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Brain-Based Transformational Solutions

Creative Destruction:
Painting Over the Underpainting

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This is a guest post from my friend and client Cathy Ann Connelly, who recently completed the “Trickster Makes the World” module of the Create Your Own Story course.

Definition: In painting, an underpainting is a first layer of paint applied to a canvas or board and it functions as a base for other layers of paint. It acts as a foundation for your painting and is a great way to start your painting off with some built in contrast and tonal values.

The attributes of Trickster in any culture, era, or life all add up to being one thing—a change agent.

To embody the Trickster attributes in our lives can be intense as we refine how to make change a friend rather than an anxiety-producing enemy.

And yet, isn’t that what we want? To be able to enact change? To develop more intensity—more juiciness—in our daily lives? And believe me, you don’t get that unless you make friends with your inner Trickster and Trickster’s sometimes more challenging attributes.

So, it occurred to me that overcoming some of the resistance to the Trickster package might be eased if we examine one of Trickster’s less alluring attributes through a different lens. The attribute I’ve chosen to look at in a different way is that of destruction—an essential element for change, but one we often shy away from.

Destruction or Under- and Over-painting?

I’m in no way a professional artist, but I do like creating visual art—taking painting classes and learning new techniques.

Along my art journey there have been two thoughts that totally match the concept of destruction as integral to creating something wonderful:

  1. Nothing is so precious that you shouldn’t be willing to paint over it—because anything can be recreated or improved upon, and
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  2. Underpainting is critical to producing a great work of art—and anything you create and don’t like can simply be called underpainting (the constructive act of destruction)!

Both these concepts tell me that in my entire life, nothing is useless, wasted, broken, or ruined, and that everything “destroyed” contributes to something better—even if the little parts I once thought were “perfect” have disappeared from view. In essence, everything can be seen as a jumping off point to be improved upon, full of surprises, and all of it can be viewed as valuable under- or over-painting for the next round of creativity in life.

Often, I find that simply playing with marks, colors, and images on a canvas—and then painting over them again and again—results in “changed art” that I could never have created through a controlled, single layer of predetermined brushstrokes. It is often the things that show through—the uncontrolled, playful surprises—that I take advantage of and embrace to make a painting far better than its original, solo layer.

Even if a specific corner of a painting starts to seem special and precious to me, and somehow I linger over the concept of preserving it, I force myself to paint over it if the entire canvas needs another rework.

It is the willingness to do this—to embody destructive change—that for me is juicy and that I ultimately know will produce even better results.

It is the very act of embracing the under- and over-painting that in and of itself can bring change that is wonderful, renewing, and liberating. It is the act that brings the juice of Trickster-change to my world.

Creative Destruction in Life

Outside my art, I believe I try to embody the Trickster attribute of creative destruction when traveling through liminal space—the threshold space of change. When my narrator tells me, “I know what’s going on and I can out think the things trying to run you off the path we’ve charted,” often that proves just downright silly. Liminal space is all about exploring alternate paths, often “destroying” the one you’ve started down. Who knows, just because you’ve started off one way doesn’t mean going a different way isn’t juicier, and might not be a better over- painting route to your desired destination. How can you know? After all, that first path might just be under-painting for the greater work emerging.

“Paint” with your personal agency and try out another path that could have fewer obstacles and might be a hundred times juicier. It’s uncomfortable, but “destroying” our “I know best” attitude with Trickster’s influence is exactly what gets us the change we want.

Cathy Ann Connelly lives in New Mexico and takes Farther To Go! classes because they’re juicy for exploring how to better use her brain for what she wants it to do, rather than her brain using her. Currently, her focus is on reawakening her own Trickster while encouraging new, longer-term intentions. This blog post sprung from that focus.

Dueling Mindsets:
Productivity vs. Creativity

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Is it better to have an uncluttered desk or a messy desk? Does it depend on your personality? Or does it depend on the job you have—or on your habits or circumstances?

We all have our own tendencies in regard to clutter and organization (which may or may not be associated with personality), and we’ve also developed habits that we probably have opinions about. But whether an uncluttered desk is better than a messy desk depends on whether you’re aiming to be productive or to be creative.

Note: Sometimes create is used in the sense of produce or make, so the terms are often used interchangeably. That’s not what I’m talking about. Nor am I using creative as a synonym for artistic.

