The beginning of a new year is somewhat like a blank canvas in that there’s a sense of being able to start fresh, to do something new, to begin again and create from scratch. It is probably the most creative time of the year for many as they begin to re-think their lives and imagine themselves different than they are… as they set goals and resolutions to improve.
Re-thinking and imagining something different involves change – breaking away from current reality and practices to see and do things differently. Change is basic to creativity; when you bring something into being that wasn’t there before it changes things.
Creative thinking – visionary thinking – requires us to cease from thinking as we always have. This is neither automatic nor easy because we automatically default to doing that which requires the least amount of effort. It requires effort to change our thinking and let go of previously-held ideas, attitudes and paradigms, and then accept being uncomfortable during our transition to the new way.
