Trance states and creativity.....

There is an aspect of the creative process that historically was an integral part of that process but seems to have been missed more recently. That part is the use of trance or meditative states as a precursor or preparation for creativity. We have historical accounts of master makers of musical instruments spending a period of contemplation before starting a great work, anecdotal stories of the great artists spending time in darkened rooms prior to begining a new work, master blacksmiths sitting alone in the forge before even heating the metal. If we look at the modern reconstruction of Druidry, based on the 15th century Christian writers accounts we see a tradition of meditating on spirit guides before composing in the bardic style, and even when considering the writing of great works like the Torah or the Koran where scribes meticulosly copy out the text we see a pause each time the name of God is used for contemplative prayer for inspiration. The image of the artist waiting for the muse to descend, and at times assisting that proces with alcohol, hallucinogenic drugs and similar is one that resonates strongly.

The first question is, why is this the case? There is a thought that the process of contemplation, or meditation changes the levels of alpha and beta waves within the brain that can change the way in which the brain processes sensory input, and the way that neuro-chemicals and neuro-transmitters work send signals, but is this enough to enhance creativity or is something else at work? My gut instinct is that this is at the core of the process, in that by taking time to induce an altered mind state the way in which sensory inputs are rendered by the mind is also altered to give a greater "feel" to the artist, allowing him or her to interact with their medium in a small but significantly different way. By taking the time to develop this interaction the art is enhanced.

The second question is, is it possible in the hectic world that we currently live to take this idea and incorporate it into the business world? I would argue that there is still an element of this in some contemporary artists work, but not in all. Tracy Emin for example develops her artistic concepts from a blank canvas to completed project as an ensemble piece from an initial idea that comes as a flash of inspiration. As I understand it this is very much an accepted method of working amongst proponents of post impressionist modern art, the altered mind state being replaced by a sense of frenetic energy and movement that is carried through into the work. By contrast an artist like the South African sonic installation artist James Webb subscribes to the aforementioned principle of pre-commencement contemplation. When we move to the business world where life is by definition fast paced and hectic, it would at first appear that there is little time, or indeed inclination to utilise this technique, but there are exceptions. If we consider companies like Vax or Dyson, formed around a true creative we see examples of where the meditative principle is alive and well within successful industrial businesses.

It would be interesting to see how far this principle could be taken in the wider commercial world....