How to Be More Creative Every Day

Almost everyone has a desire to create--whether professionally or as a hobby--to do something a little out of the ordinary with their life and time. The problem many face, even the professionals, is where to begin. The creative spark is often considered an elusive treasure found only by the lucky, privileged or gifted. The truth is, it's everywhere and in everyone. What you need to know is not necessarily where to look, but how.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Set aside time to daydream. Kids have wildly fertile imaginations and spend much of their time playing make-believe in one form or another. Daydreaming is a way to tap into that childlike spirit and just let your mind wander from topic to topic, with no restrictions, just a gentle push in the direction of “what if.”

2. Surround yourself with inspiration. Pictures on the wall, books on your shelf or--better yet--open on a table, photographs in frames or even a big window with a great view (if you're so lucky to have one) can be a tremendous source of ideas and help you get into a creative mindset.

3. Tour an art gallery or museum whenever possible. It's been said that art is never truly finished, that it's always changing even by someone taking a new look at it and offering his own perspective or impression of it. Really look at the art of others: brush strokes, camera angles, stitch and weave patterns. The fundamentals of a craft can jump-start your mind into thinking of your own ways to use those building blocks.

4. Color in a coloring book, sculpt with kid's clay or put together a model or toy. These tasks are often simple and quickly done, but they allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment while hitting the pause button on your active thoughts, letting the more creative, random ideas float to the surface.

5. Look at nature and try to envision it recreated in a different medium. My favorite is to look at flowers and think about how they can be reproduced or transformed into beaded pieces, either as jewelry or mini sculptures. Once you start equating tree bark with fabric or clouds with spun sugar, your mind will start to skip around and branch out to other possibilities.

6. Write everything down. Even the tiniest idea that you have in passing should be recorded in a notebook. On days when nothing else comes to mind, flip through those notes and pull one out to work on.

7. Keep multiple projects going at once. The key here isn't to split your focus. but to give yourself many possibilities whenever you want to work on something. It does help if you finish one every now and then, but the concentration, at least in general, should be on the creating, not the end result.

[missval7]

on 11/23/2009 Beautifully written! Sometimes we loose our passion with everyday stresses but these are great tips for keeping it fresh! 5*

[harvard]

on 10/25/2009 Great article that encourages and inspires the artist in all of us. It's good to tackle something challenging rather than deciding what color scarf would look nice. The time for hesitation is through.

[nanamusicgirl]

on 10/3/2009 When you are an artistic person you need these things!! Surrounding yourself with magazines, pictures, anything to feed your artistic nature is perfect.... 5 stars!!!!!