In the Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World, David Eagleman and Anthony Brandt write:

We master what is and envisage what-ifs.

If we place productivity in the domain of “what is” and creativity in the domain of “what-if,” that can give us a sense of the distinction between the two. Both mindsets are equally powerful—meaning they provide us with the ability to do something or act in a particular way—but only when we apply them appropriately.

Productivity Mindset

Mastering what is: sometimes velocity is power.

The productivity mindset is all about making the most efficient use of your resources (time, energy, effort, etc.). It is associated with speed, performance, output, and production. It is the mindset of getting things done: finishing projects, completing tasks, meeting deadlines, and reaching goals. The productivity mindset is effective for achieving measurable results.

It is the best mindset to have when:

  • You know what you’re doing.
  • You know how to do it.
  • The tasks or objectives are clear (understandable and unambiguous).

It isn’t necessarily a good mindset to have when:

  • You aren’t sure what needs to be done.
  • You aren’t sure how to do it or if you can do it.
  • You haven’t clearly defined the problem or you’re trying to solve the wrong problem.

Some things to remember about productivity and the productivity mindset are:

  • It makes use of the brain’s attention network. That kind of focus requires System 2 attention, which is limited.
  • Because System 2 attention is limited, your productivity will be greatly enhanced by organization, preparation, and delegation.
  • Practice saying no. Distraction is detrimental to both focused attention and productivity. Eliminating distractions and interruptions and setting boundaries can boost productivity.
  • Acting deliberately—thoughtfully, carefully, and intentionally—can help ensure successful results or outcomes.
  • Pitfalls to over-use or inappropriate use of the productivity mindset include: doing for the sake of doing (checking items off a list), absence of reflection or awareness, failure to develop a vision, a tendency to lose track of the vision, and taking action when stopping or pausing would be a better choice.
Creativity Mindset

Envisaging what-if: sometimes wandering is power.

The creativity mindset is all about seeing existing ideas or objects in a different light, generating new and better solutions to new or old problems, and connecting the dots in novel ways. Whether in business, the arts, science, or your personal life, the creativity mindset requires flexibility, imagination, originality, and inventiveness. The definition of a satisfying end result may be more subjective than objective. The desired outcome may be altered or transformed as you wander toward it and your perspective changes.

It is the best mindset to have when:

  • You aren’t following—or don’t have—a blueprint, set of guidelines, or format to go by.
  • You haven’t yet determined or defined the full scope of the project, idea, or problem.
  • You are either open to, need to, or want to arrive at an innovative solution.

It isn’t necessarily a good mindset to have when:

  • The best outcome amounts to reinventing the wheel.
  • You’re facing a deadline and the existing system or guidelines are good enough.
  • It’s a ploy to help you avoid making a commitment, taking action, or making a mistake.

Some things to remember about creativity and the creativity mindset are:

  • It makes use of the brain’s default mode network, which includes mind wandering, free association, spontaneous cognition, and other System 1 processes we’re not consciously aware of.
  • System 1 processing is non-linear and doesn’t produce results according to an external time frame.
  • Practice saying yes. Distraction—and even daydreaming (what’s called “positive constructive daydreaming”)—can be more helpful than harmful to the creativity mindset.
  • Pursuing ideas, interests, or trains of thought that seem far-fetched or disconnected may turn out to provide the missing link or lead to an aha!
  • Pitfalls to over-use or inappropriate use of the creativity mindset include: drifting and dreaming (losing your way), continually second-guessing yourself, not meeting deadlines or being unresponsive to others, focusing on vision to the exclusion of action, and failure to contribute anything useful or meaningful to the world.
Both Mindsets

Of course you undoubtedly use both of these mindsets, sometimes on the same project or process. You may have a preference for one over the other, or you may simply have more experience with one of them. But it’s much easier to achieve the desired results or outcome if you identify what you’re trying to accomplish and which mindset is the best one to get the job done.

Both the productivity mindset and the creativity mindset function best when they have a target: a clearly defined—and juicy—desired outcome or vision. You can move the target, but you won’t get anywhere satisfying without one.

Both mindsets also function best when you:

  • Develop supportive habits and routines—and maintain them.
  • Take breaks throughout the day and get enough R&R and sleep.
  • Move! Exercise, walk, dance, or hike.

