How To be Creative: 3 Reliable Methods That Can't Fail

#1 Find Your Inspiration Everywhere

Sadhguru: Everything that human beings have created is only an imitation and modification of what is already there. It doesn’t matter what kind of machine you create, still, the finest mechanical and electronic systems and the most complex chemical factories are there in your body. Or, if you look at creativity in terms of art, everything that you do is just a small imitation of nature. There is no real creativity as such. Creation has already happened. You only imitate creation.

So if you are wondering how to be creative in any field, all you have to do is observe in the deepest possible way. If you develop a sense of observing every little thing that you do and every little thing that is happening around, it brings enormous vision as to what you can do with everything.

Creativity need not necessarily mean that you invent something fantastic. Someone can be creative about how they sweep the floor. If you develop the means to truly observe what is happening within you on all levels of who you are, then you would be enormously creative. But even if you just observe what is happening around you constantly, you will see there is always a way to do the same thing in a more innovative way.

#2 Learn to See Without Distortion

Sadhguru: If creativity has to happen, we have to develop a certain level of un-distortedness in the mind. If you carry the baggage of life with you all the time, you cannot see anything the way it is. In yoga, we always describe the mind as a mirror. A mirror is useful to you only if it is clean and plain. If it is undulating or has accumulated something, it does not show you things as they are. The nature of a mirror is such that if you stand before it, it carries you in full glory. If you leave, the mirror leaves you 100%. It will not retain even a little residue of who you are. The next person who comes and stands in front of the mirror is also reflected in full glory. If a million people look at themselves in a mirror, they will not leave an iota of their quality in the mirror.

If you can keep your mind in such a way that the exposure to life does not leave any residue on your mind, then you see things just the way they are. Then there is room to innovate and create every aspect of your life. If you are just receptive to life, if you become a reflection of life rather than becoming a mind and a jumble of thoughts, this is what is generally considered as creativity.

#3 Get Involved With Everything

Sadhguru: If you don’t make any distinction as to what is important and not important or what you like and don’t like, you see everything just the way it is. But the moment you decide what is mine and not mine and what is important and not important, how will you get involved with that which you think is not yours? Where there is no involvement, nothing functions well. When you are deeply involved with everything that you are in touch with right now, only then do you see everything clearly, the way it needs to be seen. When you see things like this, it is very easy to create anything because it is just a question of what material you have in your hands and how to put it together.

Editor’s Note: Another simple process that's available for those looking at how to be creative and declutter their mind is Isha Kriya, a free, online guided meditation offered by Sadhguru. Isha Kriya practitioners, from around the world, have reported that it helps them relax, concentrate and get a better mental picture.