Reactive life or creative life?

The role of creativity in psychological well-being and personal development.

As after the holidays and with the beginning of the school year, new purposes of change are generated and old parked projects are reactivated, it seems like a good time to start a series of articles related to creativity and the benefits that it can cause us in its development and application to our daily living.

What do we understand by creativity

The word "creativity" is currently experiencing good times. In almost all areas, from early childhood education to business centers, it is well received and valued… But, do you have a clear and precise idea of ​​its meaning??

More or less sharp, we all have an idea about creativity. At least, when we use the concept adjectively. Thus, we grant the rank of "creative" to something that appears as original, remarkable, relevant, different. We often associate creativity with exceptional results in the fields of art, science and technology. We recognize the people who achieve these achievements as endowed with talent and genius..

The question becomes more complicated when we approach its substance; a widespread belief gives creativity an esoteric nature or a gift with which some are graced.

However, multiple studies carried out both on the creative process and on people considered especially creative, leads us to conclude that behind an apparent halo of mystery, a series of very specific and identifiable factors or variables underlie creativity: senses, perceptions , thoughts, emotions, different states of consciousness, social attitudes and work organization strategies. It is, therefore, a complex competence, since the components that refer to creativity are multiple, interrelated and encompass an extensive set of our being..

This "deconstruction" of creativity will help us understand the essence of the principles of creativity. This will allow us to develop a comprehensive approach to creative behavior, helping us in its application to our personal life. And not only with the purpose of obtaining exceptional results in the field of art, science, technology or in its different fields of application, but above all, they can contribute in a very important way to the development of our mental health, of our potential and our happiness. From multiple disciplines such as Pedagogy, Health Psychology and Psychotherapy, this crucial role is increasingly recognized and more and more approaches are keeping it well in mind..

How to lead a creative life

The approach of a creative life versus a reactive life implies being able to see reality in different ways, not only as they are usually presented to us, or in the way in which they have been transmitted to us. Likewise, it implies becoming more aware of the events, happenings and phenomena that happen within us; value more and better what exists; identify opportunities for improvement; discover and take advantage of both our own ideas and the ideas of others and transform them, why not? in useful and valuable products.

Ultimately, it is about creating our own life, consciously and authentically, taking responsibility for each of the steps we take and making the most of them..

To face this challenge, we must work on a wide spectrum of elements and aspects of our personality, which will lead us to:

• Clarify what creativity can do for you and the principles on which it is based, inviting you to channel your nonconformity towards personal creation.
• Recognize your creative potential and develop a tight confidence that helps you greater enjoyment in your daily activities.
• Develop critical judgment, reviewing the assumptions and premises with which we normally act, detecting inconsistencies and opportunities for improvement.
• Expand perspective and focus on problems and challenges.
• Free creative thinking from barriers and enhance the flow of ideas.
• Make relationships with the environment more flexible, reacting to changes and getting the most out of it.
• Gain proficiency in playful manipulation techniques and skills and experiment in different ways with ideas and concepts.
• Evaluate the contribution that the alternation and joint use of analog and digital channels has for the expansion of approaches.
• Incorporate the rest of the sensory and corporal functions to the conscious creative process.
• Investigate the emotional and unconscious components, putting them at the service of the creative process.
• Keep the recipient of the creative product in mind, developing the attitudes and communication skills that maximize the chances of success and acceptance of the work.
• To translate ideas into concrete works, making efficient use of efforts, resources and time.

If you would like to accompany us through the territories of creativity, we will go through each of these regions on an allegorical journey and, which we hope, will be full of new and fertile landscapes..

We will start our journey shortly. Enjoy the trip!