{"id":688,"date":"2009-04-16T23:55:44","date_gmt":"2009-04-16T23:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hip97.com\/wp\/?p=688"},"modified":"2013-03-19T17:12:05","modified_gmt":"2013-03-19T09:12:05","slug":"inspiring-creativity-9-tips-to-be-more-creative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pikaland.com\/staging\/2009\/04\/16\/inspiring-creativity-9-tips-to-be-more-creative\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspiring Creativity: 9 tips to be more creative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"9<\/p>\n

As promised, I’m having a recap of what I talked about on Etsy’s Virtual Labs<\/a>. The topic at hand was Inspiring Creativity<\/strong>, and so I’ll break it down to more manageable chunks about how to be more creative — remember all these ideas aren’t new at all, but these are the ones that worked for me to get me into gear:<\/p>\n

About fueling creativity:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Creativity is fueled by experiences, sights, sounds and smells. Sitting still won’t bring new ideas in; experimenting and trying new things will jog your creativity.<\/li>\n
  2. I maintain a certain pattern to the day, with my morning bath signalling me that I am starting my work with a fresh mind and spirit. After breakfast is when my day officially begins — I turn on the radio and look at my to-do list (see #3).<\/li>\n
  3. I jot down notes every night before I go to bed about what I need to accomplish the next day. This way, I’m actively placing my worries onto paper so I can go to bed not fretting about what needs to be done.<\/li>\n
  4. I have a box labeled for each different project I’m involved in. So I toss everything I have in one box, and I don’t worry about misplacing things or ideas. This one was inspired by The Creative Habit<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. I also keep a different sketchbook for different topics and ideas. I have one for business, one for random sketches and another for my writing. And in these sketchbooks I sometimes allocate different sections so that my thoughts don’t get messed up too much (there isn’t a search function on them, like a computer does!)<\/li>\n
  6. And I throw these sketchbooks all over the place, so when I have a thought I scribble it down quickly.<\/li>\n
  7. I try and find the pattern between things, and connect the dots between random things just for fun when I’m stuck in a rut. Like when I see the color yellow around me, and then I start to focus on finding yellow things — stuff that I didn’t notice before will show themselves to me. I’m heightening my sense of awareness because I’m narrowing my focus to one thing.<\/li>\n
  8. Doing things differently helps. I love calligraphy, but sometimes I seem to be stuck in a rut — it seems that I could only write in a certain way! So I stop, and see what others are doing, and try to analyze what I could do differently. A little more pressure on the downward stroke? Or how about adding more flourishes to that letter? It took me about a week of constant practice to free up my hand. If you’re stumped for ideas, have a look at Keri Smith’s 100 ideas<\/a> to get you started.<\/li>\n
  9. Practice, practice, practice. Creativity is like a muscle that you need to flex regularly. I dread staring onto a blank piece of paper, but everything begins with that first stroke. I’m a perfectionist, so I train myself to not use erasers at all when I’m drawing. And if I do make mistakes, I start on a new piece of paper — that way I let new ideas in and not just dwell on what I previously did.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here are some books in my collection that I pick up whenever I need a boost:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The Creative Habit<\/a> by Twyla Tharp : I love this book. Twyla is a dancer and choreographer, but a lot of the things she has to say cuts across all disciplines.<\/li>\n
    2. How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum<\/a> by Keri Smith : Keri reminds everyone to put on their explorer goggles and look at the world with new eyes — I did a review of her book here<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    3. Living Out Loud<\/a> by Keri Smith : Although the book is a little girlish for guys, I love the article she wrote about how to find what you love to do<\/a><\/li>\n
    4. The Alchemist<\/a> by Paulo Coelho : This is an amazing book that I pick up and read again and again. The message is simple — you won’t find what you’re looking for until you follow through on your dreams.<\/li>\n
    5. How to be an Illustrator<\/a> by Darrel Rees and Nicholas Blechman : I like how they talk to illustrators and get their feedback on running a creative business.<\/li>\n
    6. Lines & Shapes<\/a> by Lena and Mav : Amazing artists and beautiful, beautiful pictures. I have volume no. 5<\/a> and I treasure it.<\/li>\n
    7. The first issue of the Good to Know project<\/a> : I like keeping a copy on my bookshelf so I can read up on what my friends have to say about being creatively stuck<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Stay tuned for the second part which I’ll be posting tomorrow<\/del> It’s ready! Click here<\/a> to read the second installment of my recap about competition and copycats<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

      ——————<\/p>\n

      p\/s: Talking and reading all your thoughtful messages during the Virtual Labs session (especially the whispers that some of you passed on) made me feel so much better! But I do have to say that reading the chats while having to focus on talking was a little hard, mainly because I wanted so badly to talk back to each and every one! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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