There is little in life that does not require at least some measure of creativity.

Whether you are trying to compose music, write an essay, find a job, cook a meal, or express an opinion, you cannot achieve your goal if you are not creative. But the outcome of your efforts, in good part, result in how you define creativity.

According to the) teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism, true creativity has to do with more than just ability or skill, or even actions or behaviors. While those play an important role, creativity ultimately has to do with our state of being.

When you know how to tap fully into this open, creative flow, its beneficial qualities can extend to any area of your life.

Creativity can be seen as a state of natural flow, one that spontaneously and effortlessly gives birth not only to manifest form, but to all experiences of body, energy, and mind. This state of flow, which has its roots in openness, occurs only in the absence of hope and fear. It is at once naturally joyful, peaceful, compassionate, expansive, and powerful.

When you know how to tap fully into this open, creative flow, its beneficial qualities can extend to any area of your life. Your art becomes more masterful. Your music can have more depth of connection. Your writing can be more genuine and moving. You will be able to solve problems at work, resolve conflicts with loved ones, or even shift your thought patterns with more natural spontaneity.

Most people, however, seek solutions from a place where the creative flow is blocked and, as a result, their words and actions are contrived and effortful.

Adjusting Your Focus

Particularly in stressful situations, people tend to focus too much effort on creating results and too little on taking steps that will allow the intended results to spontaneously arise.

If you play piano fretting about what the audience thinks of the music, your notes may come out as stilted. If you paint a watercolor worried about messing up a brushstroke, the finished artwork may lack soul. If you give a gift worrying about how its value will be perceived, the recipient may dismiss it as not coming from the heart. To keep from getting caught up in these hopes and fears, you must first stop focusing so much on the goal. It is the same in a yoga practice, if you always focus on achieving the perfect posture, you miss out on the wonderful feeling of your body gently and fully unfolding and letting go of the deep tension.