Focusing and Creativity

Problem Finding as a Window into the Felt Sense

Focusing has enhanced my own creativity both in my work and personal life. It’s led to a better understanding of the creative process and experiments in applying the scientific research to various domains of my life.

For purposes of this post, I look at creativity not as a professional category per se — reserved for artists or designers — but creativity, more broadly, as a way of moving through life; a quality of engagement available to all of us, whether we’re painting a mural or leading a board meeting, parenting a rebellious toddler or creating a dashboard for a data set. This post focuses on one concept from the scientific creativity research on “problem finding” and how it applies to the felt sense in Focusing.

All the images included are selected paintings from Paul Klee that are in the public domain.

Problem Finding

Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, a PhD research scientist at Yale, has spent her career studying creativity. A chapter in her recent book The Creativity Choice focuses on what scientists who study creativity call problem finding. Research shows that creative ideas that become successful realities (business ventures, artistic projects, inventions, etc..) involve extensive problem finding. It’s important to note that the word problem in creativity research, carries a different meaning than how we think of it colloquially. Rather than an obstacle or something wrong, creativity researchers define a problem as an inquiry, something that gets us going, a question that drives our work.

“…the key to creativity is what scientists call problem finding—the process of asking questions, identifying opportunities for creation or examination, and framing and reframing questions in ways that interrogate existing ways of doing something and exploring new ones.”

An essential aspect of creativity is an ability to engage with the problem finding process thoroughly enough for new solutions to be discovered. However, this is not easy to do.

There is a common misconception that problems inherently exist as fully formed entities that can be named and defined. It turns out this isn’t the case. Creative problems tend to start out in general and broad terms. Through experimenting, rearranging, reframing, and redefining they come into clearer focus and become fully formed.

The work of moving from the general to the specific usually involves conflicting ideas and uncertainty. Often it elicits strong emotions and feelings. Especially in contexts with pressure to meet a deadline or produce a result, prolonged problem finding can feel daunting. This often limits creativity, rushes the problem finding process and leads to unsuccessful projects.

On the contrary–whether it’s a business venture, artistic endeavor, organizational initiative, or scientific discovery— engaging in thorough problem finding often leads to creative solutions that do a better job of addressing the problem at hand.

Problem Finding and The Felt Sense

And so, what does this have to do with Focusing? How does problem finding in the creative process of a new scientific discovery, start-up business, or artistic project connect with what happens internally, in a Focusing session?

In a Focusing session, we often start with a “problem” - an inquiry or “question that drives our work”. We make the arrangements for a felt sense to form. We slow down, find a quiet space, pause and, in the company of a supportive companion or guide, invite a felt sense.

The felt sense arrives - often as a broad, not-yet fully formed mashed-up stew; some combination of body sensations, emotions, sense perceptions, thoughts, possibly memories or images, simultaneously co-arising. In a focusing session, what do we do with all this information?!

Similar to successful problem finding in the external world, how we choose to work with this moment is crucial.

We can’t push, rush, force or simply will the felt sense into an answer to our inquiry. And yet, the process isn’t void of volition.

There are specific actions to take, ways to use our will and direct our attention towards establishing a relationship with the emerging and evolving felt sense. This excerpt from an article by Eugene Gendlin about creativity in focusing speaks to the movement of a felt sense:

When the felt sense forms, you might call it “discomfort” or “queasy” or “unresolved” or some other quality word – but very soon you will see that it is vastly more than that. It is a sense of the whole complexity of the situation.

There is a second discovery: The felt sense wants to move. It has a directionality. With certain specific steps we can teach, one finds the felt sense moving a step. This is experienced as a distinct inward stirring. An exaggeration of it would be to say that it feels like a stomach cramp releasing and easing. But it can be a very slight stirring and you learn with practice to detect it quite unmistakably even if it is slight. And, along with such a physical release something opens and you get a step concerning the problem.

Instead of using the will to push the felt sense forward in a given direction, the will is used to form a relationship with the felt sense. Consciously and deliberately we make space for the felt sense and create the conditions for it to release and communicate its directionality.

The process is greatly supported by the presence of another human being - a companion, guide or facilitator - whose role is to help us stay in relationship with our own felt sense.

We start with acknowledgment, something like - “all this is here”. This may be enough for some time, simply to acknowledge, walk alongside, and learn to simply be with the felt sense; giving it room to breathe.

Maybe over time, we learn to greet the felt sense with a hello - a metaphorical wave or smile. We move towards an interaction and a back-and-forth dialogue.

And then, maybe with more practice we’re able to create enough space to embody the sentiment of Rumi’s Guest House.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

We learn to welcome the elaborate felt sense stew - whatever it may be - with a spirit of curiosity and intrigue. We discover, in our own way, how to be a gracious host, listening for what the felt sense wants and needs as we pursue this creative approach to problem finding.

Creativity Resources

Three of my favorite resources regarding creativity:

The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin: I highly recommend interviews with him speaking about the book and the creative process that bring concepts from the book alive.

The Creativity Choice, by Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, PhD: As mentioned above, a scientifically rigorous, yet highly accessible book on creativity.

The Creative Independent: An incredible compendium of interviews with a range of contemporary creative people and their process.

How about you? Any resources on creativity that you’d like to share? Please add a comment with your ideas!

About the Author

Initially on the playgrounds of youth athletic fields and now as a professional coach and facilitator, Alex has been exploring human relationships, team dynamics and new experiences for as long as he can remember. These days his inquiry centers on his roles as a father, husband, coach, consultant and aspiring writer. You can find his writing on his Substack, Crossing Over and more about his coaching work on his website. He’s a Focusing Trainer in Training working with Sandy Jahmi Burg and Rod Francis.