As I look out the window on this beautiful winter morning, I see one tree without a single leaf and right next to it is an evergreen on the verge of bursting with small ripe red fruit. What role does the weather have to play? Who chooses which leaves fall?
There are close to 7 billion people on this planet and an equal or greater number of thoughts and ideas born every moment. One can only wonder how the idea chooses the person!
The world has close to 2 billion Internet users but the first computer was born as an idea in the mind of one person. A nuclear bomb has the capacity to affect so many thousands of lives and was created in the mind of one person. When a sub-atomic particle can be the source of so much energy, the mind is much more finer, much more subtle and certainly much more powerful. The skill is in knowing how to tap this infinite source of energy and creativity.
For creativity, time is not a factor. The intention to be creative is important. At the same time, we cannot plan to be creative. Sometimes we look at a leaf, a tree, running water, the vastness of the sky and something happens! The solution is there in front of us. Being with nature has a calming effect on the mind. It brings the mind to the present moment, which is the field of all possibilities. It brings the mind to a space of wonderment and silence where creative ideas take shape. Spiritual practices like meditation have this same effect on the mind. They take us to our inner realm, which is the basis of creativity. When our mind is calm and relaxed, creativity wells up from within.
We all know that our brain has two hemispheres; the right and the left. Science says that the left-brain is associated with analysis, logic, whereas the right brain activity is connected to music, emotions, and creativity. In our normal day-to-day life, we tend to use our left-brain more often as we try to understand, question, judge the people and situations around us. This creates an imbalance in the way we perceive reality. Similarly, if we spend the entire day listening to music or singing songs, even that can make us dull and tired. Creativity cannot arise in a mind that is out of balance or tired. This is where meditation helps. Meditation restores the balance. It brings centeredness. It calms the agitated mind and refreshes and re-energizes the tired mind. It creates the perfect field for ideas to flow.
However, not all ideas that are born fructify. Even if they fructify, they are not all useful. How do we know which ideas to invest our effort and energies into? This is where intuition in combination with creativity is necessary. An intuitive intelligence can innovate for the benefit of human kind.
Intuition is often referred to as the sixth sense. When all thoughts are in harmony with nature, such a mind is intuitive. This alignment needs to be nurtured through meditation. Even a ‘creative’ person will find that the quality of his or her ideas change and improve as they meditate.
Often, a person in love experiences a surge of creativity. They write poems, think-up special gifts, make paintings and so on. And, when the attachment towards the subject of love subsides, the creativity also takes a downward trend. The secret is to make our attachment bigger. Refining and expanding our love to include the entire cosmos, sustains and nourishes our creative abilities. Furthermore, the ideas that are born are beneficial for humanity.
Spirituality is living the values of caring and sharing. It is about connecting to the supreme intelligence that is the source of all wisdom and creativity. When this connection to the inner-net is firmly established, we become agents of peace with the ability to creatively find win-win solutions to the challenges that confront every individual and society.
Bhanumathi Narasimhan 
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