Creativity

As to the question of creativity and depression, I personally believe that true creativity comes THROUGH me, not FROM me.  I am the instrument, not the creator.  Hence, I seek an alpha state which allows me to be “played” by that creative force, so the same alpha state which would help me avoid depression and anxiety would help me be a better creator.  Maybe I’ve just never hung out long enough in the depressed place to be able to appreciate its creative juice.  I’ve often thought though, as I’ve worked with clients who came from this point of view, that someone who has been creative and depressed most the time may simply be superstitiously clinging to the depression the way Pete Maravich clung to his socks.

Perhaps the simplest and most elegant answer I’ve gotten to this question came from Joel Lubar more than a decade ago, when I asked him if I would lose my ability to be creative and intuitive if I trained theta down and beta up.  He asked, “Did you forget how to walk when you learned to ride a bike?”  Game/set/match.