Now that we’re a year old, we thought we’d point you to some earlier posts and prompts that are buried in the archives.

Prompts

• Shapes, Shapes, Everywhere - May 5, 2006
• Description Alley - May 7, 2006

Articles

• Creativity Doesn’t Need Rules! Or Does It? - May 9, 2006

Challenges

• Your Cre8tivity’s First Creative Challenge - May 12, 2006

Almost everyone has excuses for why they’re not more creative - when they think about it all. Here are the most common excuses that I hear - and why I think they’re not valid reasons for not being creative.

#5 - I don’t know how / I’m not an artist

• You don’t have to be an artist to be creative - no matter what anyone’s told you
• There are plenty of resources - books, web sites, television shows about being creative.
• You know how to be creative - you were creative as a child. All you need to do is remember how.

#4 - I’ll mess it up

• You may not get the results you expect or want, but there’s no such thing as “messing it up” when you’re being creative. What you consider a “mess-up” may create a better result than what you had originally planned.
• If you learn something from it, the creative aspect of the effort is a success.

#3 - I don’t have the ENERGY to be creative

• Creativity inspires enthusiasm. Enthusiasm creates energy.
• By exercising your creativity, you may find less energy-intensive ways of getting things done - leaving you with more energy to be creative.

#2 - I don’t have the TIME to be creative

• Do you have 15 minutes? 10? 5?
  Then you have time to be creative. Doodle, word associate, look for commonalities and differences around you.
• How much time do you spend doing everyday tasks? Using some creative thinking, you may find more efficient ways to accomplish those tasks.

#1 - I can’t AFFORD to be creative

• You can’t afford NOT to be creative. By not exercising your creativity, you let the people who do pass you by. You work harder at things that drain your energy, time and enthusiasm.
• Being creative doesn’t cost anything more than imagination - though you certainly can spend a lot of money on it if you choose to.

Stop Making Excuses and Start Being Creative

Spend your energy and efforts in ways that benefit, rather than drain, you. Look at things differently. Do something new.

If you’re participating in Problogger’s Group Writing Project, or even just visiting the sites of bloggers who are, you’re already exercising your creative muscles. Keep it Up!

Have a Creative Day!

The idea behind Break Away is to let your mind go and see if it will break away from your normal thought patterns.
The word is “Book”
Here’s how it works:
1. Write the Break Away Word in the center of a paper (or if you’re lucky - a whiteboard).

2. Write/Draw the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the Break Away Word.

3. Write/Draw the next thing that comes to mind.

4. Continue the process for 10 minutes or until nothing new comes to mind
Let your pen or pencil find its own way, don’t try to force any associations into a pattern.
When you’re done, take a look at your paper/whiteboard. Where did you end up? Are there any connections that surprise you?