DEFINING NEW IDEAS
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Defining Creative Flow
In positive psychology a flow state is known as creative flow or, as in popular culture terms, it’s being “in the zone.” It is the mental state of prime action in which a person performing a creative activity is fully immersed in a act with passionate and energized focus, full involvement, and personal enjoyment of the experience.
When in flow, the artist or creator and the universe become one, external distractions recede from consciousness and one's mind is fully open and attuned to the act of creating.
MINDFUL CREATION
Think of the flow state like a mindfulness meditation state. Mindfulness is the act of awareness of the being present - right now - and being fully immersed in the sensory inputs surrounding you. You are aware and focused. In mindfulness you experience the moment without judgement. You feel what you feel and think what you think. Creative flow is being focused on your creation in the present moment with no concern for the past or future. Being fully immersed in your work is a mindful activity.
“You must subordinate the outcome to the immediacy of the moment, But, as the moment takes over, it needs to be sustained by feedback — you have to have a sense of how you’re doing to continue to meet the challenge. Was the shot good? The color on the canvas right? Friendly competition can help give you something to measure yourself against.” Keith Sawyer
FACTORS INFLUENCING FLOW
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, famed psychologist, most noted for his work in the study of happiness and creativity and research on positive psychology, was the first to name and identify flow and describe its nine characteristics:
When you are in the flow you are doing your best quality work. Everything is clear to you, there is balance and order, your actions and awareness are aligned, there are no distractions, time is not important to you, and you do not have fear of failure. You are thinking and behaving in the present moment.
It is characterized by complete absorption in what you are doing and a resulting loss in your sense of space and time. The flow state has been described as the "optimal experience" in which you gets high gratification from the experience. Achieving this experience is considered to be personal and depends on the ability of the individual. It is usually driven by intrinsic motivation or being rewarded by personal satisfaction.
ACTIVITY IN YOUR BRAIN
There is a lot going on in your brain when you trigger and work in flow. Large quantities of the chemicals norepinephrine and dopamine amp up focus and boost imaginative possibilities. These chemicals help your divergent thought and you can link ideas together in clever new ways. These chemicals flood your reward system and your motivation gets higher and you are driven to keep moving forward. Endorphins and serotonin are pleasure-inducing and performance-enhancing chemicals so you feel confident, capable and perfectly in the zone. It is sparked by transient hypofrontality or when your prefrontal cortex is temporarily deactivated. This is why your sense of self seems to disappear. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex also goes temporarily quiet. This area is the part of your brain where self-monitoring and impulse control call home. It silences your “saboteur,” your inner critic and your self doubt.
HYPERFOCUS IS NOT THE SAME THING
The flow state shares many characteristics with hyperfocus. However, hyperfocus is not always described positively. Some examples include spending too much time playing video games or watching television. There is a risk of getting side-tracked and absorbed by one aspect of a task to the detriment of the work. Hyperfocus can “capture” a person, causing them to appear unfocused or to start several projects but not completing them.
DRIVEN BY INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
The capacity and desire to overcome challenges in order to achieve goals not only leads to the optimal experience, but also to a sense of life satisfaction overall. A flow state can be entered while performing any activity, although it is most likely to occur when one is wholeheartedly performing a task or activity for intrinsic purposes (motivation for personal gratification).
CHALLENGES TO THE FLOW STATE
The likelihood of you entering a flow state depends on the level of challenge and skill the activity requires, compared to your current capabilities. Triggering flow is about the balance between the level of your skill and the size of the challenge .
PERSONALITY FOR FLOW
Specific personality traits may be better able to achieve flow more often. These include awareness, curiosity, persistence, drive, passion and low levels of self-centeredness. People with most of these personality traits have an autotelic personality. The term “autotelic” derives from two Greek words, auto, meaning ‘self’, and telos meaning ‘goal’. Being autotelic means having a self-contained activity, one that is done not with the expectation of some future benefit, but simply to experience it as the main goal.
