Creativity & Chaos

"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity."
- Albert Einstein

In my recent conversation with a highly successful client, I found myself encouraging her to embrace the power of the chaos. Her primary block to enjoying her work was a judgment against her sometimes disorganized work style. She knew she was very capable of being in control and highly focused, but this chaotic trait that showed up from time to time was worrisome. So we went about exploring how she perceived this aspect of herself, and how that contrasted with the self image she found more acceptable.

It's always interesting how different aspects of the human psyche show up, particularly if there's a chance of integrating them more fully into a dynamic sense of self. Studies on sex and gender issues have revealed that women may have their self-esteem buffered by the many hats we are called upon to wear (employee, friend, mother, wife, etc. and so forth). I like to generalize this finding and consider that the more we experience ourselves as successful and capable in any area of life, the more we will see and actively seek out opportunities to be satisfied with our work. Self judgment is often the main block to a fulfilling experience of producing work in the world.

In this coaching, we reinvented this challenge as an opportunity. The reframing of chaos as a strength presented this delightful lesson:

There is freedom in chaos. There is newness, originality, and creativity available to us when we surrender to our chaotic nature and use it as a tool. The human ability to make associations and connections, the inclination to give our ideas the latency they need, the time to set, brew, simmer and sprout, all of this is a natural gift. There is an important difference between embracing the chaos and letting the chaos run you. When the chaos runs you, you'll know it. It looks like overwhelm, lack of efficiency, or confusion. But when you embrace the chaos and play, dance, flirt with the wild and free nature of the human mind, be prepared for greatness.

"Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything." - George Lois