The Intersection of Creativity & Intuition

The Intersection of Creativity & Intuition

By David Stevens

Albert Einstein once said, “The greatest scientists are artists as well.”

According to a profile in Psychology Today on Mr. Einstein, he felt his scientific perceptions did not stem from a structured model, but from “intuition and inspiration.”[i]

The creativity of dealing with problems or questions is often preceded by a feeling founded in intuition or what’s often known as a “hunch” or “gut” feeling.

When looking at intuition in the context of Einstein, the belief that creativity stems from intuition isn’t so far-fetched. Here are two examples on how creativity and intuition intersect.

Einstein used pictures to solve problems. He would look at the images for the puzzle he was trying to crack and put words to it later. This is much like storyboarding  – getting the pictures out and then adding the words.

Ravi Coltrane uses intuition to innovate music. Son of jazz legends Alice and John Coltrane, Ravi said in a recent interview that “people have this idea that jazz lives only in the past.” He says that traditional teaching doesn’t include imagination and intuition. “We’re taught to emulate and copy the past…Following the path to “what if” is much harder to teach or instill.”[ii]

David Stevens is the founder of Yoga of the Mind where he teaches students how to access their creativity and intuition to make a difference in their work and everyday lives.