Whaever I had experienced in my life, I am recalling them fresh from my memory. Now I am able to provide my definition, and I call it Creative Instinct. I believe that each one of us have it, but we are unable to ascribe a meaningful definition to it. Perhaps it came out of my long travel with this instinct without knowing its presence within me, and I was carrying it very carefully along with other traits. I do not know if it is connected with common sense, but i think it is above that. Common sense follows a logical path and it is a bare minimum quality of anyone, but Creative Instinct is distinctly unique. It strikes like a lightning providing sharp ideas and solutions. For me creative instinct is a surprise striker, when my nerves straighten up, my receptors wake me up, I begin to deliver something distinctly unique. I always wanterd to stand out in the crowd. Always wanted to be different from others around me. 

For example my science work book reflects my creative instincts. My initial passion was art, my graphite pencil did the talking. With application of three dimensional sketching, I belonged to a different world, bringing out life like pictures, I looked different from other's perception and presentation.  When I see an object I dig deeply into my mind with a three dimensional perspective. Though I cultivated this habit, my creative instinct seemed to be behind all these results. Once my drawing of millipede for my science record attracted my cat to the extent that it even extended its paws to touch it, thinking that it is real one. This incident made me to discovered my deepest passion towards something new within me.

This discovery led to fulfillment and happiness. Later this abundance was overflowing in my other endeavors too. My activities took a different turn. While I was in sixth standard, subjects like English language and Science were my passion. I attribute my scoring ability and academic success largely to my creative instincts. 

I do not know how to explain or define Creative instinct. But i know for sure it is from my sub-conscious mind to see something unique o"r something absolutely wrong. For example when I listen to music I instantly sense something distinctly right. But sometimes if my instinct  says it's wrong, I do not respond to its composition as well as I would do with other ones. Perhaps I like snap judgments more than the one with analytical. In my own words Creative instinct is a direct command from the brain for you to act without applying any logic or doing analysis. Everyone possesses this quality but only a few have discovered this. 

My instincts says 'break the rules and follow a different footpath. Live a happy life.This book aims at helping people to create turnarounds for those who want to make a breakthrough in their lives, drifting away from routines. I am not here to give any prescription for life, but to wake you up to explore the existence of creative instinct within you and to find opportunities to unleash it. For me, I am not contend with remaining passive obeying monotony.  But I wanted to create a "brand" for myself so that I am sufficiently armed to fight the deceptive environment. 

The Creative instinct I realised and enjoyed greatly influenced those surrounding me, which I did not realise. What was normally happening for me did not seem to happen for others. My thinking pattern was able to frequently see alternative solutions or suggestions to day-to-day activities. In my work I used this potential to the maximum. Management review presentations gave me the greatest opportunity to unleash and apply my creative instinct. I introduced completely new templates, graphics, colours,fonts, graphs in 3D formats to create impact which thrilled the audience and conveyed the message with clarity and ease. I won the appreciation of the Global assessment bodies, and the creative presentation of the Company's performance won us many outstanding awards. I can definitely attribute this success partly due to the application of creative instinct process.  Not only presentation helped us, but in other areas where we had difficulty of using the principles of logical reasoning. Now this I identified as "breakthrough". We shall go in-depth about this in the next chapter. 

It was during my days of my Job, I had always wanted to be among the writing fraternity and wanted my name to appear in the news media, so that someone will see my name printed and read my works. I was greatly attached to a favourite English daily The Hindu. One of weekly columns called "Sound Off" had always published useful subjects contributed by Social activists, writers, eminent personalities in the city. This became an interesting platform to express some vital and catchy stories which made an impact and attracted many readers. Their appearance boosted their self image as well as gave an opportunity to share their views. I had always dreamt about being one among them, though I am no way near those personalities in achievement and popularity. So I planned to send an article, which would narrate my delightful experience regarding purchase of a new acoustic guitar. One day in a summer afternoon I ushered into a Musical shop, exploring every possibility to buy a professional acoustic guitar. So started browsing the neatly laid rows of different types of guitars. They were mostly Indian and a few imported ones. But one row of hollow wooden glittering guitars caught my attention. They were kept outside matching polythene covers of their shape. I immediately threw my hand to grab out that one out of the stand. It was exquisitely designed and  I began to run my fingers on the brown, soft and smooth glossy finish, which reflected my face.  It was impeccable. I embraced and held it. It was a complete delight when my fingers ran over the strings, strumming them when the other one smoothly carassed the frets. I was able to play with comfort and ease. Finally a professional musical instrument was within my reach. It was an unbelievable happy moment since only professionals could by such quality ones, and my dream to acquire one was fulfilled. While I drafted this experience I also continued the article by saying that in India, the demand for quality is very less and we continue to enjoy poor quality products. Then I completed the article and emailed to The Hindu. Within a few days someone called me over the phone and started enquiring about the contents and also my identity to verify if I was the real owner of the article.  Later after a couple of days she called me again to know if I am the Head of Quality where I held my job. I said I am not, but I said, for me quality is a way of life, and one of my strongest pillars of my character. She was holding the call and asked my why I do not endorse our quality standards. I told her our country still does not have a brand on its own. We always take shelter under foreign brands. While she appeared to agree,  she countered with an argument that our software people excel in foreign countries, but I told her that we are only going there, they are not coming here. She finally asked me what I wanted to convey. I told her that I will be proud if I see Indian brands in the Global market. Finally she was impressed and convinced and asked me if they can send their photographer to my house, since I was not well on that day I told them I will send my photo in a couple of days. I did and in a few days my article was published with my photo. It was great moment of recognition for me which I did not get in my job. I owe this to  my creative instinct coupled with continuous effort and dream to scale a new height. 

