The Creative Instinct

I’m starting this post with a very, very big statement. Here it is: when the giving and receiving of small gifts becomes habitual, your world will be a better place. That’s big - but it’s not big enough. Make the small-gift mentality global and the whole world would be happier and healthier. Okay, I hear you saying, Andrew’s finally lost it. Well, maybe I am getting carried away with myself just a little - or maybe not. Nothing wrong with large-scale thinking from time to time.

Not About Shopping

You might guess here that I’m not primarily talking about material, bought-from-the-shops style gifts. Although small and thoughtfully bought gifts do carry tremendous power they are only one element of the bigger picture. That bigger picture is all about the cultivation of a generous frame of mind. And having a generous frame of mind is not just about giving. True generosity encompasses receiving too.

I believe it’s impossible to by truly generous of spirit if you cannot receive the generosity of others with grace and appreciation.

So generosity of spirit is at the core of the power of small gifts. What the idea of ‘the gift’ gives us is a way of recognising opportunities for generosity - opportunities to give - and actually doing so. It’s a handy label that we all understand, and it gives us a concrete way of thinking about generous giving that might be as fleeting as a smile or as subtle as allowing someone else to shine.

The Ultimate Creativity?

Now, I started with that huge claim about making a better world. My initial meaning here was that when you practise the giving and receiving of small gifts your experience of the world becomes more benign and caring. You feel connected with people; you feel the warmth of their humanity; you become more tolerant and appreciative of the differences and quirks that might otherwise annoy you.

Because of this, shifting to a gift-oriented mentality is itself a creative act - even an artistically creative act if you wish it to be - see the hugging video I posted previously and tell me that’s not a wonderful piece of performance art.

So the gift-shifted attitude creates a happier way of perceiving your world - but that’s only the beginning of the story. Every small gift makes its own small impact on the real world. Each small act of giving by yourself doesn’t only change your own world for the better, it changes someone else’s. Now that really is creative.

Likewise when you accept a small gift with grace and appreciation (as opposed to not recognising the gift, or worse, not appreciating it) then again you have positively impacted on the giver’s world.

Different Kinds of Gifts

Here are just a few of the gifts that can help make your world a better place to be.

• Actual, material small gifts (though not necessarily bought)
• Compliments & positive feedback
• Appreciation & acknowledgement
• Courtesy
• Respect
• Tolerance & understanding
• Space & silence
• Sensitivity
• Taking a hint!
• A smile

Isn’t This All a Little Rose-Tinted?

You could argue here that we live in a hard and often cruel world, a world where people and societies commit the most appalling acts against their fellows. That’s undeniably true. You might also argue that the small-gift frame of mind becomes somewhat unimportant and feeble in the face of such horrific crimes.

Having a gift-oriented attitude does not mean we pretend these things don’t exist, and it doesn’t mean we don’t fight against them.

It does mean that we refuse to let the badness blind us to the goodness.

Wellbeing and Creative Productivity

There’s now plenty of scientific evidence showing that offering gifts of generosity and kindness bring positive health benefits - both mental and physical. In other words, your gifts to others are also gifts to yourself (which, incidentally, is the topic for the final article in this series).

In terms of practising your own creativity, whether that’s writing, art, performance or the myriad other creative artistic fields - the effect is indirect but nonetheless powerful.

Much of the thrust of The Creative Instinct is to do with getting your head right so you can be the artist you wish to be. The great power of small gifts to and from others is in moving you towards that place, and doing so in a beautifully pleasant manner.

Small Giving Changes the ‘Mirror’

One way we judge ourselves is through the responses and actions of people in our company. Our self image is substantially shaped by the smiles and scowls we receive daily. Our perception of self is therefore pieced together from our continually glimpsed ‘reflections’ when interacting with others. It stands to reason then, that much of this reflection is in our own hands.

If other people’s reactions are the mirror by which we judge ourselves, then it’s easy to see how, quite apart from the beneficial act of giving, we also have the bonus of people showing their positive feelings towards us because of our own small generosity.

The Butterfly Effect

A butterfly flaps its wings and causes a chain of increasing weather events that affects a whole continent. Every now and then a small gift of yours can similarly produce a massive effect on the life of the recipients. A word of encouragement when times are tough, a token to say you care, a moment to listen - all and any can have profound effects that can positively change a persons life forever.

I can certainly think of a few of these precious gifts that made a difference for me: the vicar who took time to talk with the long-haired, bearded proto-hippie (yes, I do mean me) when I was getting married to my partner, Lynda. He sensed that any talk of ‘God’s glory’ would send me running for cover. Instead he offered me a sentence of thoughtful secular advice that has guided me ever since. I never saw that man again, and don’t even know his name.

And then there’s John Murray, my English teacher when I returned to study in my thirties. At that stage all I wanted was to write good English, having left school without even the basic qualification. I wrote an incredibly long book review - pages and pages of it. His heart must have sunk at the thought of ploughing through it, but he took the time to encourage me, to pick out the positives and only ever-so-gently point out better ways of working. This blog, such as it is, would not be here without that small, thoughtful gift.

Take a moment now to think back to some small gift you received that has made a difference. Appreciate it again.

A Frame of Mind that’s a Gift in Itself

For me personally, the Small Gift mentality makes a massive difference. I won’t pretend there aren’t times when it’s not there - times of anger, of mean spiritedness or times when my focus on my own needs overwhelms it - and times of forgetfulness too. But as a guiding symbol of what I can do, it helps me find more happiness and self-satisfaction than I ever could without it.

When I’m practising small giving it helps me experience the world differently - genuinely creating a different perception and a different reality.

And for creative people who sometimes feel blocked by the stresses and the tensions of their world and their dreams - it can offer the mental space and balance that can open the doors to your best work.

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See also:
The Power of Small Gifts - Gifts from the Universe
Increase your sense of wellbeing in three simple steps