Creativity doesn't live in the mind alone

Posted

06.4.2025

Author

Elisabet Camprubi

Length

1200 words

Maybe we don’t need to force ideas through thinking.
Maybe if we move, breathe, or play a little, something new could emerge!

For years, I thought creativity was about having the right idea, about figuring it all out in my head.

But my best ideas?

They never came from pressure or overthinking.
They pretty much came when I moved, and when I walked, danced, or simply breathed with intention.
It happened when I let my nervous system settle.

I didn’t realize how much tension, and possibly the weight of perfection, was blocking my imagination (not just creatively, but emotionally, too).

Learning how to regulate my nervous system didn’t just bring more balance, it gave me clarity, insights, and direction.

Design practices, mindful intention and play became my toolbox as a new way of communicating and expressing through my body. They became my channel to expression on what words couldn’t, and I began to explore ideas, feelings, and possibilities from a different place.

So now, before I write, design, or facilitate a session or workshop,
I first pause.
I check in with my body.
I invite in movement and play.
I design inwards to help me express outward.

Because creativity doesn’t live in the mind alone, the body is the doorway.

Next time you feel stuck:
Move.
Stretch.
Breathe.
Play.
And see what starts to flow.

Maybe we don’t need to force ideas through thinking.
Maybe if we move, breathe, or play a little, something new could emerge!

For years, I thought creativity was about having the right idea, about figuring it all out in my head.

But my best ideas?

They never came from pressure or overthinking.
They pretty much came when I moved, and when I walked, danced, or simply breathed with intention.
It happened when I let my nervous system settle.

I didn’t realize how much tension, and possibly the weight of perfection, was blocking my imagination (not just creatively, but emotionally, too).

Learning how to regulate my nervous system didn’t just bring more balance, it gave me clarity, insights, and direction.

Design practices, mindful intention and play became my toolbox as a new way of communicating and expressing through my body. They became my channel to expression on what words couldn’t, and I began to explore ideas, feelings, and possibilities from a different place.

So now, before I write, design, or facilitate a session or workshop,
I first pause.
I check in with my body.
I invite in movement and play.
I design inwards to help me express outward.

Because creativity doesn’t live in the mind alone, the body is the doorway.

Next time you feel stuck:
Move.
Stretch.
Breathe.
Play.
And see what starts to flow.

De·sign·ful·ness

Designfulness™ is a new way of beingone where we lead with compassion, creativity and presence. It helps us feel more connected to ourselves and others, so we can have honest conversations, create with purpose, build stronger relationships, and solve problems in meaningful ways.

WHERE PRESENCE MEETS CREATIVE TRANSFORMATION

Calgary, AB, Canada

16:21:47

Copyright 2018-2025 Designfulness. © All Rights Reserved

De·sign·ful·ness

Designfulness™ is a new way of beingone where we lead with compassion, creativity and presence. It helps us feel more connected to ourselves and others, so we can have honest conversations, create with purpose, build stronger relationships, and solve problems in meaningful ways.

WHERE PRESENCE MEETS CREATIVE TRANSFORMATION

Calgary, AB, Canada

16:21:47

Copyright 2018-2025 Designfulness. © All Rights Reserved

De·sign·ful·ness

Designfulness is a new way of beingone where we lead with compassion, creativity and presence. It helps us feel more connected to ourselves and others, so we can have honest conversations, create with purpose, build stronger relationships, and solve problems in meaningful ways.

WHERE PRESENCE MEETS
CREATIVE TRANSFORMATION

Calgary, AB, Canada

16:21:47

Copyright 2018-2025 Designfulness. © All Rights Reserved