowing. Negativity and overwhelm and self-criticism effectively shut down any attempt at creativity. In fact creativity doesn’t even enter the equation – it effectively does not exist for individuals in this mindset. This kind of negativity is all too common in our world of burnout, overwhelm and judgment.

Do have a go at the following experiment to see if you are more creative after a short mindfulness exercise – honestly it’s fun! Maybe get a group of friends or colleagues together to try it. There’s a video to go with it.

Experiment:

1. Find a pencil and two pieces of paper and choose something or someone to draw.

2. Think of all the emails and work piling up, the deadlines you still need to meet today.

3. Start drawing your object or person. Just keep going, don’t try to stop work thoughts coming in, let it all in while you are drawing.

4. Put the drawing to one side after 5 minutes or so.

5. Now do the 3-minute breathing space meditation on the video and give yourself permission to be fully immersed in it – it IS only three minutes!

6. Pick up the second piece of paper and try drawing the object or person again, or maybe choose something else to draw now.

7. When you’ve finished the drawing, think about whether there were any differences between the two drawing experiences, and what they were (if any).

8. Compare the two drawings. Do you prefer one over the other? Or did you just enjoy the second experience more?

9. There is no right or wrong answer, just noticing whatever you notice, with curiosity and definitely no judgment!

With luck you might have felt more creative the second time around – we hope so!

Final thought:

If you’re still not convinced of the benefits of a regular mindfulness practice for unlocking the spark of creativity, there’s evidence that practising mindfulness increases the activity in the left prefrontal cortex of the brain, an area which is linked to creativity. At Mindfuel we will be happy to provide you with references to many studies that have shown benefits of a regular mindfulness practice.

Ready to take the next step? Book a call to see how we can help you…