Later my creative instinct spread its wings to others areas of life. I loved music. It is often a catalyst to help me to change my mood and kept me motivated during troubled times. For me there is no particular type of music I listen. Any music which troubles my senses is like tonic to me. 

Our Tamil musicians have made distinct progress in their traditional Carnatic music, and they have also adequately identified themselves with Western music and its orchestration, learnt and qualified themselves through London TrinityCollege of Music. Out of that was born a hybrid one which they used in creating music for cinema. I used to be an ardent follower of this music, since it mostly made me to forcibly put my mind into it. All these were connecting dots, to gave me a complete picture of who i am 

                                                        Preface 

This quote became the launch pad of my dream to be heard and spoken about my creation. I had spent too many years working alongside a mediocre environment, because of the haunting ambiguity of being unable to sell my original thinking to make a few or enough bucks to survive. It was crazy to choose a job. But there is no choice for a person who belongs to the middle income category, who has to continuously maintain his income to beat inflation, and the fear of being thrown out of the regular stream of life. I had to wait for more than thirty five years to get released from a "system" which indulged in too much protection, but too little freedom. It has put me down when I was reverberating with performance. When the corporates were crushing its employees through its weapon "favouritism" and "bias", I woke up, and wanted to be free.

For everyone, life does a turn around, for me after several years of dormancy I mustered my energy towards a new path, drifting away from the beaten track, to prove to myself I am no ordinary stuff. I took a strong decision to unleash my creative instinct through this book.What really inspires and stimulates oneself is worthy of being converted to a passion and a goal in life.  Hence one of my goals is to write a book on Creative Instinct.My creative instinct became my passion.  I enjoyed thinking creatively, drew inspiration from people and incidents around me. My creative instinct was appreciation, creation and expression of art which encompassed drawing, painting, writing and evolving ideas. I had always thought about the beauty of ideas floating in my mind.  My primary inclination was towards art. I wanted to draw whatever I enjoy seeing. Human faces and God's creations from flora to fauna fell for my graphite pencil. I continued to pursue this Instinct. I could think and draw geometrical shapes very easily in three dimensional form.  In my later years I fell in love with English language and devoted to writing as much as did for art.  I reached my peak in my creative endeavors during my pursuit towards excellence.  I escaped  from the world of disillusionment which was a torturing me for thirty years of employment. Those years I lost the freedom to express my instincts of creativity. But I am, what I am now. My continuous pursuit is to unravel the creative instinct within me and enjoy every moment of sharing it with the world outside. 

Creative instinct is the inner urge to do particular activity to make a distinct difference. It bursts out without my knowledge. My inner voice of "creativity" grew louder and louder during the my life's  journey.  I discovered that this instinct is no longer mine, but should be definitely shared and enjoyed. Finally I could not but decided to blow out my thoughts and hopefully this book will fulfill my desire and provide clue to the readers to explore their own creative instinct.I had been continuously exploring my creative instincts, much to my amazement frequently landed on a happy note. Sometimes even my thinking paralysed me and took me to very strange destination.I began this book with the intention of making people enjoy the significance of creative instinct and to unleash without any inhibitions.If ever I wanted to attain fulfilment, I thought there is no other better time than now. Hence I had a self talk, "write your own book". All it took was my inner desire to promote this unique thinking called creative instinct which is being under utilised by many people.  This passion runs in my blood, and the impact it makes seems to ruin my other scope for thinking. Hence I became obsessed with prolonged thinking about creative  instinct and finally my strong desire overtook my passivity. Now I am expressing it. In the beginning my sensory organs always had a hunger for art as well as thinking differently at every opportunity in my life. made me choose this path with  joy. When I see something I see with my third eye, I go on top of the creation and thinking about making changes. Monotony and disorderliness, upsets me.  Normal notion carried widely is that creative people love to be disorderly, insane, eccentric and so on. It is a false statement.After winning the 1958 World Cup the great Pele said "It was our differences that made us beautiful". These words took me to greater heights of my thinking. Setting aside all fears of ambiguity in my presenting my thoughts, the courage to express finally ran all over me and I felt like butterflies hovering over Tulips. Every time I think about making a difference, it warms my soul, the music, the art, even the cutting of vegetables....all activities around us, the universe inspires me, as if offering itself to make a change or create something new. I am neither a musician nor a scientist to be a Bach or an Einstein to invent or to create, but I believe that everyone has a grain of creativity in him, unrealised and unattended. It is dormant, waiting to be opened and 

unleashed.

So be with me to enjoy this book.