6 Creative Lessons from Salvador Dalí you can use today
If you’re searching for creative inspiration, look no further. I’ve got 6 creative lessons from Salvador Dali for you that you can start using today.
Invaluable.com has asked if I want to highlight their article on how to harness creativity - the Dali way, and of course, if I can inspire you to explore your own creativity, why not try the Dali way? :-)
I’ve translated the article into 6 creative lessons you and I can start using today to bring out our own creativity.
6 creative lessons from Salvador Dali
Creative lesson 1:
Know no limits = Explore your(subconscious) mind
Dali did some weird art, let’s be honest. He was a surrealist and part of the avant-garde movement. He used the subconscious mind to explore new ideas.
Have you ever used a dream to create something? Have you ever woken up from a great dream, and didn’t want it to stop?
I have a story that I got from a dream. It’s in my drawer for now, and I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it, but I used the dream to write a fiction story, and it’s the most I ever wrote, apart from blog posts.
So lesson one from Dali: explore all of your mind, your conscious and subconscious mind, dreams and fantasies, and run with them. You might just come up with your best idea yet.
Creative lesson 2:
Experiment often = try different creative mediums
A renaissance man, Dali painted, and made films, photography, and sculpture. And he collaborated with other artists.
A lot of artists and successful creatives are renaissance people, or multi-passionate is the term I use.
My mantra is that multiple passions lead to multi-skills and this is also the case for Dali. Try different creative mediums. Express yourself through writing, photography, making pottery, painting, building, music, knitting, dancing, whatever you can think of. Have a playful attitude and enjoy trying different things. It opens you up to new inspirations.
Lesson two from Dali: Be curious about different creative outlets. Celebrate your multi-passionate nature.
“Have no fear of perfection - you’ll never reach it”
Creative lesson 3:
Observe and record = steal like an artist
Dali used his dreams, and his subconscious to inspire his creativity.
You can also use your dreams to inspire you, as we talked about in lesson 1, but you can also train yourself to observe other people and keep a notebook handy to write down what you observe.
Austin Kleon talks about getting inspired by other people by observing them. And then let that inspiration come through you.
Lesson three from Dali: Have an open mind, observe what goes on in and around you, take notes, and then express your observations through your channel.
Creative Lesson 4:
Embrace a sense of calm = get still and meditate
Apparently, Salvador Dali used a hypnagogic state to let his creativity flow. You don’t have to get hypnotized to release your creative side. What you can do is to get still…………
Get still sometimes. Sit still and look out the window. Do nothing. No screens and other distractions. Just stillness.
Another way to get a sense of calm is to meditate. Just 1-3 minutes of focusing on your breathing do wonders for your all-around well-being.
Shutting out the noise is essential if you have to hear yourself. As an introvert, being still is my medicine. I need it and crave it. This is why I help my clients create a personal process for how they work on their creative work and business.
Lesson four from Dali: Shut out the noise sometimes, and get still with yourself.
Creative lesson 5:
Set lofty goals = have goals but let go of perfectionism
Well hallelujah! One of the biggest creative killers is perfectionism.
My oldest son said to me proudly the other day that he’s such a perfectionist when it comes to making his music. Momma here instantly had to lecture him about the difference between healthy striving to do the best you can, and perfectionism - which is the fear of what other people say about you. I’m still working on him :-)
Creative lesson 6:
Find inspiration in yourself = be yourself
Dali was uniquely himself and embraced his personality and quirks fully. He was unapologetically himself and was a master of self-promotion. Just check out his mad self-portraits. He’s got the pointy mustache and that starry-eyed look. It was all part of his genius.
It takes a huge amount of courage to “be yourself” in a world where we are so used to criticizing each other. It’s vulnerable. I understand as it’s something I struggle with. It’s also something my kids, especially my daughter, struggle with. We want to be liked and we think we won’t be if people know who we really are.
It’s not true though. In my experience, it’s not true. We LOVE people who are unapologetically themselves. That’s exactly WHY we love them. Or find them interesting at the very least.
If you have to spend the rest of your life doing this, find out who you want to be, and what your special qualities are, and learn to love yourself with funky quirks, dark shadows, mistakes, and wonderful uniqueness.
Lesson six from Dali: Be yourself and express your creativity how only you can.
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