People who have experienced flow, describe the following feelings:
BRAIN WAVES FOR ACHIEVING FLOW
All humans have five different types of electric patterns or what are known as “brain waves.” Brain waves can be seen on an EEG. These waves are produced by electrical pulses from neurons during communication with each other.
BRAIN WAVES:
Think of the flow state like a mindfulness meditation state. Mindfulness is the act of awareness of the being present - right now - and being fully immersed in the sensory inputs surrounding you. You are aware and focused. In mindfulness you experience the moment without judgement. You feel what you feel and think what you think. Creative flow is being focused on your creation in the present moment with no concern for the past or future. Being fully immersed in your work is a mindful activity.
“You must subordinate the outcome to the immediacy of the moment, But, as the moment takes over, it needs to be sustained by feedback — you have to have a sense of how you’re doing to continue to meet the challenge. Was the shot good? The color on the canvas right? Friendly competition can help give you something to measure yourself against.” Keith Sawyer
FACTORS INFLUENCING FLOW
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, famed psychologist, most noted for his work in the study of happiness and creativity and research on positive psychology, was the first to name and identify flow and describe its nine characteristics:
- There are clear goals every step of the way: Stated clear and detailed goals.
- There is immediate feedback to your actions: Clear about how well you are doing, adjusting each task for optimum performance.
- There is a balance between challenges and skills: Optimum balance between our abilities and the task in hand is reached, keeping us alert, focused and effective.
- Action and awareness are merged: Completely focused on what and where we are in the moment.
- Distractions are excluded from consciousness: Free to be absorbed in the task at hand.
- There is no worry of failure: Not simultaneously judging our performance or worrying about things going wrong.
- Self-consciousness disappears: Unconcerned with self-image or how we are being perceived.
- Sense of time becomes distorted: Hours pass us by and moments can see like forever.
- The activity becomes ‘autotelic’ — meaning it is an end in itself: The activity becomes enjoyable for its own sake.
When you are in the flow you are doing your best quality work. Everything is clear to you, there is balance and order, your actions and awareness are aligned, there are no distractions, time is not important to you, and you do not have fear of failure. You are thinking and behaving in the present moment.
It is characterized by complete absorption in what you are doing and a resulting loss in your sense of space and time. The flow state has been described as the "optimal experience" in which you gets high gratification from the experience. Achieving this experience is considered to be personal and depends on the ability of the individual. It is usually driven by intrinsic motivation or being rewarded by personal satisfaction.
ACTIVITY IN YOUR BRAIN
There is a lot going on in your brain when you trigger and work in flow. Large quantities of the chemicals norepinephrine and dopamine amp up focus and boost imaginative possibilities. These chemicals help your divergent thought and you can link ideas together in clever new ways. These chemicals flood your reward system and your motivation gets higher and you are driven to keep moving forward. Endorphins and serotonin are pleasure-inducing and performance-enhancing chemicals so you feel confident, capable and perfectly in the zone. It is sparked by transient hypofrontality or when your prefrontal cortex is temporarily deactivated. This is why your sense of self seems to disappear. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex also goes temporarily quiet. This area is the part of your brain where self-monitoring and impulse control call home. It silences your “saboteur,” your inner critic and your self doubt.
HYPERFOCUS IS NOT THE SAME THING
The flow state shares many characteristics with hyperfocus. However, hyperfocus is not always described positively. Some examples include spending too much time playing video games or watching television. There is a risk of getting side-tracked and absorbed by one aspect of a task to the detriment of the work. Hyperfocus can “capture” a person, causing them to appear unfocused or to start several projects but not completing them.
DRIVEN BY INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
The capacity and desire to overcome challenges in order to achieve goals not only leads to the optimal experience, but also to a sense of life satisfaction overall. A flow state can be entered while performing any activity, although it is most likely to occur when one is wholeheartedly performing a task or activity for intrinsic purposes (motivation for personal gratification).
- Passive activities like browsing the Internet , watching a YouTube video or listening to a Ted Talk usually do not elicit flow experiences as you have to actively do something to enter a flow state.
