4 Activities to Harness God's Creativity

This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Seeking Wisdom" by Julia Cameron. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.

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How can you harness God’s creativity? What can increase creativity?

In Seeking Wisdom, Julia Cameron advises boosting creativity through faith in God. In addition to praying, you should try to harness God’s creative energy through these four activities.

Learn Cameron’s techniques to be more creative through God.

Four Techniques for Harnessing God’s Creative Energy

Cameron explains that in addition to your own unique prayer, there are four techniques that you should use regularly to most effectively harness God’s creativity:

1) Morning Pages—write three long-hand pages every morning within the first 45 minutes of waking up. These pages can be about anything—last night’s dreams, your plans for the day, things you’re excited or worried about, and so on. Don’t worry about making these coherent or well-written—just consider them a “brain dump” before your day begins. This will clear your mind, give you direction, and increase your productivity.

2) Writing—once a day, sit down and ask for guidance through writing. You can ask God a question or for advice and simply write down the reply you hear in your mind. While the answer you receive might be simpler than you think, trust your intuition. Cameron warns not to get too caught up in whether or not you’re truly hearing God—whatever reply you hear was sent for a reason.

3) Solo Adventures—take yourself on at least one solo adventure a week. For example, you can visit a new place, take yourself to lunch, or visit a pet store. Cameron recommends planning these activities in advance so you don’t forget and can look forward to them. Solo adventures are the perfect opportunity to connect with God, receive signs, make personal discoveries, and find creative inspiration.

4) Walks—take a solo walk without any distractions like music or pets, and try to do this at least twice a week for 20 minutes each. This is the best time to be alone with your thoughts and to connect with God. Cameron says that she often goes on a walk with a question or topic to discuss with her God, and by the time she returns, she’s received an answer.

Alone Time Increases Creativity

Psychologists agree that getting out of the house and doing something on your own, like walking or taking an adventure, is excellent for your creativity and well-being. Like Cameron, they explain that taking a question for a walk is a great way to find answers and inspiration that doesn’t involve God’s creativity. And they provide a few suggestions that might make for interesting solo adventures:

Get lost. Usually, when we go out by ourselves, we try to avoid getting lost at all costs. However, experts explain that getting lost and following a new direction can actually encourage you to follow a new creative direction internally as well. You can even write out instructions in advance, such as first turn right, then take the second left, and explore the first open area you see.
Go on a treasure hunt. This is a great way to have fate guide you to some unknown destination. For example, you can do an alphabetical hunt in nature, looking for something starting with “a” and going down the alphabet. Or, you can do a wabi-sabi-inspired hunt—search for things that have gotten more beautiful through age and wear.

Look for joy while you walk. Like a treasure hunt, keep your eyes open and observe things that give you joy. Maybe it’s a dog running after a ball, a squirrel digging for nuts, or a mother playing with her baby. This can give you a feeling of appreciation for the simple things in life and enhance your creativity.

4 Activities to Harness God’s Creativity