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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Growing creativity... how do you boost yours?

CREATIVITY - The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc. [Creativity week begins here. Click for this week's Bliss Initiatives.]

Photo by-Delphine-

Welcome creativity seeking, sharing, loving, bliss boosting friends. As I sat down to think about boosting creativity I couldn't help but think that MOST of you have even better ideas then I could come up with if I scoured the internet and other reference material for years. Fully half of my readers have ETSY shops showcasing their talents (if you haven't done so you should click on the Bliss Shops tab at the top of my blog and take a look!) and those of you who don't have an etsy shop probably should (Jingle you come to mind immediately!) think about opening one!

So, today I am revisiting some of my favorite Creativity Boosting ideas. Click on any of the links to find more ways to get the creative juices flowing but at the end of my list I'm going to ask you to share your favorite tips. 

Learn something every day
 
I live by this one. Good advice for living!"Creativity often involves adapting an idea to make it your own. Continually expose yourself to new ideas and the creative well will never run dry. Always have a book on your nightstand, if you can. Download audio books or check them out from the library to play while driving or exercising. Above all, learn something from every  experience."                      
From the web site Here to Create's post entitled 9 tips to be more creative. The tag line from this blog is "We are here to create, not merely survive."

Dictionary Diving 
This is a fun idea, I've tried it with the dictionary and other books. Works with pretty much any written page. "If you're stuck for an idea, open a dictionary, randomly select a word and then try to formulate ideas incorporating this word. You'd be surprised how well this works. The concept is based on a simple but little known truth: freedom inhibits creativity. There are nothing like restrictions to get you thinking."
From Jeffery Baumgartner's Ten Steps for Boosting Creativity.

Creative Sparks
Go to the website "Inspire Me Thursday" and click for a creative prompt... the questions are interesting and it is a lot of fun even if you aren't looking for creative direction. Lots of other creative ideas at the site. "Use these random prompts to jumpstart creative play in your art journal, to encourage creative writing, to overcome a creative block, to spark an idea…"
From the site:  Inspire Me Thursday - Amuse your Inner Muse

Do something childlike once in a while. 
 "...and you don't have to have the children there as an "excuse" to do it. Sit and play on swings/draw/paint "silly" pictures — have fun. Children are incredibly creative and as adults we could learn a lot about how they view the world." I have the built in "excuse" for this one!
From 10 Ways to boost your creativity by Julie Plenty

Read Random Magazines
"Every once in a while, I pick up several magazines that I would never ordinarily read. It’s surprisingly interesting and useful. And I love the feeling of possibility that I get whenever I browse in one of those stores that carries 500 different magazines."

I expand on this tip by gathering a bunch of these random magazines and I rip out pictures or words that inspire or interest me. Just the act of grabbing and ripping the paper seems to get my creative juices flowing. Sometimes I make collages or vision boards to support what ever project I am working on, other times I just file any pertinent scrap that inspires in a folder I keep just for that purpose.

Yesterday in a comment, Ryan mentioned that he used meditation to get his inspiration flowing. My friend Jaye peruses dozens upon dozens of books (She is a Librarian after all! Happy Library week dear friend -- tell a Librarian thank you today!) to find some of her quilting mojo. So what about you? What are your favorite creativity boosting tips? We would all love to hear!!

Next Post: Creative Prompt Day!

Have something to say about Creativity? 

Written a a fun post about your creativity challenges or successes? 
This is the place to share it! 
New and old favorite posts and essays are welcome here!
I have something to say about Creativity!



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My 13 bliss virtues are  

communityromancegratitudemoxiehumility, and surprise
 [Click on any virtue to see all the Everyday 
Bliss Posts on the topic.]

4 comments:

  1. What a great list! Each of these things is worth exploring... I would also suggest, just make some time to be quiet. Your mind is creating even when you are not trying, so get out of its way every once in a while! Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  2. i'm going to have check out "inspire me Thursday." And let's not forget Julia Cameron's THE ARTIST's WAY. I never it made it through all the exercieses but inspiring nonetheless.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The first two things which came to mind were playing with my children and meditation - always works for me. Then again, I would say I am "creative" but definitely NOT "crafty."

    Also, Thanks for your comment on my special SITS day. I gave you a mention and answered your question in my latest post! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for reaching out, Kathy!

    I consider myself an inspiration-hunter: I am always looking for new ways to inspire myself and others. One way I keep the creative juices flowing is my weekly feature "Inspiration Machine," in which I try to come up with 10 new ways to infuse life with creativity and a sense of play: http://cmykaboom.com/blog/category/inspiration-machine/

    Cyn~

    ReplyDelete

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Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues

  • 1. TEMPERANCE - Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
  • 2. SILENCE - Speak not what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
  • 3. ORDER - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
  • 4. RESOLUTION - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
  • 5. FRUGALITY - Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. waste nothing.
  • 6. INDUSTRY - Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
  • 7. SINCERITY - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.
  • 8. JUSTICE - Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
  • 9. MODERATION - Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  • 10. CLEANLINESS - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths or habitation.
  • 11. TRANQUILITY - Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  • 12. CHASTITY - Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or to the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
  • 13. HUMILITY - Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

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