The answer is unambiguous - they are visual thinkers at the inspiration stage and the writer’s craft will take over to achieve rational objectives such as consistency of style, plot development and so on. Robert Louis Stevenson claims he saw the image of Dr Jekyll turning into the evil Mr Hyde. William Golding reports seeing the pigs head on a stake talking to the marooned children.We can only appreciate a poem or novel by seeing it when we read it, thus entering the author’s mind which their art invites us to do.
How do we hold ourselves in day dreaming state without falling asleep?
If “the most fertile region in the mind’s inner landscape is the marshy shore between sleep and full awakening” (Koestler) how do we we remain in that zone without mentally moving one way or the other? I do it by drifting into Alpha brain state then describing in my mind the pictures I see. If I describe them in too much detail - a rational activity - they melt away. If I don’t describe them, they develop a life of their own beyond my direct control, obviously the beginning of a dream. What do you do?
Which form of meditation is the best to ignite creativity?
We’re talking two fundamentally different mental activities here, both called Meditation and both important for keeping our creativity intact. Guided Meditation - playing a specially prepared narration and ‘seeing along’ increases our ability to make mental pictures. Mantra Meditation (Vedic Meditation is the correct term) involves saying a relaxing term like “Blue Ocean” over and over so it blocks out our mental chatter. This type of meditation clears the mind to allow you to then choose what you think about and can deliver us from churning over the past. Both forms reduce stress so they are good for your physical health as well as your creativity. Any thoughts?
Does the ability to see mental pictures diminish with age?
We already know Picasso thinks so: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Children all love to draw but most lose their fascination with drawing as they mature. I believe the intensely visual minds of children are a gift to allow them to rapidly acquire language. If you’ve learnt a second language as an adult you’ll know it took far more effort than acquiring your first language! I confess I’m not as proficient at making faces from clouds as I was. So either I’ve changed or today’s clouds have conspired to form less evocative shapes! Any suggestions?
How does spending time in an imagined future square off with being 'in the moment'?
I believe the true value of being in the moment is that it stops us dwelling on past unhappy events. For most people, regret or remorse is nature’s preferred setting when we’re not entirely engaged in the present - probably to teach us not to repeat past mistakes. “Beware the past,” wrote one poet, “for in it lie deep pools that beckon us to insanity.” Like all good poetry this line amplifies life but the message is that dwelling on past events is painful. If being absorbed by something in the present fixes that problem, that’s a good thing. Personally I can be just as absorbed in an imagined future so being in the moment doesn’t have the benefit for me that others report. What’s your experience?
Can we create something original without the initial flash of inspiration?
You can create something by rational thinking. But it’s unlikely to be original because you got there by the mental processes available to everyone else in the same field. Einstein maintained that none of his theories were arrived at by rational thought, although, self evidently, they were completed and tested by rational thought. So it does appear that inspiration followed by perspiration is the main driver of ideas. Any other thoughts?
Why are creative people sometimes vague and detached?
I’m not this way myself but it’s a fair question and we see this mental detachment in the crazy artist and mad scientist alike. I suggest it’s a combination of two factors: they instinctively see the underlying code in particular things or events which sends their mind off on a tangent, sometimes a very useful one; and they are always slightly in Alpha brain state so have the same vagueness fully rational people have when they’re half asleep. Any more suggestions?
Can everyone generate mental pictures?
The condition known as Aphantasia is rare but such individuals cannot picture an idea or even something as familiar as the face of a relative or the interior of their home. It’s unrelated to intelligence or a wide range of aptitudes but, unsurprisingly, individuals with Aphantasia would be less likely to be creative since they lack one of the imagination’s primary building blocks. I’ve only met an Aphantastic person once and wasn’t prepared to ask them the questions I now want to know. So I’m not sure if they remember images from their (sleeping) dreams, nor if they see the uncontrolled floating images many of us see as sleep approaches. But I suspect they don’t and I’ll leave it to neuroscientists to confirm that.
Do psychotropic drugs assist creativity?
No they don’t. I only took drugs briefly in my teens and never created anything original or useful in a drugged state. Obviously hallucogenics produce increased visualisation but there’s a price to pay. A hallucinating person is unlikely to make sense of their images or interface then with their waking intelligence. Creativity arises from the combining of brain states, not the artificlal boosting of one at the expense of the other. Stimulants certainly produce a rush of energy and may propel an individual to rapid mental activity. But as we all know the body quickly develops a dependency on the high feeling. Your normal state of being eventually becomes intolerable and craves another ‘fix’. Moral of the story: work on being the most of who you are, not some artificial chemically induced persona.
Can you develop a musical ear?
Unfortunately not. Most people are born with a sense of pitch and can do a reasonable rendering of Happy Birthday. Others simply can’t sing in tune because their ability to recognise the pitch of a note is not sensitive enough to locate notes on the familiar musical scale. Not being musical doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy music it just means you can’t sing or play and instrument. You should participate in some other art form - there are plenty to choose from!