Create something new.

Easy for me to say, right?

And you’d really like to do it, but –

• you don’t have hours to spend on learning a new creative skill
• you don’t have a bunch of money to spend on supplies
• you don’t know where to start
• you don’t even know what kind of project to start
• you don’t have anyone to teach or help you get started

Excuses. Every single one.

One trip to your local market, superstore or hobby store can negate every one of those excuses. How?

Be a Kid

Wander through the kids’ craft area. In your local market or superstore it will probably in the toy section. Most hobby stores have a specific kid-friendly craft section. Pick up a few of the kits that look interesting to you. You’ll find everything from plaster hand casts to jewelry to soap and candle making kits.

Why kids’ craft kits?

• Most of them are inexpensive
• They come with all the materials you need
• The instructions are designed to be understandable for kids in grade school or middle school
• The projects are designed with kids’ attention span in mind
• The projects are quick introductions to the craft and quick, tangible exercises in creativity

Benefits of Being a Kid Again

• You get to try your hand at something new with little or no pressure to do it well
• You get an introduction to a set of skills and knowledge you didn’t have
• You get to test drive a project before sinking a lot of money or time into the craft
• You can be silly and just have fun
• If you have children, you can use this project as quality time with them
• Successes, no matter how little or silly, make us feel better
• Your inner child gets a chance to come out and play

How do I know?

How do I know that these kids’ craft kits are worth trying out? I know because it’s how I’ve tested a lot of crafts out.

I’m curious. I always want to know how to do the creative things I see other people doing. I’ve learned to crochet, knit, make silver wire bracelets, use an indian bead loom, and many other things. For most of those crafts, that one little taste was enough. But others, like the ones I just named, I’ve since invested more time and money in.

Give in to your curiosity and that inner child that says “wow” or “I wanna try that.” Take a slight detour on the path of your creative journey.

You may find a new skill that you’re good at.

At the very least, you’ll have some fun.

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Today marks the 2nd anniversary of YourCre8tivity’s first post. Over the past two years, we’ve posted hundreds of creative prompts. We’ve posted some articles and ideas. But YourCre8tivity isn’t where we’d hoped it would be.

As the date of the site’s anniversary drew closer, I began to ponder it’s future. Should it continue, as is? Should it continue with some changes? Perhaps I should let it die a quiet death?

The decision wasn’t entirely mine to make, nor did I trust my sole judgment. Geminifatcat was one of YourCre8tvity’s founders, is a blogger in her own right at Time Well Wasted, and is my best friend. FlippantMoniker is also a good friend and someone whose judgment I trust. So it was to the two of them that I turned for help. The discussion lasted for hours and covered a wide range of topics. But in the end, it came down to one question I needed to answer.

Who Am I to Tell You About Creativity and How to be Creative?

I am not an artist.
I am not an author.
I am not an actor.
I am not a singer.
I am not a scholar or expert on creativity.

If I am not any of these things, how do I have any right or authority to tell anyone else about creativity?

I was given an answer that I didn’t expect. Geminifat and FlippantMoniker told me a secret.

While they enjoy the activities of the people we tend to think of as ‘creative’, they were also intimidated by both the people and their activities.

So, Who Am I to Talk to You About Creativity?

I am your next-door neighbor.
I am your friend.
I am your mother or sister.
I am someone who wants to be creative.
I am you.

But most of all, I am someone who, over the years, has realized that creativity comes in many forms and sizes. Creativity is more than the great works that artists, actors and authors produce. It is more than the combination of specific synapses firing. It is something that we are all born with.

Somewhere along the line, the chance to exercise our creativity seems to fade for most of us — but it doesn’t have to.

So, who am I to talk about creativity? I’m someone who is making a consistent effort to exercise my own creativity day-to-day because I think its important, and I think that even small exercises of creativity can change both mood and life.

Creativity is a journey and it should be part of everyone’s life journey. Sometimes journeys are easier when they’re shared with others. So I’m sharing mine with you.

Interested in walking the path with me? Your company is welcome.

Let me know, via comment, email, or post on your own blog, where the creative journey takes you.

Tags:Why Be Creative?

The Forecast

Dry spells alternating with high pressure systems bringing storms and possible flooding. The following low pressure systems will help dry things out but may bring about additional dry spells.
Sounds like a long-term weather forecast, doesn’t it?

It’s really a prediction of how my creativity will flow this year.

How accurate a prediction is it? Well, it’s based on an analysis of 2007. While that doesn’t make it perfect, it does give it a realistic foundation for predicting 2008.

The weather comparison? Read on, and I’ll explain.

My creativity in 2007 was definitely not a steady thing. It ebbed and flowed. There were periods when I felt incredibly creative. There were also times when I felt incredibly uncreative.

When it Rains it Pours

Creative storms.
I had quite a few of them in 2007, which you’d think would be a good thing. And it was, for the most part. There was one drawback to having creativity rain down on me the way it did.

I didn’t have time to try all the new and creative ideas the storms produced. My “To-Do” list was flooded with ideas and concepts that I was enthusiastic about. If you’d ever seen my “To-Do” list, you’d understand why this was a problem.

Dry Spells

2007 wasn’t entirely taken up with creative storms. In fact, there were several periods where I experienced dry spells when it came to creativity. When I felt like nothing I came up with was creative and when my enthusiasm for the ideas on my “To-Do” flagged.

Low and High Pressure Systems

For me, creativity seemed almost like a weather system in the way it acted. I would feel very uncreative. The more uncreative I felt, the more pressure seemed to build to be creative.

Then, all of the sudden, something would burst, like a storm cloud.

