Creativity is not a talent; it’s a way of operating.– John Cleese
Hello Creative Being!
I hear people say far too often: “I don’t have a creative bone in my body.”. They see creativity as this mystical energy reserved for a handful of poets, painters, and dancers. My answer to this…B.S.!!
We’re ALL creative people…we’re creating our lives every day! And cultivating even more creativity might be just the key you need to take your work or personal life to the next level. Research has shown that those who succeed in business often have a high level of creativity, and Harvard psychology professor Ruth Richards says that engaging in creative behaviors makes us more conscious, dynamic, open, observant, collaborative and courageous.
The best thing is you don’t have to become a full-time sculptor, join a drum circle, or move to Paris to cultivate creativity (although all of those would be AWESOME)… You can start sparking your creativity in your everyday life through even the most mundane activities, like cooking or making a business presentation or getting dressed. Creativity is about exploring and expressing who you are and your feelings about life through some sort of medium, whether that medium is gardening, rapping, jewellery, or journaling.
So, this week I’m going to challenge you to do an experiment… Each day I want you to try and add a creative flair to something you do regularly. I’m going to help you jump-start this mission with a bunch of simple ideas below on how to bring juicy creativity into your everyday life.
Creativity is one of the most effective ways to come ALIVE in this life, so let’s bring on the creativity injections!!
“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”– Pablo Picasso
15 Ideas for Everyday Creativity
1. Change the wallpaper on your devices to reflect where you’re at. Great site for desktop: http://wallpaperswide.com and for mobile/tablet: http://www.mobileswall.com.
2. Check into your strongest feeling today, put on a song that reflects that feeling, and dance it out!
3. Have a 5-minute brainstorm session for names of that project or business you’ve been wanting to grow.
4. Dress with a creative twist – maybe there’s a vibrant scarf you could turn into a skirt or some vintage cufflinks you could add to a modern jacket.
5. Compose your next email using multiple colors and fonts.
6. Do some cloud gazing and see what images you can find (looking at clouds…not just for children!)
7. Try answering the phone with a different greeting for every call today. Extra points for being a little naughty!
8. For dinner tonight, arrange the food on the plates creatively.
9. Write a short story about something that happened in your day.
10. Start your presentation at a business meeting with an interactive exercise.
11. Get that old guitar/drum/tuba out and just do a little playing around.
12. Take an object and break it into parts…whether that be an old cell phone, an acorn, or an engine.
13. Doodle a feeling: tune into what you’re feeling in the moment and draw a visual representation of it.
14. Ask yourself a question and then brainstorm a list of at least 10 answers.
15. Do an interpretive dance to tell someone a story (maybe don’t try this with your boss).
* Keep reading to the end for 8 websites that will help spark your creativity
“Remind yourself that this moment is not merely happening to you. It is happening through you.”– Ralph Marston
NEWS
Kimberly on Green Majority Radio
Friday, Feb. 21, 2014
Listen at 89.5 FM in Toronto or online.
Kimberly will join Green Majority Radio Host Daryn Caister to talk about approaching activism from a body/mind/spirit perspective.
BOOK SPARK
My favourite author around the topic of creativity is SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) and any of her books – Inspiration Sandwich, A Creative Companion, or Living Juicy…are guaranteed life creativity injectors: http://planetsark.com/buy-stuff/sark-books.
That’s right, your book spark is from SARK…and I just exercised my poetic creativity!
8 WEBSITES TO HELP SPARK YOUR EVERYDAY CREATIVITY
Make Beliefs Comix – Create your own comics strips online: http://www.makebeliefscomix.com
The Creativity Post – Non-Profit site featuring fascinating content on creativity, innovation, and imagination: http://www.creativitypost.com
Crank It Up – Compose and record multi-layered rhythms using samples featured on-screen and on your keyboard. It’s a site supposedly for kids ;), but can be a nice little time-out for anybody: http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/crankitup/crankitup.html
Creativation Space – Get visual inspiration from artists around the world: http://www.creativationspace.com
99U – Daily insights on creativity, productivity, and making ideas happen: http://99u.com
Shidonni – Draw animals online, give them names and design backgrounds for imaginary worlds: www2.shidonni.com
Ted Talks – Short videos of world-class speakers on creativity and innovation: http://www.ted.com
PSFK – Creative product and business ideas that inspire: http://www.psfk.com
SONG SPARK
If you’ve made it this far, here’s a song and video to give you a nice little creativity injection. Yael Naim’s New Soul
