Sustenance of Creativity

The creative process is instigated and continuously driven by the challenge found at RG7. The associated positivity and courage sustains creativity via a downward flow of influence, as explained earlier.

To sustain creativity, you must:

• Address uncertainty (RG7 ↔ RG6)
• Maintain progress (RG6 ↔ RG5)
• Bring strengths (RG5 ↔ RG4)
• Stimulate inputs (RG4 ↔ RG3)
• Build credibility (RG3 ↔ RG2)
• Unleash drive (RG2 ↔ RG1)

However, this labelling of the links is incomplete because it fails to take account of the tension between the new-and-different and the tried-and-tested. With this dynamism now in place, it is evident that all inter-Level interactions, except the lowest, involve at least two Channels because there are two Centres in at least one of the Levels.

The sustaining flows of influence, that are bi-directional, can now be explored and named.

Address Uncertainty: RG7 ↔ RG6

Uncertainty can only be addressed by immersion. However, there is a marked difference between becoming immersed in what exists and immersion in the unknown.

Be Courageous-RG7_B ↔ Grasp the Unknown-RG6_N
Detail

In any effort to grasp the unknown there are risks. It is impossible to know in advance exactly how to proceed or what will be grasped. It is difficult to know how much time will be needed: aside from a mildly reassuring sense that it will take as long as it takes. Nor is it evident what implications will flow from any discovery or invention. You might well find yourself opening up a pandora's box of tougher challenges that send you back for more courage. If you are not daunted, your creative spirit will say: "If that is what I have to face, so be it!"

This Channel is named: Take Risks.

Be Courageous-RG7_B ↔ Harvest the Past-RG6_T
Detail

You will build on the past even if you wish to reject it utterly. Not everything in the past is useful or relevant or even correct. So the task is to immerse yourself and harvest from the past whatever is specially relevant and could ease the work for yourself and for others. Even if you want to radically break from the past, some basic continuity assists others. Don't pretend to be self-sufficient. The past can help you be efficient and effective at little cost. Remember that you do not have to repeat the mistakes of your predecessors—although for novices that often seems the quickest and easiest path.

This Channel is named: Value Continuity.

Maintain Progress: RG6 ↔ RG5

Perseverance-RG6 ensures that immersion-RG5 results in continuing progress, even if slow and painful at times. There are two Centres in each Level here, and therefore four possible interactions. But only two make sense.

Grasp the Unknown-RG6_N ↔ Apply the New Insight-RG5_N
Detail

The originating challenge, once it becomes your project, splinters into a multiplicity of sub-challenges, many unexpected. These present as failures or obstacles to be overcome. As you immerse yourself and work on the issues, pressures and frustrations build. Then suddenly inspiration strikes or serendipity occurs, and you see the way forward. But it is one thing to have an insight, and it is something else to apply that insight. There is no breakthrough in practice until the insight is fully worked out. This calls for a back-and-forth movement between a focus on circumstances and swimming in uncertain possibilities.

This Channel is named: Make Breakthroughs.

Harvest the Past-RG6_T ↔ Manage the Project-RG5_T
Detail

Progress depends on the project remaining intact. Whatever the project, the past invariably has a lot to say about how matters should be managed. There are in existence protocols, conventions, systems, methods, historical experiences and more that need to be understood and applied. While building on the past is unavoidable, learning is not. Learning from the past means actively incorporating relevant aspects into the project and its management.

This Channel is named: Ensure Incorporation.

Why isn't Grasp the Unknown-RG6_N ↔ Manage the Project-RG5_T possible?

Grasping the unknown addresses the creative core of the challenge, and this activity will not tolerate influence from routine management. Vital strategies and mundane administrative pressures, however important socially and practically, are irrelevant. Management, in turn, cannot deal with the unknown directly.

Why isn't Harvest the Past-RG6_T ↔ Apply the New Insight-RG5_N possible?

Harvesting the past provides for continuity, but it can say nothing about applying a new insight to meet an emerging issue in relation to the new challenge. If applying the insight suggests that a check of the past might be valuable, then this occurs indirectly via re-immersion in the unknown-RG6_N to get guidance as to how to search, or indirectly via management of the project-RG6_T to get practical guidance.

