How to Create Magic
The Magic of Connection
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
– Albert Einstein
In our field we have many creative folks among us. Often they are asked questions like “What’s your creative process.” Very often, the answer is “I don’t have one” or something along those lines. All too often, even the most creative among us, claim there is no process to creativity. As much as I love these genius creators, I 100% disagree with the statement that there is no process.
I may not be on the same level as some of the brilliant minds of our art, but I’m no slouch either. I have a process, and it’s very effective, and it’s very simple. It ties into Einstein’s quote. We are all connected to everything and everyone. To deny it is foolish. That’s the gist of his statement. I agree.
Once you realize you are connected to everything, take advantage of it. Open your mind and let the connections in. Don’t block them. Beyond this quote, obviously, Einstein is much more well known for his enlightened equation, E=MC2. This equation proved the first law of thermodynamics that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only altered in form.
If that’s so, a “creator” is nothing more than a “former” or a “compiler” or a “putter-together-er” . . . in other words, a “connector.” One who connects. We are all connected to everything. However, most of us deny those connections. The moment you are open to them, then you see them and can use them and you become a connector. It is these connectors whom we call creative geniuses. The truth is that they merely connect existing things in ways that none of us had connected them.
Anybody can tap into this process. The bottom line is that you simply have to be more observant. Think of Sherlock Holmes. The reason he was considered a genius is because he made connections that nobody else could. Joseph Bell (the doctor that Doyle based his character, Holmes, on) was a medical genius much like the fictional Dr. House of HOUSE M.D., he was a savant. He made connections nobody else could. He didn’t create anything; he connected everything.
Root:
Let’s Remember Our Roots. The Root: observe. So how does one become more observant? You simply observe. Make a choice to observe. Watch everything. Watch people; watch movies; read book; listen to music; connect everything.
Branch:
Let’s Build Our Branches. Your Challenge: get a journal and open your mind. As mentioned above, watch everything. That’s step one. Step two: capture everything. It starts slow, but you’ll quickly be overloaded with ideas. Always keep something to write with and write on everywhere you go. Whatever ideas come to you, write them down, no exceptions.
You are not allowed to choose what you write and what you don’t write. Write down everything. The very act of writing it down clarifies the idea. Almost every idea I’ve ever captured became extremely clear as I captured the thought on paper.
My recommendation is that you get a journal and keep all of the ideas in one place. That way, every time you write something down, you’ll also be able to glance at previous ideas as a reminder.
Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.
