Ignite Your Creativity With Poetry

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.”

— William Shakespeare, 'Romeo and Juliet'

Ask most people for a list of the most illustrious poets of all time, and it is certain that William Shakespeare’s name will appear on that register. Often identified as a “creative genius,” he stands as a symbol of literary greatness and poetic grace. Other innovative poets, such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, and William Butler Yeats, might also be mentioned.

Interestingly, this suggests a link between creativity and poetry. And, indeed, there is. Let’s take a look.

What the Research Says

Researchers from the Brain Health Initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital note that, “…participating in mentally challenging activities that encourage creative thinking promotes neuroplasticity (changes in the brain) and fosters the process of neurogenesis—the birth of new neurons in the brain.” The researchers underscore that, “When we read poetry, we are exercising our language and interpretive skills.”

They also note a study (uncited), in which participants were asked “to read works from Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and other well-known poets in both their original form and a version that had been rewritten for clarity. The more complicated versions of the poems created more dramatic responses in the brain’s language center.” The authors also emphasize that the lyrics of songs, greeting card messages, and books read to children serve as examples of everyday poetry that effectively stimulate cognitive thinking and creativity.

Malgorzata Osowiecka and Alina Kolanczyk conducted a study to determine how the reception of different types of poetry affected creativity. Participants were assigned to one of two groups. Individuals in the first group (N = 107) read poems including narrative or open metaphors; those in the second group (N = 131) were assigned non-poetic text. Before and after the reading manipulation, participants were given a test to determine levels of divergent thinking (i.e., fluency, flexibility, and originality).

Additionally, in both studies, the impact of frequent contact with poetry was examined. The researchers noted that those in the first group “showed increased fluency and flexibility after reading a narrative poem, while participants who read the non-poetic text showed a decrease in fluency and originality.” Their conclusion was that long-term exposure to poetry is both cognitively beneficial and can also generate higher levels of creativity.

Another study, one featured in the Creativity Research Journal, looked at the cognitive impact of reading poetry on creative thinking. The results indicated that reading a poem, specifically during a break in normal activities, can enhance free-flowing associative thoughts or the ability to fluidly connect ideas together. According to one of the authors, Joydeep Bhattacharya, “When people read poetry that engages the mind while also allowing it to wander, it allows some kind of mental flexibility. It frees us from our present confined spaces and allows imagination to flow. This could be ideal for tasks that require fluid association between thoughts.”

The authors noted that several participants in the study experienced higher levels of mind-wandering during poetry reading as well as enhanced levels of associative creativity. They concluded that poetry has the potential to stimulate mind-wandering sufficiently to overcome creative blocks.

Source: Eroyka/Pixabay

What the Poets Say

There is conclusive evidence that the simple reading of poetry can be a stimulant to creative thinking. Curious to know if the same holds true for those who also write poetry, I sought out professional poets to garner their thoughts on the matter.

Novelist Katrina Case notes that the creation of poetry is at the heart of her personal creativity. She states that poetic compositions are an aid in helping her unlock ideas and emotions that, quite often, find their way into her novels and blog posts. She also comments that the writing of poetry frees her mind when she is overwhelmed by a large project. She makes the point that creating poetry gives her “the creative boost to return to more significant projects with renewed energy.”

Beverly Read, a lifelong poet and author of the recently released book, Beyond Awakening: Poems of a Life Transformed, told me that those who write poetry are able to create vivid images that bring those concepts to life. Poetry is a creative act, she says, because it creates a connection between (intangible) ideas and (tangible) words. She went on to explain that those who write poetry give themselves the opportunity to select from millions of words to string several of them together, thus creating something new that can only be seen in the mind.

Read noted that when she writes poetry, the first line in a poem opens a window to a multitude of ideas for the second line. She went on to explain that her “…mind [then] plays with the ideas until a direction is revealed and words start to show themselves.”

She was also adamant in stating that “…poetry might spark an idea to do something you already know how to do in a different way. An example might be that you know how to arrange flowers into a beautiful bouquet. A poem about combining colors and textures in a new way might inspire you to create arrangements using unusual colors and textures.”

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What becomes clear is that the injection of poetry into our lives—whether reading it or crafting it—is a powerful stimulant for the creative process. Not only does it have the capacity for raising our CQ (Creativity Quotient), but it also serves as a way of sparking our latent creativity when we are faced with challenging and demanding tasks. The conclusion to be drawn is that reading and writing poetry may be the ideal creative stimulant for those times when we need it most. Or, as one creative individual put it,

“Though this be madness,

Yet there is method in’t.”

—William Shakespeare, 'Hamlet'