the hidden connection between acceptance and creativity
I didn’t know what to call this article since the title ‘hidden psychology of creativity” has been spammed into oblivion.
Medium is filled with blogs giving you the step-by-step plan on how to increase creativity but they are all long winded and not tangible.
In this article, we give you our perspective on creativity and explain the link between it and a mindset of acceptance.
We believe our perspective works and has had a visible impact on our work at Asycd especially in our earlier growth phases.
Enough talk though.
accept what?
Accept your life circumstances. Accept your current situation. Accept the fact you’re probably not the best at what you do and you might never be the best.
They call this generation the most “anxious” generation and that is because we have all the expectations of older generations, family and yourself on your shoulders when your shoulders should be empty. They are empty!
You can’t do anything novel or unique if you are always thinking about these things. If you look at the most “creative” and high achieving people to exist, one thing they all had in common was a complete negligence for current circumstance.
Eminem — Eminem faced a challenging upbringing with poverty, a turbulent family, and addiction struggles. Despite these hardships, he channelled his experiences into his music, achieving global success and becoming a rap icon.
Oprah Winfrey — Oprah Winfrey triumphed over a childhood marred by poverty, abuse, and teen pregnancy. She turned her pain into purpose, becoming a celebrated talk show host and media mogul. The Oprah Winfrey Show ran for 25 years, making her one of the most influential women in the world and one of the richest with a staggering $3bn net worth in 2024.
how to accept?
Accepting things you don’t like the idea of is the difficulty but doing so will free you to go do what you really want to do.
Here are some ways:
practice meditation — meditation does not mean you need to sit cross legged humming. You can do it while on a walk, first thing in the morning while you shower. It will help you come to terms with your thoughts and beliefs. After a while of reviewing the same thoughts about yourself, you will get bored and move on hopefully.
separate thought from reality — Kapil Gupta, a renown philosopher who has consulted some of the biggest celebrities today said “you are not your thoughts”. It’s easy to forget but it’s the truth. Don’t ignore them because you need them of course. Instead, watch,observe and remember that your thoughts do not affect your real-life unless you let them.
“you’re gonna die!” — Lastly, you know you’re gonna die right? You really gonna let what happened 5 years ago in school or between your friends at a gathering dictate what you do with your life? There’s simply no time to dwell on the past or on what you believe to be your future.
The last tip is if all else fails. “Your time is finite” would probably be a more sensible way to say it but the rawness of the prior works well for clearing the mind of rubbish.
but why?
Well because you can’t explore the world and enjoy its beauty whilst adding to it if you’ve got metaphorical chains around your ankles.
Mental slavery is a real thing and you want to avoid it at all costs especially because it can be self-imposed.
Pure creativity comes in those moments when you’re not thinking much if you haven’t noticed.
So break those metaphorical chains and let’s see what you can do!
now what?
Ok, so I have done all the steps and accepted my shit. What now?
Now do what you want! Make what you would like to make.
Quickly, you ain’t got much time. You’re going to die remember? Sorry, I meant your time is finite🤓
an important note
This article is dedicated to my late cousin who sadly passed away around this time last year.
Before he left us, he created a clothing brand called “Diamante”. They had a slogan of “PMD”— PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS. This relates heavily to this article so I thought it would make sense to shout him out!
The artworks in this article will be available in our next digital art collection coming out in early November. There will be many beautiful creations including one called “PMD” in honour of my cousin and his brand.
For projects, work and collaboration ideas, contact us here.
Thanks for reading🙌🏽
