[DigitalDevil]

Hello peeps

First of all, sorry for my english...

I have problems to be creative at the right time and I need tips to change this.

I am a software developer. During the day I need to stay really focused and to concentrate on logical problems. Because of that, I find it really difficult to be creative. I have many personal goals that I want to achieve (drawing, producing electronic music, dancing, developing games, AMVs, animations, personality development, learning languages, lucid dreaming and and and) and I'm investing really much time to get where I want to be in the future.

I know that I can be really creative, but my main problem is that I'm only creative just before sleeping. It's not difficult for me to find ideas to draw, but before I sleep I have visions and not just ideas. I immerse myself into thousands of dream worlds (while I'm awake!), I see everywhere ideas evolving from each other and becoming bigger and better, I can hear beautiful melodies, I see wonderful colors and amazing scenarios and stories, BUT this is everything just before sleeping. I have no idea what to do about this. I mean really, how can that be? I think if I could reproduce anything of my visions, I would be famous...

I tried to sleep earlier, but that doesn't work, because I sleep since many years always from 12 AM until 6 AM (0:00 - 6:00, 6 hours). Sleeping later or lesser aren't options, because of my work.

I am searching for a technique or atleast for some tips to get into that creative thinking/mode. I am thinking about meditation, but I'm not sure if that would help. When and where are you creative? What do you do to get into that mode? Did or do you have the same thing as me?

Cheers

[LGrey]

I used to have the same problem. Right before sleep all of these ideas come boiling out of my head. For one thing keep a notepad next to where you sleep to jot down ideas for later.Just be aware of the everything is tune problem.

Some famous person (I forget who) once had an operation. As he was losing conciousness He realized that HE HAD IT. The answer to life the universe and whatever else. Thing is... he forgot it. He arranged for the doctor to have him put back under so he could remember the secret. Everything was set up exactly as before... and as he was going under he said...

"the answer to the universe is... a tuna sandwich."

Sometimes the things we think are genius aren't. Sometimes they are.

As for what I do... I sit or lay in a comfy place sketchbook in hand and relax, emptying my mind and trying to achieve that just before you goto sleep state without sleeping. The mind is free and makes odd connections causing odd ideas some of which work very well. The trick for me is not to lose the total idea. They can get so detailed that parts can be lost upon putting it down on paper.

[Zentrope]

Ideas can flow in our mind anytime they like so keep a pad/sketchbook suggested by LGrey..(I always do)

Meditation really helps..But for me, Meditation is not sitting and concentrating with closed eyes but it's more than that.
Mental peace of any form is meditation for me.Whether it's playing or chatting with an old friend or whatever you like.

Reflection can't be seen in boiling water, the same way, ideas cannot be seen in tensed mind.
Learning never exhausts the mind but thinking that i am tired and is out of ideas do exhausts a fresh mind as well.


Everything is interrelated if you focus closely.
Art is a pattern transformed into different forms like drawing,producing music,dancing,personality development,
learning languages etc.

Time management is the key..Try to collabrate things to be efficient for example:- when you are travelling to your office
try to do your sketching/drawing during that time and when walking on the street just do some dancing as well(but don't be a jaywalker ).
During bathing think of tunes that hit you and record it simultaneously for your music production.(I am a bathroom singer/musician myself)
And when you are at office try to work on games and do animations in free time.

I know it sound cheesy but you have to train yourself and your mind accordingly.
I call them chain reaction because it's like a Domino effect..

[d13598]

Interesting..I've had that experience too. Maybe it's because you're going to bed, it's like the end of the day so you'll start thinking of all the stuff you didn't or couldn't do. Imagine dying, we'll probably start thinking of all the things we didn't do, that's probably when ideas start to come cause we know we're not actually going to do it. I guess could be the fear too.
Perhaps you can try to stay focus, make small efforts(1 step at a time), and all as mentioned by LGrey & Zentrope.