CHALLENGES TO THE FLOW STATE
The likelihood of you entering a flow state depends on the level of challenge and skill the activity requires, compared to your current capabilities. Triggering flow is about the balance between the level of your skill and the size of the challenge .
- Apathy is when challenges and skill level are low producing a general lack of interest in the task.
- Boredom is when challenges are low but skill level exceeds those challenges causing you to seek greater challenges.
- Anxiety occurs when challenges are so high that they exceed your perceived skill level causing anxiety, stress and uneasiness.
PERSONALITY FOR FLOW
Specific personality traits may be better able to achieve flow more often. These include awareness, curiosity, persistence, drive, passion and low levels of self-centeredness. People with most of these personality traits have an autotelic personality. The term “autotelic” derives from two Greek words, auto, meaning ‘self’, and telos meaning ‘goal’. Being autotelic means having a self-contained activity, one that is done not with the expectation of some future benefit, but simply to experience it as the main goal.
People who have experienced flow, describe the following feelings:
- Completely involved in what we are doing - focused, concentrated.
- A sense of ecstasy - of being outside everyday reality.
- Great inner clarity - knowing what needs to be done, and how well we are doing.
- Knowing that the activity is doable - that our skills are adequate to the task.
- A sense of serenity - no worries about oneself, and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego.
- Timelessness - thoroughly focused on the present, hours seem to pass by the minute.
- Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces flow becomes its own reward.
BRAIN WAVES FOR ACHIEVING FLOW
All humans have five different types of electric patterns or what are known as “brain waves.” Brain waves can be seen on an EEG. These waves are produced by electrical pulses from neurons during communication with each other.
BRAIN WAVES:
- Gamma (fastest)
- Beta
- Alpha
- Theta
- Delta (slowest)
The wave speed is measured in Hertz (cycles per second) and changes according to actions and feelings. When a slower brainwave is dominant, you feel slow, sluggish, or tired. And when a faster brainwave is in control you feel wired or hyper or alert. Multiple streams of brain waves may occur simultaneously but only one is dominant at a time.
Gamma Brain Waves are the fastest brainwaves (high frequency). They are associated with simultaneous processing of information from different functional brain areas. This is important for cognitive functioning like learning, memory and information processing.
Beta Waves (12 – 40 Hz) are associated with normal consciousness and the heightened states of alertness, logic and critical reasoning. Optimum levels make us focused.
Alpha Waves (8 – 12 Hz) are dominant during quiet thought, deep relaxation, daydreaming or meditation. Alpha is the frequency between our conscious thought and our subconscious. This is the Flow State Zone.
Theta Waves (4 – 8 Hz) occur in sleep but may be also dominant during deep meditation. In this state we are in a dream with imagery, intuition and deep awareness. This improves intuition, creativity, and triggers the Flow State Zone.
Delta Waves (0 – 4 Hz) are the slowest. They are experienced in a deep, dreamless sleep and in very deep meditation. Deep sleep triggers the healing process and regeneration.
The Alpha-Theta at 8 Hz is recognized as the State of Flow.
This is the boundary line between the conscious and the subconscious mind. In sports performance it begins with Beta and moves into Alpha and finally Theta. Alpha Brain waves trigger peak performance. In intense creativity, you have a burst of theta that enables you to deliver at a higher level. This is when work feels effortless. This zone is also where Gamma waves can be produced . Gamma waves contribute to ideas, connect memories, and stimulate creative action.
All five brain wave states contribute to our conscious thought, actions, behaviors, and feelings. Too much or too little of each state leads to problems. Finding optimum levels will enable peak performance and contribute to. State of Flow.
Gamma Brain Waves are the fastest brainwaves (high frequency). They are associated with simultaneous processing of information from different functional brain areas. This is important for cognitive functioning like learning, memory and information processing.
- Too much results in anxiety, hyperarousal and stress
- Too little results in ADHD, depression, or learning disabilities
- Increase them with meditation
Beta Waves (12 – 40 Hz) are associated with normal consciousness and the heightened states of alertness, logic and critical reasoning. Optimum levels make us focused.
- Too much results in anxiety, adrenaline, high arousal, inability to relax, stress
- Too little results in ADHD, daydreaming, depression, poor cognition
- Optimal Levels lead to focus, memory, problem solving
- Increase them with coffee, energy drinks, or creative flow
Alpha Waves (8 – 12 Hz) are dominant during quiet thought, deep relaxation, daydreaming or meditation. Alpha is the frequency between our conscious thought and our subconscious. This is the Flow State Zone.
- Too much results in daydreaming, inability to focus, deep relaxation
- Too little results in anxiety, high stress, insomnia, OCD
- Optimal Alpha Waves result to a Flow State
- Increase with alcohol, marijuana, relaxants, some antidepressants
Theta Waves (4 – 8 Hz) occur in sleep but may be also dominant during deep meditation. In this state we are in a dream with imagery, intuition and deep awareness. This improves intuition, creativity, and triggers the Flow State Zone.
- Too much results in ADHD, depression, hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattentiveness
- Too little results in anxiety, poor emotional awareness, stress
- Optimal result in flow state, creativity, emotional connections, intuition, and relaxation
- Increase with depressants
Delta Waves (0 – 4 Hz) are the slowest. They are experienced in a deep, dreamless sleep and in very deep meditation. Deep sleep triggers the healing process and regeneration.
- Too much results in brain injuries, learning problems, inability to think, severe ADHD
- Too little results in inability to rejuvenate body, revitalize the brain, and poor sleep
- Optimal results in stimulation of healing, aids in restorative sleep
- Increase with depressants, sleep
The Alpha-Theta at 8 Hz is recognized as the State of Flow.
This is the boundary line between the conscious and the subconscious mind. In sports performance it begins with Beta and moves into Alpha and finally Theta. Alpha Brain waves trigger peak performance. In intense creativity, you have a burst of theta that enables you to deliver at a higher level. This is when work feels effortless. This zone is also where Gamma waves can be produced . Gamma waves contribute to ideas, connect memories, and stimulate creative action.
All five brain wave states contribute to our conscious thought, actions, behaviors, and feelings. Too much or too little of each state leads to problems. Finding optimum levels will enable peak performance and contribute to. State of Flow.
A flow state is the ideal moment when all elements in the creation process align and you are perfectly in tune with them. You will perform at peak leaves of skill and produce a much higher quality piece of work. And, the best part of it is that it makes you happy.
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DEFINING NEW IDEAS
DICTIONARY OF DIVERGENT THOUGHT
Creativity - Innovation - Design
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DICTIONARY OF DIVERGENT THOUGHT
Creativity - Innovation - Design
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DIRECTORY OF TERMS FROM A TO Z
[A - C] - [D - F] - [G - I] - [J - L] - [M - O] - [P - R] - [S - Z]
DEFINING
Creativity | Creative Flow | Divergent | Mindfulness
View the Table of Contents
DIRECTORY OF TERMS FROM A TO Z
[A - C] - [D - F] - [G - I] - [J - L] - [M - O] - [P - R] - [S - Z]
DEFINING
Creativity | Creative Flow | Divergent | Mindfulness
View the Table of Contents
A SERIES OF BEAUTIFUL WORDS
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DEFINING NEW IDEAS DICTIONARY
Presented by Creativity Chaos in association with Defining the Brain - A Beautiful Word - Logophile Lexicon
VIEW MY BLOGS, BOOKS & BEAUTIFUL WORDS
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Original Content Copyright, 2020 Kairos.
Series of Books and Blogs By www.bykairos.com
DEFINING NEW IDEAS DICTIONARY
Presented by Creativity Chaos in association with Defining the Brain - A Beautiful Word - Logophile Lexicon
VIEW MY BLOGS, BOOKS & BEAUTIFUL WORDS
or visit my writer’s workshop for a full index of work
About Me | My Style | Books | Blogs | Downloads
Original Content Copyright, 2020 Kairos.