The Expansion of my Creative Circle

BATHS ARE A GOOD IDEA

I've heard it said that taking a bath is a great way to get ideas, and I think that it must be due to the way in which you tend to unwind and clear your head while you're bathing.  Up until this morning, I had never had a flash of genius in this way.  But then, today, the circumstances were perfect.  I had just woken up.  I hadn't eaten, hadn't looked in a mirror.  My mind was still so sluggish with sleep, that as I enjoyed the warm water, I wasn't really thinking about anything in particular.  

Then it hit me.  It hit me so suddenly and was so overwhelming, being the first proper thought to cross my mind.  I hurriedly finished my bath, dressed and sat down to tell my brother all about it, before I gave it any more thought.  I see now that it was a good thing I did.  

THE CREATIVE CIRCLE

In the past, I have regretted my tendency to lock onto an idea too quickly.  The affect of this is that what should have been a loose and flexible concept is instead concreted indelibly into my head.  I don't add to it, I don't change it, I don't stray from my circle of comfort.  My creative circle has always been so small and limiting. 

Today, I took my little spark of an idea to my brother.  He has always been a huge help to me, (ideas-wise), because he has the natural ability to push the creative circle.  Maybe it was the warm bath that loosened me up a bit, but today, I ran with him.  I refused to allow myself to squeal as my creative circle was tugged and stretched into an oval, squeezed into a square, dragged into a spiral.  

I think for the first time ever, I reached a point where I could take wild and wonderful ideas on board.  For the first time ever, I hadn't given myself the chance to concrete my ideas.  Instead, I held them lightly to the side as I raced down different avenues.  I accepted this or that suggestion, and thought it through until the craziness even made sense.  

FREEDOM TO INVENT

I had recently come to the conclusion that I often denied myself the freedom to invent.  Once again, I was limited by my tiny creative circle.  Even though I was playing with the fantasy genre, I wasn't giving myself permission to be wildly imaginative.  I always wanted everything to make sense.  I was scared of the idea becoming too big to handle.  But that's what it's all about.  Ideas are dangerous, and writer's have the great opportunity to play with this fire.  

Today, a great event took place.  I have handed myself the key to my caged creativity.