I like to play a dancing game with myself. Here’s how I do it…
I make up a dance move and do it twice on each side. Think like this…
After I’ve completed one round, I’ll do it again, but this time with a different dance move.
Then another NEW dance move.
Each time trying something new, never repeating the same dance move twice.
I’ll then continue to do this for as long as I can go before repeating a move.
I think of this as a meditation in creativity. A fun way that breaks through fear and anxiety. A game that will make you feel strange and awkward and beautiful all at the same time.
It also helps to measure your own creativity.
The number of unique dance moves you can create is a direct representation of your creative prowess.
If you can only think of 1–2, you’re probably not very creative.
If you can come up with 5–10, but use other dance moves you’ve seen from movies and TV, you’re probably good at memorization, but not very creative (or maybe just not a very good dancer haha!)
On the other hand if you can create 10+, all unique moves that have your own style and flair to it, you’re a creative master. You have tapped into the creative magic of the body and can use dance moves as a means to express yourself.
More importantly, this is a skill that you can track progress over time. You can keep tabs on how you are discovering new dance moves, or even CREATING new ones.
At first you might improve just by virtue of thinking of new moves, creating a sequence, and then slowly adding to your repertoire. And at first that’s fine.
But sometimes you will have a wonderful moment of inspiration where you pull out something new you’ve never done before. You don’t know where it came from. It was a brand new creative expression.
Like this…
String a handful of these moves together…that’s what I call flow. Eventually you stop thinking and the part of your brain controlling creative flow lets loose and flows…but then right when you notice it happening, you lose it.
When we tap into these moments of unique creative expression, whether it be for a single move or a string, you’re tapping into your subconscious mind. You’re tapping into the part of your brain that is unharnessed creativity.
Your conscious mind can repeat dance moves you’ve already learned….your unconscious mind is what allows you to create something NEW.
This dance practice helps us to train us how to tap into this part of our minds. This is where true creativity comes from, and the more that you can learn to tap into it, the better you will be at finding flow.
At the very least…it’s fun! Don’t agree? You’re probably a tightass who is cynical and doesn’t know how to act like an idiot for the sake of acting like an idiot.
You have to be a goofball to even TRY this. You have to tap into that inner child that didn’t give a fuck about what people think, and let loose in a way that only you can.
Dance your heart away like a fool. It’s healthy for your soul 🙂
Here’s some more inspiration for ya…
Thoughts? Similar experiences? Let me know in the comments below!
Also published on Medium.
