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Start with the Beginner’s Mind
Zen teachings often speak of the “beginner’s mind” or “child’s mind.” Like a
child, one who approaches life with a beginner’s mind is fresh, enthusiastic,
and open to the vast possibilities of ideas and solutions before them. A child
does not know what is not possible and so is open to exploration, discovery,
and experimentation. If you approach creative tasks with the beginner’s mind,
you can see things more clearly, unburdened by your fixed views, habits,
and what conventional wisdom says it is (or should be). One who possesses
a beginner’s mind is not burdened by old habits or obsessed about “the way
things are done around here” or with the way things could have or should have
been done. A beginner is open, receptive, and more inclined to say “Why not?”
or “Let’s give it a shot,” rather than “It’s never been done” or “That’s not
common.”
When you approach a new challenge as a true beginner (even as a seasoned
adult), you need not be saddled with fear of failure or making mistakes. If
you approach problems with the “expert’s mind,” you are often blind to the
possibilities. Your expert’s mind is bound by the past; it is not interested in
the new, different, and untried. Your expert’s mind will say, “It can’t be done”
or “It shouldn’t be done.” Your beginner’s mind will say, “I wonder if this can
be done?”
If you approach a task with the beginner’s mind, you are not afraid of being
wrong. The fear of making a mistake, risking an error, or being told you are
wrong is constantly with us. And that’s a shame. Making mistakes is not the
same thing as being creative, but if you are not willing to make mistakes,
then it is impossible to be truly creative. If your state of mind is coming from
a place of fear and risk avoidance, then you will always settle for the safe
solutions—the solutions already applied many times before. And sometimes,
the “path already taken” is the best solution. But you should not follow the
path automatically without first seeing it for what it really is. When you are
open to possibilities, you may find that the most common way is the best way
for your particular case. However, this will not be a choice made by habit. You
will choose based on reflection and in the spirit of a beginner with fresh eyes
and a new perspective.
Chapter 2 Creativity, Limitations, and Constraints
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