Distinguish Creative Choices

The natural flow up-and-down the levels of creativity is complicated by the need to take into account at every moment the dilemma inherent in any choice. Should attention and effort be applied to:

• what is tried, tested, ever-present and routine?

  or to

• what is new, to be found, different, emergent or unexpected?

I will now examine each Level in turn from this perspective.
See the picture.

RsHK-G7: Evoke Courage

The challenge generates a single balanced Centre.
Why?

In evoking courage for this totally new situation, you spontaneously activate memories of courage in previous situations. If courage previously was worthwhile, your present evocation is strengthened. Insofar as courage was futile, you may be weakened. In short: present-desired courage is not separable in practice from past courage.

The Centre is named:  Be Courageous-G7_B

RsHK-G6: Allow Immersion

Immersion is needed to gain the necessary breakthroughs, and this process has two obviously separate foci of work.
Why?

You can and must immerse yourself in what is already known, in relevant past events or experiences, in what is currently believed or expected. The present is continually becoming the past so simply starting somewhere is to be unavoidably part of the past. To refuse to get to know, use and build on the past would be to reject the hard-won gains of others. It could well mean repeating mistakes that others have made, or suffering in a more subtle way by misunderstanding beliefs and assumptions held widely. Immersion takes many forms but usually involves discussion, investigation, reading and walking about looking. The goal here is not to continue blindly, but rather to identify, select and use the ideas, tools, systems, knowledge, values and suchlike that are particularly relevant to your challenge.

One Centre is named:  Harvest the Past-G6_T

However, the continent of the known has borders, and the challenge takes you beyond those borders. Thickets of uncertainties and unknowns await. The path through is uncharted and much may be mysterious. This is a distinctly different realm with its own rules and its own form of immersion. Mastering and grasping some essence involves the application of both imagination and reasoning to what is known. However, the process is not rational: it involves speculating and shaping something new by combining or splitting ideas, shifting perspectives or re-framing. Successful immersion depends on maintaining a sustained mental focus while playing with ideas, contemplating, meditating, and reflecting.

One Centre is named:  Grasp the Unknown-G6_N

Manifestation in Highly Creative Persons

The more creative individuals commonly show both traditionalist and radical features. They know their history, but they are ready to ignore it. They know their subject, but they are ready to betray it. They know the rules, but they are ready to break them. They know how things are done. but are ready to do what is not done. Few are really comfortable around them: successful traditionalists (usually current leaders) decry the radicalism, while the Young Turks (waiting for the old guard to die) decry the traditionalism.

Dominance: As this is about being creative, the focus on grasping the unknown must be given precedence over harvesting the past. Otherwise, the end result is likely to show little originality.

RsHK-G5: Muster Perseverance

Perseverance also shows itself with two obviously separate foci.
Why?

When engaged in a challenge, there is a great deal to do that is largely routine. After all, the creative project has many of the qualities of run-of-the-mill projects. It consumes resources that must be mobilized and accounted for. It requires schedules and deadlines that must be met for social reasons or to meet regulatory requirements. It involves other people who must be briefed and de-briefed, checked and encouraged, advised and admonished, paid or otherwise gratified. This is management, plain and simple: responsible if often mundane and yet essential work, using standard methods, procedures and tools.

One Centre is named:  Manage the Project-G5_T

There are difficulties, obstacles, complications and failures both expected and unexpected. If it were an ordinary project, these might well be an excuse to give up because the risks and costs could easily be calculated as outweighing the benefit. However, creativity has been activated and it will provide ideas and insights. Perhaps the obstacle is actually central to the creative work: in which case re-immersion into the unknown will be required. Most new ideas give trouble, they may need to be re-shaped or adjusted, or they may generate ancillary tasks. But, eventually, the necessary insight can be applied to good effect.

One Centre is named:  Apply the New Insight-G5_N

Dominance: As this is about being creative, the focus on applying the new insight must be given precedence over managing the project. Otherwise, the creative project will be too subject to pragmatic demands. It could even be cancelled rather easily.

RsHK-G4: Inject Commitment

Your commitment is in continuous evolution and generates a single balanced Centre.
Why?

Commitment is not something new for you. You have a history of being committed, and probably of failing to meet commitments at times. In selecting a suitable challenge, you brought these experiences to bear because you were well aware that you must draw on capabilities developed and exercised in the past. At the same time this is a new challenge and you will be using capabilities in a new way and learning as you go. So when you commit yourself, you are entering into a new commitment with an old experienced self that is becoming a newer developing self. It is hard to see how your passion and surrender can be polarized between past and future, old and new. There must be a fusion or synthesis of comfort and challenge—which means this is a single balanced Centre.

This Centre is named:  Commit Your Self-G4_B

RsHK-G3: Focus Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm seems to generate two foci because it is energy for someone about something.
How?

When you focus enthusiasm, you are dealing with some particular event or outcome that is happening or will happen: the new. At the same time you are awakening age-old energies and feelings within yourself and others that naturally engender inner support.

The particular development or emerging aspect that captures attention is new in some way. If it were not, then it could not serve as a meaningful focus for excitement and interest. By contrast, the energies and feelings within yourself and others are instantly recognizable. You know what tried and tested inputs you seek—congratulations, advice, directed effort, money, appreciation, interest. These are the natural and habitual ways that you feel internally supported. That means there are two Centres at this Level:

One Centre is named:  Win over Self and Others-G3_T

One Centre is named:  Highlight Development-G3_N

Dominance: As this is now about the use of energies in practical situations, it is more important to focus on winning support from yourself and others. After all, if one particular development turns out to be unpersuasive or insignificant, then another can be highlighted in its place. On the other hand, failure to be personally won over is likely to doom your project.

RsHK-G2: Deepen Conviction

Conviction is in continuous evolution and so there is a single balanced Centre.
Why?

It is hard to imagine what our future convictions might be, whilst at the same time it is difficult to recall our past, repudiated convictions. We may deepen our convictions at times of stress, when courage and creativity are demanded. So it is not sensible to try to focus on current conviction as distinct from something that may newly develop—hence this is a balanced Centre.

The Centre is named:  Deepen Conviction-G2_B

RsHK-G1: Use Willpower

The autonomous use of willpower is in continuous evolution and so there is a single balanced Centre.
Why?

Using willpower is much like evoking courage-G7, deepening conviction-G6 and committing yourself-G4. As with these choices, the present opportunity to exert autonomy via willpower becomes intimately mixed up with previous experiences and we cannot properly distinguish a different new future state.

The Centre is named:  Use Willpower-G1_B

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Now that the Centres are defined, influences between them (Channels) can be explored and named.

• Start with the emergence of the new from what is pre-existent.

Originally posted:9-Mar-2012