Bring Strengths: RG5 ↔ RG4

Perseverance is naturally associated with commitment as both are about using inner strength in the service of creativity.

Apply the New Insight-RG5_N ↔ Commit Your Self-RG4_B
Detail

Difficulty and failure do not lend themselves to easy, obvious solutions. So when a new insight comes along its value and appropriateness will be doubted. This applies even if it has been worked out in great detail. It applies even more strongly if the insight is powerful: e.g. turning an existing assumption on its head, shutting down an established process, or re-thinking a strategy.  This is part of everyday resistance to change and fear of uncertainty. In creativity, you are committed, so shrinking back is unacceptable. The requirement here is boldness. After all, the worst that can happen is failure.

This Channel is named: Show Boldness.

Manage the Project-RG5_T ↔ Commit Your Self-RG4_B
Detail

Managing the project is often experienced as a distraction from the «real work» i.e. the creative obsession. Yet the encompassing strategy, the financial backing, the quality of the systems, the aesthetics of the presentation or the handling of assistants may be critical to the creative effort. Your personal commitment means that the contextual work cannot be ignored. In practice, it is never easy to know what is needed to make a sufficient difference. Although the temptation is usually to put too little effort into management, you may be tempted to do too much. Perfectionism can be as much of a hindrance as sloppiness. The only sensible course is to discipline yourself to manage the project to sufficiently high standards. Insofar as others are involved, then your discipline must extend to them as well.

This Channel is named: Exert Discipline.

Stimulate Inputs: RG4 ↔ RG3

Commitment and enthusiasm feed off each other and lead to you providing necessities for the creative project. Doing so encourages others to provide their inputs: e.g. venture capitalists like to back entrepreneurs who have a personal stake in the business.

Commit Your Self-RG4_B ↔ Win over Self & Others-RG3_T
Detail

The project requires your input and often the inputs of others. However, you will only feel impelled to provide precious inputs like time and money if you can win yourself over fully. Others will only support you if they sense your commitment and feel your energy. Fortunately, your own excitement will rub off and arouse others. Only when they become excited about participating will they provide their precious inputs.

This Channel is named: Arouse Excitement.

Commit Your Self-RG4_B ↔ Highlight Development-RG3_N
Detail

Celebration seems to be an important component of any creative effort. Any creative project develops in tiny steps as well as major stages. These may be defined by mundane matters like recruitment or funding, or by creative matters like breakthroughs and social acceptance. Positive events, and positive elements of disappointing events, and sometimes even outright failure, deserve to be highlighted.

Whenever a key event occurs, personal commitment is activated and enthusiasm is potentially strengthened. The personal experience deserves a pat on the back, and the development should be marked and celebrated socially.

This Channel is named: Enable Celebration.

Build Credibility: RG3 ↔ RG2

Enthusiasm and genuine conviction reflect your confidence in what you are doing. The components of conviction are scrutinized by others as they work out whether or not to believe in you and your project. However, your primary effort must be to persuade yourself.

Win over Self & Others-RG3_T ↔ Deepen Conviction-RG2_B
Detail

Conviction gains you credibility with others only if they have been won over to your cause, and this requires more than just excitement. One crucial benefit that comes from your various conviction components—oversight, conclusions, ownership, conceptions, involvement and dedication—lies in the way that they help others to understand what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how you are proceeding. As others understand and explore with you, you adjust and reinforce your own conviction.

So this Channel is named: Develop Understanding.

Highlight Development-RG3_N ↔ Deepen Conviction-RG2_B
Detail

Actual developments have a different effect on conviction components. They reveal just how relevant and significant (or sometimes insignificant) the conviction was. Conviction components also discriminate amongst events, selecting and highlighting those with most relevance to some issue at hand.

So this Channel is named: Reveal Significance.

Unleash Drive: RG2 ↔ RG1

Deepen Conviction-RG2_B ↔ Use Willpower-RG1_B

Given autonomy, pure willpower develops and deepens your convictions. Without this drive, neither dedication nor involvement will be sustained. Fortunately the conviction that flows from ownership, conceptions and conclusions naturally unleashes drive.

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• The effect of sustaining creativity is to generate an entanglement with the creative process, especially between the realities within which you operate. The handling of entanglement depends on interactions that by-pass a Level.

Originally posted:  9-Mar-2012