Top Ten Ways To Jump-Start Your Creativity

1 - Take A Tour of the Great Outdoors

Consider a hike in the mountains, a stroll beside the river, a run along the beach, a jog through the park or a walk around the city.

2 - Soak Up Your Surroundings like a New Sponge Open your mind to the unknown and grasp the little details often overlooked in every day life.

3 - Read, Read, Read Read anything that interests you... Regardless of whether it´s related to writing or not! Think variety - from trashy romance novels and bad tabloids to The New York Times and Writers Digest. Find something different to read that you are really interested in and then actually take the time to READ it thoroughly.

4 - Escape Reality Temporarily Indulge yourself with rare pleasures - like a hot bubble bath, a professional massage, a visit to the beauty salon, a mini-shopping spree, a big bowl of REAL chocolate ice cream or just a little time ALONE!

5 - Play Like A Child Forget your responsibilities as a mature adult for a few hours! Remember something you loved to do as a kid and re-create the experience now. Or participate in whatever game/activity/adventure your child enjoys more than anything else. Roll up your sleeves, abandon your inhibitions, throw caution to the wind and play - really PLAY like you did when you were 10 or 20 years younger!

6 - Quit Procrastinating Finish that one particular project that you have been putting off for weeks.. Get it done now, so you can really focus all of your energy on new ideas and creative pursuits. If there's one thing that clouds your thinking almost daily, make it go away today!

7 - Just Write Write about anything. Write about the first thing that comes to mind - no matter how silly or irrelevant the subject may seem - put your feelings into words and get them down on paper as much paper as it takes! Keep writing about what you're thinking about until you can't think of any more words.

8 - Share Your Ideas, Opinions or Experiences with Someone Else Whether you have to call our mom or a close friend, talk about what's on our mind with somebody - almost anybody, who you know and trust. Interact with other writers on the web via e-mail discussion lists, open forums or critique groups.

Get your thoughts out there. Bounce your ideas off of somebody else. Share your feelings with others who can relate to your topic. Ask for feedback from people you trust.

9 - Identify Issues that are Important to You Make a list of topics that you think matter in today's world. Jot down at least ten subjects and then explore ways to transform these ideas into articles. Example of Issues: Child Abuse, Internet Technology, Scams Online, World Peace, Prison Reform, Senior Care, Freedom of Speech, School Choices etc....) Look at the headlines in your daily newspaper, think of recent stories broadcast by National news programs like 20/20...

10 - Search The Web Look for articles and other resources related to creativity. Read stories written by other writers and/or try some creative writing exercises.

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.a sp

In The News:


Creativity in the garden: Found objects, artworks can add whimsy, fun, beauty
Washington Post
SEATTLE — I feel like Alice in Wonderland. Sprinting past an alligator drinking a soda pop and a T-Rex playing guitar, I lean toward a family of colorful metal toadstools that come to my knee. “Aren't those great?” asks Jim Honold as he ushers me ...

and more »

Sydney Morning Herald (blog)

Can creative entrepreneurs really make money?
Sydney Morning Herald (blog)
Can creative entrepreneurs really make money? I'm talking about people like artists, sculptors, writers and others who are pursuing their creative passions. There's a widely held belief that it's very hard to make money as an artist.

and more »

Factory Design Labs Names Andrew Price to Top Creative Role
MarketWatch (press release)
DENVER, CO, May 23, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Factory Design Labs, a full-service agency delivering innovative advertising campaigns for premium lifestyle brands, today announced it has named Andrew Price Vice President, Executive Creative ...

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Baltimore Sun

Creativity runs wild during Destination Imagination
WVLT
(WVLT)-- Teams from all over the world are in Knoxville for the Global Finals for Destination Imagination; a program that lets kids use their creativity to solve problems. Chuck Cadle the CEO of Destination Imagination said "It's an educational program ...
Number Of Teams Earning Spot At Global Finals Up 10% From Last Year! Data Says ...MarketWatch (press release)
Kids will get creative in Destination Imagination finalsLexington Clipper Herald
15000 Students Descend on UT KnoxvilleWMOT

all 23 news articles »

Just Jared

Kelly Clarkson: Having a boyfriend 'is ruining my creativity' for writing songs
New York Daily News
The “American Idol” winner, known for girl power anthems like “Since U Been Gone” and “Stronger,” tells People magazine that having a boyfriend is “ruining” her creativity. “It is killing me,” she told the magazine of penning songs about breakups and ...
Kelly Clarkson: My Boyfriend is Ruining My CreativityPeople Magazine
Kelly Clarkson's boyfriend Brandon Blackstock is 'killing her creativity'Daily Mail
Kelly Clarkson: Relationship Is 'Ruining My Creativity'Just Jared
TheCelebrityCafe.com -Digital Spy -earsucker
all 145 news articles »

NigerianMuse

Singapore wants creativity not cramming
NigerianMuse
By Rebecca LimBBC News, Singapore But now they want to move beyond this – towards something that cultivates creativity and what they term as ”holistic education”. Minister for Education, Heng Swee Keat, said this is ”less about content knowledge” but ...

and more »

Maximizing certainty, minimizing creativity
Santa Ynez Valley News
I can't tell you the number of times I've read an article and come across a statement by someone working in some aspect of the music industry talking about how much they value creativity in its myriad forms, and I find myself saying it's just lip ...


OregonLive.com

My Workout: Creative movement in Nia rounds out exercise routine
OregonLive.com
"Nia has brought creativity and openness to my life. You go at your own pace. I bend in ways I never have before. I don't even get sore gardening." Nutrition: Johnson enjoys being the cook at his house and he treads the straight and narrow, food-wise.


Richard Florida Is Wrong About Creative Cities
Forbes
Moretti also points to Berlin, which he calls “one of the world's coolest cities”, and “a magnet for creative people from all over Europe”. He paints a picture of Berlin that is decidedly Floridian: “Berlin's well-established progressive attitudes, ...


Creative Commons Qatar celebrates first anniversary
Gulf Times
By Peter Townson/Staff Reporter Creative Commons Qatar has celebrated its one year anniversary, with officials outlining the successful work carried out by the community organisation and its hopes for the future. Initiative leader Brian Wesolowski ...

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