Dark clouds and creativity
When we finally allow ourselves to navigate the entire spectrum of our emotions, we learn that those dark clouds that come hanging over our heads, are neither a curse nor a catastrophe.
In fact, those feelings of sadness, anxiety, frustration or anger serve a purpose. They could be an invitation to evaluate our circumstances and the way these align (or not) with our values and expectations. At the same time, they can become the ideal mental setting for that encounter with our creativity that we had been (knowingly or not) yearning for.
Those quite dense, perhaps obsessive, and very uncomfortable emotions, can create a desire to seclude ourselves. This at times can turn out to be the perfect ingredient to unravel some of our creative processes and impulses.
I am not trying to suggest here that only during our most opaque emotional states we find the ideal conditions to get in touch with our creativity. However, we should consider the fact that a great number of creators have attributed some of their most celebrated inventions to their transit through a period of darkness. This is a phenomenon that today can be scientifically explained, at least partially.
Susan David, psychologist and author of the book Emotional Agility, explains that ¨our so-called negative emotions encourage slower, more systematic cognitive processing¨ So, we rely less on quick conclusions and pay more attention to subtle details that matter. In other words, these uncomfortable emotions summon a more attentive, accommodating thinking style that leads us to examine facts in a fresh and creative way.
That being said, what I am really trying to remind us here is that the next time we are feeling down, we should make a pause before trying to shoo away that dark cloud. Instead, we could ask: ¨How could you serve me today?¨, Would it be possible to take advantage of that melancholic or grumpy mood?
Certainly, the answer won’t be affirmative in every occasion. However, I can assure you that many of those gray days can be magically transformed into fruitful creative and introspective moments. And once we engage in an activity that arouses our creative geniuses, chances are that it will transmute our mood and hopefully grant us with a more optimistic, brighter outlook.
