Some people just sit at their desks and stare at a sheet of paper; others pace around. I personally like to lie flat on my back, with my eyes closed. A scientist working really hard may look very much like one who is taking a little nap. - David Ruelle, Mathematical Physicist.

Many of us, in Western societies especially, have a traditional view of work as being something that involves a great deal of hardship, physical activity, concentration, and generally being at a high level of stress and suffering. And heaven forbid you actually ENJOY what you do!

So it comes as no surprise that when we come to producing creative work, our concepts and approaches easily get confused. Most of us create because we enjoy creating, we are compelled to share a part of ourselves with the world through our chosen forms of creative expression.

At the very least, creativity is a form of release for ourselves, however much or little we actually do come to present to the outside world.

So how can we produce creative work that we enjoy and love, when work means suffering and is difficult, and some of the other things described above? Something of a contradiction isnt it?

And how can we allow our creative ideas to develop gradually and naturally if work is supposed be highly stressful, productive, fast paced and demanding? Those kind of conditions are hardly conducive to great creativity, are they!

One way we can start to overcome some of these contradictions is to practice techniques that appear on the surface to the outside observer maybe to be low in energy, activity and intensity, but in fact are highly effective for our creativity.

An example is daydreaming, in whatever form it works best for you.

Daydreams allow you a range of possibilities which, in the hard cold light of reality, aren't possible" - Stuart Twemlow, psychiatrist at The Menninger Clinic.

This could be allowing your mind to drift and form new connections while your body is doing some physical activity. Or maybe for you its more effective to sit on a hill in the middle of the countryside and just watch the natural world around you float by, or lie on your back at night staring at the stars.

Although as creative people, we need new stimulations and fresh resources to inspire our creativity, its often during the quiet times, when we allow these new ideas to settle in our minds, intermingle with others and form new shapes and images, that we start to really feel the benefits to our creativity levels.

If we constantly try to ram our heads full of new stimulation and never allow ourselves this daydream time, we simply overload ourselves, blocking and stifling our creativity.

When this happens, we dont allow the space and time often necessary for our ideas to evolve into what can ultimately become some of the greatest work weve ever created.

"Read your mail just twice each day. Recapture your life's time and relearn to dream. Join the slow email movement!" From the email signature of a Senior IBM Manager.

So how much time do you allow yourself to daydream and just let your thoughts take shape in your head? Start making room in your creative life for regular daydream sessions, have a notebook to hand afterwards to jot down any thoughts and ideas, and see just how much it improves your levels of creativity.

Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin