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Did you know daydreaming can actually boost creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving? Explore the science behind intentional daydreaming, why summer is the perfect time to practice it, and how music can help your mind wander its way to surprising solutions.
I’m Mindy Peterson, host of Enhance Life with Music podcast, where we explore the ways music can make our lives better. And this is Microhance, a micro-dose of musical enhancement.
Earlier this month, the New York Times’ personal health and wellness section, called Well, featured a 5-Day Creativity Challenge. The idea was to provide five tips, one per day, to nurture readers’ creative side and spark creativity.
The writer of this project, Elizabeth Passarella, points out that there is plenty of research linking creativity to feelings of inspiration, happiness, and better moods. And here’s the good news: you don’t have to be a career musician or artist to be creative. We are all creative in some way. In fact, creativity is often defined by researchers as “generating something novel that is also useful.” Yes, creativity may come more easily to some than others, but anybody can be creative at any time, and it’s a skill that can be practiced and developed (like a muscle). Yes, creativity may result in a new song or painting, but it can also lead to “aha” parenting moment, a new business idea, or a fresh idea for organizing your kitchen. Thus, the five days of tips to get us over that initial hurdle and spark that elusive creative thinking.
I enjoyed each of the 5 tips over the 5-day challenge. My favorite was Day 3, which I’m sharing with you today: Master the Art of Daydreaming. And I can’t think of a better time to nurture the quaint pastime of daydreaming than summer, when hammocks and beaches beckon, and clouds drift overhead. In the article, research scientist Madeleine Gross encourages what she calls “intentional daydreaming,” which is purposefully letting your mind wander.
The very first step in this process? Prime your brain to generate original ideas by putting it in “atypical salience processing mode,” which just means paying attention to things in new and unexpected ways. The article recommends looking at a piece of abstract art or focusing on something specific in nature. I’d like to recommend… yes, music. Nature’s soundtrack may be all you need, as you give heightened awareness to crickets chirping, wind rustling, waves lapping, or frogs croaking. Add in other classic sounds of summer, like lawnmowers, motorcycles, and the laughter of kids on break from school and you are well on your way. But if you’d like more of a boost, pop in some earbuds or turn up the speaker in your car or sitting on your beach blanket; because I can think of no better way to get my own mind wandering and primed for imagination than to listen to music. Music can carry your thoughts far beyond the present moment and into the creative unknown.
And science backs this up. Giving your brain time to incubate – to step away from a problem and structured thinking, and just be – often leads to deeper insight and creative solutions. This gentle space we create with music and daydreaming also fosters curiosity – being open to something new and generating questions. And curiosity is the heartbeat of creativity.
So as summer stretches out before us, I invite you to give yourself permission to daydream – with music as your guide. Daydreaming isn’t a waste of time – it cultivates a rich compost of creativity and curiosity, revealing solutions we didn’t even know we were searching for.
If you have favorite way to spark creativity, I would love to hear about it.
You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn.
I’m Mindy Peterson, and I hope this inspires you to enhance your life with music.
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