How to Tap into Your Subconscious Mind for Creative Genius
A simple, straightforward approach to creativity.
Creative genius is fleeting.
It can come and go by the minute, hour or day. It’s hard to get into a groove of creative flow where our mind is supplying brilliant ideas. There are habits and methods we can create to get us to this sacred place of consistent creativity. The problem is staying there all the time. So, this article is more about “cutting your losses” and trying to maximize your time in creative genius.
Ideas for great writing, art, business and well being come through the ether and seem to magically appear in our minds. Some ideas are divinely inspired. Some are from the accumulation of experiences of the day, week, month or years. Thoughts, words, sights, smells and sounds leave impressions on our subconscious minds and in our memories, begging to be revealed for a time yet known.
“You get ideas from daydreaming,” Neil Gaiman once told his seven-year-old daughter’s class when they asked him where he got his ideas. “You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we’re doing it.” Source: Psychology Today
So I ask you, what can you do to tap into the thoughts of your beautiful imagination that will lead to genius? If you’re like me, you find time alone in solitude to listen to your inner voice and access your subconscious mind. The cover for my first book, The Value of You, was entirely conceived from time spent in solitude, in the early morning, by mapping out what I wanted.
I call it mental-mapping — accessing imagery and thoughts that are more “bubbling under the surface” that may not have immediately been at the top of my mind. I had to get to “that place” of imagination that is where the real genius lives.
Once you access this space, you can feed these genius thoughts from your subconscious mind to your conscious mind through the power of autosuggestion. Here is the process I use to get to this place of creative genius.
Find a Quiet Place and close your eyes
Begin here. Solitude is key. Close your eyes to focus on your inner thoughts.
Calm Your Mind
Now, it’s time to quiet and calm your mind. Let go of worries, stresses and negative thoughts. Block out distractions and the day’s challenges.
Speak Positive Affirmations
This is mental and emotional nourishment. Empower yourself. Encourage yourself. Speak the good over your life.
Quiet Your Mind Again and Listen to your Inner Voice
What is it saying? Are you tapping into your intuition? What images are you seeing and what thoughts are you experiencing?
Replay the dominating thoughts of your mind and pick out those that feel right and align with your values, purpose and goals. Now, dive deeper. Get as clear and vivid an image as you can get of what these thoughts and images are.
Focus on Listening; Don’t over-analyze
Be still and maximize your concentration in the moment.
As you wrap up and finish…
Give thanks and visualize the thoughts that popped into your mind
Write These Images, Thoughts and Ideas Out
Write these out and only express these as ideas; leave them there and then revisit them with a clear mind prepared to use them to make a difference in however you wish to express them.
Most people won’t do this because it takes discipline, mindfulness and rigor. Maybe it seems a little hokey to some. I used to feel the same way until I started doing this and really discovering how much creativity was stored away in my mind’s memory. It requires composure, extraordinary emotional intelligence and confidence. It’s worth it.
“Control over consciousness is not simply a cognitive skill. At least as much as intelligence, it requires the commitment of emotions and will. It is not enough to know how to do it; one must do it, consistently, in the same way as athletes or musicians who must keep practicing what they know in theory.” — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow
Some people are scared of what they might find. They’re fearful of success or what might happen once they decide to never look back upon doubt, criticism and fear. The surefire way to block these emotions is to quiet our mind and get to a state of clear thought about things that inspire us.
I’ve written previously about the need for motivating factors at the beginning of each day that we can read aloud and speak over our lives. Napoleon Hill describes this perfectly in his book, Think and Grow Rich, when addressing the positive emotions that influence our thoughts and actions. I will share those here:
“The emotion of DESIRE The emotion of FAITH The emotion of LOVE The emotion of SEX The emotion of ENTHUSIASM The emotion of ROMANCE The emotion of HOPE”
The more we allow these emotions to positively influence us, the more we get into a positive state of mind. We feel confidence and purpose. Getting to this place and tapping into the abundance of creative genius that we can access by following this process will lead to revolutionary creative change in your life.
Like anything worth achieving, this takes discipline and focus. Once you’re there, you’ll know how special it is. You’ll want to keep returning. And hopefully, you’ll share these creative gifts with all of us.
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