An A–Z of creative nudges from my book Seriously Playful Creativity.
E for Energy
Ahhh, energy.
Sometimes we have a lot of it, other times less so.
We may have energy for one thing but not another. We may wait to feel energised or find a way to inspire and activate ourselves.
I catch myself between these worlds. Waiting for the right mood, the right moment, more time, fewer distractions, a clearer head. Waiting for the energy to arrive or change.
Other times, I know I need to shift my energy deliberately and do something that changes my state.
In my book Seriously Playful Creativity, I wrote about energy through the idea of fusion. In physics, fusion happens when atomic nuclei combine and release energy. I was interested in what that might mean for creativity.
What combinations create energy?
Creative energy may arrive in an enlightening, inspiring and unexpected way.
Maybe it’s a walk with a half-formed idea and we return with clarity. A conversation with a colleague offers a different perspective. A catch up with a friend creates a new opportunity. A visit to a gallery sparks curiosity about an artist. A break from our usual routine sets us on a different path.
Sometimes energy can appear in other forms like irritation. Tension. Restlessness. Disagreement. And boredom can push us in an unexpected direction if we don’t immediately reach for our phones or shut down what that energy may be revealing to us.
I’ve experienced creative unease. Knowing I’m not attending to my creative life in ways that I think are important to me. My mm365 project became the catalyst for new energy; mainly through commitment. I didn’t want to wait until I felt creative each day. I knew I had to be more intentional.
It was the act of making that changed my energy and how I felt about myself.
I see it in the work I do with individuals and teams. Energy can shift when an unexpected question is asked, when different perspectives collide, when someone finally says what others have been circling around, or when people stop talking and start making, moving or experimenting.
We can spend a lot of time trying to manage our energy and not enough time wondering how we might activate it in the best possible way.
So, for this month’s Seriously Playful Creativity prompt, try a little creative fusion.
- Fuse two things that don’t usually belong together. Notice what happens.
- Take something that’s frustrating you and give it a name. What happens if you treat the frustration as energy to work with rather than something to get rid of?
- Take an idea you’re stuck on and place it next to an unrelated image. How does one inform the other?
- Talk with someone who sees the world differently from you. Can you listen deeply and long enough to really hear another perspective?
- Read something that disconfirms your current thinking.
Some combinations will go nowhere. Others will create friction.
One might just generate enough energy to get something, or you, moving.
So rather than only asking, what gives me energy? – try asking:
What combinations could I bring together to create a new or different energy?