In search of creativity

I work in what some people would call a ‘7-day-a-week’ church. In addition to Sunday worship, there are activities all day every day. Some are run by the church, others are simply hosted by it, but the net result is that it is a busy place. Consequently I found myself preparing a sermon yesterday against a somewhat unusual audio backdrop:

Traditionally sermons have been prepared in a kind of sanctified isolation,away from all forms of distraction. Ironically, though, the sermons I write may have contributed to the growth of the kind of church which is producing the noise! Sometimes I need quiet in order to create, but at others the noise is a positive reminder of the world into which the sermon will be preached.

At a meeting with a number of creative communicators earlier this week, I was struck by the number of them who said that they had prepared their introductory ‘portfolios’ on the train. In part this reflects their busy lives, but there is something more than that to it as well? A journey on plane or train can often set the creative hare running. Why is that, I wonder?  Is it landscape or cloudscape slipping past the windows which causes the mind to roam? Is it the sense of positive dislocation from place which allows new thoughts to be thought and new ideas to be born?

This morning I read one article which suggests that noisy places (within reason) encourage creative thought. Another suggested all sorts of creative stimuli,and even pointed to a study suggesting that red helps us think analytically and blue creatively. What helps you to think creatively?

Must dash now, my blue train is outside and I have a sermon to write!

Image:myfirstrecord.co.uk