As for your desk:

  • A messy desk is distracting and can hamper your ability to focus and process information. So if you want to be productive, clear your desk.
  • But a messy or disorderly environment can help you “break free of tradition,” according to researchers, which can lead to fresh insights and a free flow of ideas. So if you want to be creative, don’t clear your desk—or maintain a “creative” space to work in.

A Neuro-Mythical Creation Story

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First I have to dispense with the Monty Python meme: and now for something completely different! Nearly 20 years ago, I took a mythology class right after I finished Biological Psychology. Lots of writing was required in the mythology class, one of the assignments being a creation story. At the time, I described what I wrote as “very loosely based on Buddhism and quantum physics’ theory of the unified field.”

I didn’t yet know about the distinctions of System 1 and System 2 because they were just being made. And although I knew what dopamine was, I wasn’t aware of the important role it plays in so many areas of our lives. When I read the piece now, it seems to be “very loosely based on” dopamine (which is desire), the relationship between wanting and liking, and by extension, System 1 and System 2.

The Yearning of Desire

In the beginning, All was One, and the One was nameless and without form. Within the One existed All Things. But there were no distinctions within the One: no thing was separate from any other thing. Countless aeons passed, yet there was no experience within the One of the passage of time. Gradually, from within the center of the One, arose the beginning of Desire. At first Desire was like a small bubble rising to the surface of a perfectly still lake. At first Desire was only the softest whisper of the wind. Desire wanted to give form to the formless and to name the nameless. Desire yearned for forms to touch and to surrender to.

As more aeons passed, Desire continued to grow within the One. Desire pulsed within the center of the One, louder and stronger, and the pulsing of Desire gave form to Spirit, that which inhabits all and everything. Spirit allowed himself to be inspired by Desire and to contemplate all the possibilities that form could take. Spirit saw that formlessness needed form, just as form needs formlessness. Spirit saw that formlessness needed form to complete itself. Spirit then dreamed the dream of the universe taking form, from its beginning to its end, which was not really an end but only a return to formlessness. As Spirit dreamed the dream of creation, Desire allowed herself to be infused with Spirit, and as she did, she took the shape of a large, graceful bird, covered in the palest of green iridescent feathers. Spirit was the air that she breathed.

Spirit longed for the forms that he had dreamed of. And Spirit longed to be inhaled by Desire, just as Desire longed to breathe Spirit. With each inhalation of Spirit, Desire flapped her pale wings. As the flapping of her wings increased, the colors of her feathers deepened into verdigris and copper, turquoise and silver, aqua and gold. She spread her wings and flew in a wide, lazy arc, and she sang the purest, most exquisite songs, whose haunting echoes trailed behind her. She coasted on the currents of air that were Spirit.

As Desire breathed in more of Spirit, she too began to visualize the forms that Spirit had dreamed of. As her yearning increased, so did the flapping of her wings. Her tail feathers grew longer and their color changed from pale green to deep red. She swooped and glided through Spirit, inhaling more and more of his visions. The feathers of her body turned crimson and saffron. Desire felt something growing inside her, in the same place where her yearning had first begun its delicate pulsing so many aeons ago. She flapped her wings again and soared upward. An indigo band formed around her neck. Her singing became louder, more rhythmic, and more intense. It filled the entire universe with its insistent, rapturous vibrations. Spirit was enthralled by the songs of Desire and continued to fill her with the countless forms he had dreamed of.

Desire was full of a longing so powerful that she thought it could never be filled. The feathers of her head changed to amethyst and violet, and a royal purple crest took shape along the top and back. She opened her mouth to cry out but no sounds of any kind emerged, neither cry nor song. Instead, when she opened her mouth the countless forms of the universe began to spill out into the air, into Spirit. Each time she opened her mouth more forms issued forth until everything that Spirit dreamed had been given its form. Spirit was satisfied because he was everywhere, inhabiting all of the forms of the universe. But Desire, without whom no form could exist, could not touch them, could not fully satisfy her yearning.

It is the nature of Desire to remain unfulfilled. And we, too, who were given birth through Desire, know that no matter what we have, something is always missing. Though Spirit fills us and gives us joy, there is a place in our hearts that it cannot touch. Desire is the permanent longing in our hearts for home, for the One, for formlessness.

Desire animates us, motivates us, and energizes us. It’s a powerful, creative force. Dopamine propels us toward what we are missing because:

Our brains were not designed for us to sit around contemplating what we already have. —Dr. Loretta Graziano Breuning

To Diverge or Not to Diverge:
That Is the Question

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Divergent thinking is a way of addressing problems by looking for multiple answers or solutions rather than trying to find the one right answer. Looking for the one right answer is an example of convergent thinking. The assumption underlying convergent thinking is that the number of options and possibilities is limited. The assumption underlying divergent thinking is that there are always more options to consider.

According to Mark A. Smith, Ph.D., divergent thinking occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing ‘non-linear’ manner, while the process of convergent thinking is systematic and linear.

You probably have a preference for one type of thinking or another, but we’re all capable of thinking both ways—and neither way is better than the other. The important thing is to understand how they work and know when to apply them. Sometimes that means thinking outside your comfort zone.

Creative Creativity Testing

Divergent thinking is essential in both the arts and the sciences. In fact, it’s such an important element of any form of creativity that many creativity tests are often really divergent thinking tests.

One example you’ve probably heard of, the Alternative Uses Test, asks you to come up with as many uncommon or unusual uses as you can for a common object, such as a brick, a paperclip, a toothpick, a knife, or a ping pong ball.

However, another test, the Remote Associates Test (or RAT), which was originally deemed a measure of divergent thinking, turns out to measure convergent thinking instead. It asks you to identify the fourth word that goes with all three provided words. For example, the word that goes with paint, doll, and cat is house: house paint, dollhouse, and house cat (or…you know). If you’d like to take the Remote Associates Test online, click here.

These two tests do a good job of clarifying the difference between divergent and convergent thinking. The first asks you to generate multiple responses (quantity over quality). The second asks you to generate the one right answer (quality over quantity). If you are habitually a convergent thinker, you may struggle with the task of finding multiple uncommon uses for a brick or a paperclip. If you are habitually a divergent thinker, you may have difficulty focusing your efforts on finding one word (in the RAT test), rather than several.

This or/and That?

Your habitual thinking style, whatever it is, feels natural and normal to you. Your brain is inclined toward habits of thinking just as much as it is inclined toward habits of behavior.

A limitation of convergent thinking is that it lends itself to seeing all issues in terms of either/or, black/white, yes/no, or pro/con. So instead of looking for the best answer or solution to a problem, you end up trying to choose between the two alternatives you happen to have identified. And because of the way your brain works, the alternatives you identified are likely to be part of the gang of usual suspects.

A limitation of divergent thinking is that it lends itself to the belief that there are multiple possible solutions for all problems. So instead of looking for the best answer or solution to a problem, you keep looking for more solutions—investing more time and energy than may be warranted, and because of the way your brain works, perhaps failing to take any action at all.

The title of this post poses a question. What’s the answer?

Permission to Fail

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Here’s a handful of quotes to inspire you to fail and fail again because failure is an essential part of the creative process. It’s also a part of life.

If you’re not failing, maybe it’s because you’re not trying hard enough.

So go out there and fail better, fail faster. Rack up as many failures as you possibly can!

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. –Edwin Land

Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. –Winston Churchill

The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything. –E. J. Phelps

It takes sixty-five thousand errors before you are qualified to make a rocket. –Werhner von Braun

If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original. –Ken Robinson

Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in. –Leonard Cohen

I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot… and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why I succeed. –Michael Jordan

To develop working ideas efficiently, I try to fail as fast as I can. –Richard P. Feynman

Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure—or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember, that’s where you will find success. –Thomas J. Watson

Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo. –Jon Sinclair

An inventor is almost always failing. He tries and fails maybe a thousand times. If he succeeds once then he’s in. –Charles Kettering

I failed my way to success. –Thomas Edison

Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. –Samuel Beckettt

To be wrong is nothing unless you continue to remember it. –Confucius

Also:

The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. –Linus Pauling

If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied. –Alfred Nobel

I’m a perfectionist, which I think is a mistake. –Michelle Shocked

So try not to be too attached to any of the ideas you currently have or to take failure personally. Use the results—good or bad—as feedback not as evidence. And begin again.

Contact Me

joycelyn@farthertogo.com
505-332-8677