The creative ideas would pour down on me until I had too many to put into action.

After a time, the creative pressure would drop and I’d be back where I started.

Preparing for the Weather of Creativity

Now that I have a prediction for how my creative weather will work in 2008, I can prepare for it.? If a weatherperson predicts cold or rain, you grab a jacket or umbrella.? Knowing your creative forecast, you can be prepared to make use of a creative storm or eek through a dry spell.

I know that creative storm systems will bring me more ideas than I know what to do with.? And I know that dry spells will leave me feeling uncreative.

My preparation? A “creativity rain barrel” or cistern.? All the ideas that come to me during a creative storm get funneled into the barrel, preventing them from being lost or cluttering up my “To-Do” list.

This gives me a store of ideas to work with.? As I have time, I pull one or more of those ideas out of the barrel and add them to my “To-Do” list.

When the storm fades and I find myself in a dry spell, I continue to pull ideas from the barrel.? Looking at my forecast, I know that there will be more creative storms, so I need to work on the ideas stored in my creativity rain barrel. If I don’t, it may overflow during the next storm.

I don’t know about you, but I get stressed when I have too many things to do - even when they’re supposed to be fun.? I don’t want my creativity rain barrel to overflow.

There’s another benefit to maintaining a creativity rain barrel. When your friends and family find themselves in a dry spell or rut, you have creative ideas to give to them.? And sharing creativity, increases the creative flow in both the giver and the receiver.

What’s your creative forecast for 2008?

Tags:Why Be Creative?

Three Questions

1. What does quantum physics have to do with creativity?
2. What does creativity have to do with you and your future?
3. What’s the connection between quantum physics and your future?

Since you’re here, I’m going to assume that you already know the answer to question 2. If you’re a new visitor, our thoughts about it can be found in the Why Be Creative? archive. I’m going to attempt to answer questions 1 and 3.

This topic may seem like it’s coming out of the blue, but there was something that inspired me to post about it. This weekend I sat down and watched What the Bleep Do We Know?

If you’ve seen this combination documentary/story you may already have an idea where this post is going. If you haven’t seen it, you’re probably wondering why it has a place here.
(more…)

Tags:Inspirational Sources Why Be Creative?

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!

Tags:Everyday Inspiration, Getting Inspired Why Be Creative?

Today would normally be an Inspiration Tag day, but there was a post in my feeds today that really made me think, so this week’s Inspiration Tag will have to wait a day. Over at Scaffolding for Writers, Lisa posted about how we, everyday, teach our children how not to feel.
I have to agree with her, but I’m posting about it because it applies to Creativity and adults as well. Society and daily routine train us not to be creative.

Routine Kills Creativity

Everyday we get up, go through our morning routine (probably half asleep), go to work. Then we come home and sometime during the evening, we eat dinner and probably turn on the television. Most of our day is spent doing things the way everyone else does them. It’s what’s expected. It’s easy and convenient. And we don’t have to think about it.

The Creativity Muscle

Here’s the problem as I see it. Creativity is like a muscle. If it’s not exercised, it atrophies. If we don’t actively think during the day, there’s no way to exercise our creativity.

Quick and Easy Exercise

It’s hard to find time for physical exercise. Exercising your Creativity muscle can be just as daunting at first glance, but small changes can make all the difference.

Here are a five quick and easy suggestions:

• Take a new or different route to or from work
• Try a new project or craft
• Read something in a genre you don’t usually read
• Play word-association for a few minutes
• Do a random internet search and see where it leads you

And though I doubt I need to say it - the last suggestion would to be to check in here on a regular basis and make use of the prompts and exercises we post.

Have a Cre8tive day!

Tags:creativity, daily routine, Found while Rambling, inspiration, training creativity Why Be Creative?

I can’t believe we’re rapidly approaching the one year mark. Most of the time, it doesn’t seem like we’ve posting here for that long. Or that we could come up with so many prompts.

I know that most of our readers read YourCre8tivity through their RSS or blog aggregators. That means we never get see you or get to know you. So, it’s your turn to talk to us.

Assignment: Talk to Us

All you lurkers out there: Jump out of your readers and come leave us a comment. Let us know what you think about YourCre8tivity - what you like, what you don’t, what you’d like to see us do in the future. Do you do some of the exercises on your own? Or just say hi. Just take a few minutes and let us know you’re out there.

It will put smiles on our faces and spring in our steps.

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Tradition. Creativity.

You don’t often see those words together unless someone is talking about a family or institution having a “tradition of creativity.” In fact, most of us probably think of tradition and creativity being almost opposites. I have to wonder if they really are, or if there’s a different relationship between them.

Traditional Tradition

When it comes to creativity, tradition is commonly believed to be a blocker. We’re told to “think outside of the box” and “break the mold.” Tradition is thought to limit our thinking and keep us from reaching our creative potential. If you think about it though, that concept is itself a “traditional” view of tradition.

Creative Tradition

What would a more creative view of tradition be, at least in regard to creativity itself? How can we use tradition to encourage and expand our creativity?

• Use traditional as a base to build on, a foundation for something new
• Use traditional works to inspire your efforts
• Use tradition as guidelines for some of your creative efforts
• Look at tradition and interpret tradition from an untraditional angle

“That’s the Way it’s Done”

Tradition does represent the way things have been done in the past, but it can be as much inspiration as limitation. Look at the way it has always been done and come up with a new way to do it. Anytime you hear or think “that’s the way its done” ask yourself why? Ask if there’s another way it could be done. Ask “What if?” Let tradition be a springboard for your creativity.

You just might be surprised where it takes you.

Tags:Getting Inspired Why Be Creative?

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