Creativity in a Time of Chaos

Chaos comes in many forms. Sometimes we live in constant chaos. Sometimes there are predictable periods of chaos. But various levels of chaos comes and goes in all our lives. Chaos can surprise us. And sometimes chaos up-ends our lives personally, financially, emotionally, and creatively.

There have been many studies that say that creativity flourishes at the edge of chaos. Typically, these articles refer to fostering creativity in school children by allowing them to create chaos. But neither creativity nor chaos is exclusive to children. And when you’re up to your elbows in chaos, creativity can feel incredibly difficult, if not impossible.

Constant, Temporary or Intermittent

When you, the creative person, or your loved one has a chronic medical condition, you live with or on the edge of chaos every day. Every upset in routine can send you over the edge and into the chasm that is overwhelming chaos. 

Perhaps you are used to a stable environment, but now you’re moving to a new house or your mother-in-law just moved in. 

Unfortunately, calamity is everywhere. In world news, in national news, and in local news. We all live on the edge of a calamity that will inject chaos into our lives.

Whatever the cause, something has introduced chaos into your life. Our brains and bodies often react the same, whether the chaos is constant, temporary or intermittent. And our initial reactions make us believe creativity is impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. (It should be obvious, but a life-threatening crisis is a whole ’nuther beast and is NOT part of this discussion.)

When Chaos Hits

When in a chaotic situation, our brain interprets the chaos as danger. Danger signals our brain with three primary reactions: freeze, flight, or fight.

Some of us go into an anxiety-ridden brain-freeze and can’t do anything. Some of us go into a “must escape” mode and choose to deny or hide or physically escape the situation. There are some who go into an “all hands on deck” mode in which we try to restore calm by trying to CONTROL it all. And some of us get angry and choose to fight (any way we can).

But how we react is often not clearly one of those three primary reactions. There’s a range of physical and emotional responses humans have and unless the situation is clearly one of danger—our reactions to chaos can fall anywhere in the entire range. How someone reacts to chaos is often shaped by personality, past experiences, and belief systems.

There is another element to how we react to chaos: our awareness and understanding of ourselves. Without awareness, our brain can convince us we are in danger and feed us unregulated emotions and physical responses. In that state, we cannot make sound decisions and most of us cannot create.

When chaos replaces your routine, there are things you can do to allow time and space for creativity.

Regulate Your Emotions

There’s more than one way to regulate our emotions. If you see a professional, ask them what methods they recommend. 

Psychology Today endorses the CALM method of regulating our emotions. 

C- Capture the External Landscape

Pause and identify what is happening in your external environment that has thrown you off balance. Notice the details. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? What can you touch and feel? This exercise can reduce the intensity of your emotions by grounding you in the present.

A – Attune to Your Inner Landscape

What is your body telling you? Is your heart beating fast? Are your shoulders tense? Do your jaws ache? Is there a knot in your stomach? Do you feel queasy or dizzy? Gather information without judgment. These physical clues will help you identify what emotions are taking over.

L – Label the Story and the Emotion

Your brain has interpreted your situation as a story. What story is it telling you? Identify the story by asking yourself questions. “What am I making this mean?” “Is there any time in my past that felt like this?” What is similar? What is dissimilar? Does that reaction fit the current situation?

Once you’ve identified the story, label the emotion. Is your heart racing because of fear or excitement? Did this event trigger anger because the story you told yourself makes it similar to an event in the past? Is it actually similar?

M -Move into Action

Emotions signal a need. So the step has to do with making intentional choices that address your immediate needs. Maybe you need a boundary or a moment to breathe. Maybe you need a safe place to cry or scream. When you identify what you need and address your need, you will move into a calmer place.

Turn the Negative Positive

First, are you thinking of this crisis, this chaotic situation, negatively? What if your negativity IS the problem? What if the chaos is an opportunity for something greater to happen? Re-shape your thoughts. Instead of, oh, no, now I’ll never get it done, rephrase it as a positive. It doesn’t have to be a Pollyanna statement, but something like, it’ll be a challenge, but I can figure this out. Or maybe I can’t do it right now, but I can figure out a way to get back to it.

Recognize that the chaos is external and keep it there. Don’t let it define you or stop you. If you believe you can’t escape it, re-frame that thought. Give yourself permission to escape the chaos for a few minutes or longer. Give yourself permission to be imperfectly creative in this time of chaos. Sometimes you may have to give yourself permission to be creative.

Be Your Own Best Friend

A part of you may like the adrenaline rush that chaos brings. 

Forgive yourself for being excited by the chaos.

Or forgive yourself for not being able to do and be all things. 

Give yourself permission to delegate or to re-negotiate deadlines.

Give yourself permission to stop and deal with the crisis and know you’ll get back to creating soon.

Set Smaller Achievable Goals

Flexible goals are important when chaos visits. Allow yourself to be flexible. Think, “what is the smallest thing I can do that will be a tiny step toward my goal?” If you only have ten minutes to be creative today, celebrate that you got ten minutes.

Find the Silence

Find whatever space or situation you need in order to be creative. Perhaps you need to get up earlier or stay up later. Or, a new ritual to put yourself into the creative frame of mind. Light a candle, listen to music or enjoy a fragrance that puts you in that place.

Exercise

Stress reduces the endorphins that help you feel happier. Exercise will increase those. Even if you can only do five minutes, take those five minutes and congratulate yourself for accomplishing that.

Recognize Your Courage

We can’t escape it. Chaos is part of life. The better we learn to recognize what is really happening, what our physical and emotional responses are, the more quickly we can adjust.

It can take great courage, discipline, and self-awareness to see through the chaos in your life. Congratulate yourself for what you do accomplish, even the non-creative things. Reward yourself for your courage and discipline. You deserve it.

Creativity in a time of chaos IS possible. Remember, creativity flourishes on the edge of chaos. So even when you’re deep in chaos, you only have to get up to the edge. And there, great things can happen.

last image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay