In the creative world, the game of creativity begins once you are very present and grounded in the here (hear) and now. Ideally, you are immersed in the moment to work authentically and organically creatively with your process.

Yes, you can have fragmented attention—bits and pieces scattered all around—and still get work done. But to harness your full creative potential, you need to be present. Nothing starts to gel until you’re “in the room,” by this, I mean potently aware.

Awareness is the cornerstone of creativity.

It begins with the breath, the essence of our being.

To be aware means feeling the air around you, seeing the people and environment in front of you, smelling the smells, feeling the feelings, and hearing the sounds. It’s about engaging all five physical senses—and more.

Then there are the subtle senses, like equilibrium and other nuanced sensations. Being present, in its fullest sense, is the number one task of a creative artist or human Being.

Of course, it is possible to do creative work without being fully present. But you’ll notice that it lacks the depth and authenticity it could have. For example, as an actor, if I’m fully present in a scene, everything aligns. There’s no self-consciousness, no turning inward, no distractions from the environment. The by-product of this is that I will have more awareness to work with and more presence to immerse myself in, which ultimately translates into a richer performance.

At the core of being present is your state of being, which I call your State Of Being. Awareness of your state of being is crucial for navigating your creative journey and producing your best work.

Imagine you’re exploring a new creative concept. You’d want an open, relaxed, receptive state of being, without an agenda. If you’re in a scene where you need to be agitated or frustrated, you will need to be able to access your current state of being and then tune into the desired state to fulfill the needs of the narrative.  All of this work will circle back to being more and more present.

So, how do you cultivate presence? Here are some practical takeaways:

This is the first part of a six-part series on enhancing your creative process working directly on increasing your awareness.

Each part builds on the previous one, so read all six parts as soon as they get published.

The journey of creativity begins with being present. By mastering this, you can ensure your state of being supports whatever creative endeavor you’re embarking on.

Watch out for part 2 of 6  in this series!

Thanking you

Joshua