Home > Creating Change > Your Own Personal Coach > Creativity and Innovation

Creative Tension

By Lea Brandenburg, reprinted with permission

Creative tension? Don't the two words cancel each other out? Isn't tension something you don't want to create in your life? The American Heritage Dictionary defines tension as the act of stretching or the condition of being stretched. Yes, tension can also be mental, emotional and nervous strain. But what might happen if you consciously used the stretching condition that tension creates as a compelling force in your life?

What if you took a life lesson from the rubber band? If you stretch a rubber band, the tension will seek resolution. It will seek to relax. And, as it relaxes it creates a momentum that propels it forward. Aim the rubber band at a specific destination, and it will have a focused forward momentum. What might happen in your life if you had the same kind of focused forward momentum a rubber band has when its aimed at and then released at a target?

Remember, the definition of tension as it is being used in this context is a stretching condition that produces forward momentum. It is not the use of stress or strain or deadlines to push yourself forward.

So, how can you generate results using creative tension as a structure that pulls you forward in your life?

You start the process by asking yourself: What do you want? What do you want to create? For example, what career do you want to create? What relationship do you want to create? What business do you want? What do you want?

When you ask yourself what you want, separate it from what is or isn't possible. The only time you know if what you want is or isn't possible is after you have actually attempted or done it. The rest is speculation until you've made the attempt. Tell yourself the truth about what you want and no censoring yourself! Create what matters to you. You want an Oscar, then that's your truth. If you are single and want to be married, then that's your truth. You want to be the owner of a profitable business, then that's your truth. The "what do you want" question is about what you genuinely want, not whether it is or isn't possible or when it can become a reality.

Be clear and specific about the result you want to create. Form a mental picture of the result you want to create. Look at your desired outcome from a variety of angles: Exactly what will it look like? How will you feel when you have it? What will you be wearing? Who will be there with you when you realize your vision? Who will you be when you create this outcome? Another great way to prompt yourself as you articulate your vision is to use magazines or other visual media to help you see in a specific and tangible way what you want to create.

Once you have a clear vision of what you want to create, the other major component of creative tension is developing a clear view of the reality you now have. Where you are now is simply where you are now. It is an assessment of current circumstances and not a judgment on who you are or the beauty that resides within you and in every human being. Be gentle with yourself as you assess where you are in relation to where you want to be. In order to set up the creative tension dynamic, you must have a clear measurement of your current reality and circumstances. Remember you are looking for a measurement, not an interpretation or evaluation of where you are now.

Knowing the difference between where you want to be and where you are at this moment in time creates a healthy tension that seeks to resolve itself. Like the rubber band, knowing where you want to go and where you are creates a tension that moves you forward in a targeted manner. It is in the gap between where you are and where you want to be that the tension resides. It is in the gap where choices are made and the actions are taken that can propel you forward.

Once you know what you want and what you currently have in relation to what you want you can begin to organize your actions more effectively to cause the desired changes to happen. Want to win an Oscar as your vision/target? Is your current reality that you've never taken an acting class in your life? That's quite a gap. So what actions might you take to move yourself forward toward your intended destination? If getting an Oscar is not something that is important to you, then there is no creative tension. Remember, the vision must be something that matters to you and that pulls you forward because you want to create it.

Peter Senge in his book, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook,* describes the process this way: "People who are convinced that a vision or result is important, who can see clearly that they must change their life in order to reach that result, and who commit themselves to that result nonetheless, do indeed feel compelled. They have assimilated the vision not just consciously, but unconsciously, at a level where it changes more of their behavior. They have a sense of deliberate patience--with themselves and the world--and more attentiveness to what is going on around them. All of this produces a sustained sense of energy and enthusiasm, which (often after a delay) produces some tangible results, which can then make the energy and enthusiasm stronger."

[* NOTE: By clicking on the title and buying this book from Amazon.com, you help support LPO.]

And remember as you stretch yourself: take time to enjoy each victory or success you experience along the way. A large accomplishment usually rests on the foundation of many smaller achievements and a series of steps you take and choices you've made to make your vision a reality. Make enjoying the process as important as reaching your target. It will make reaching your destination all the more sweeter for you.

— © 2002, Lea Brandenburg

Lea Brandenburg is president of Creating Strategies in New York, NY, and has been coaching an international group of clients and businesses since 1997. Her areas of expertise and passion are interpersonal and business communication, intuitive intelligence and creativity. She is a graduate of Coach U, the coaching industry's premiere and oldest training program, a member of the International Coach Federation, which is an association dedicated to preserving the integrity and ethics of the coaching profession, and a Founding Member of Coachville, the first on line coaching training company and portal. You can contact her at lea@creatingstrategies.com or calling (917) 770-8215.