This is Day 12 of the Advent Calendar for 2015. Open more doors here >> 

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have” Maya Angelou

This reminds me of a song we used to sing at school – “Love is something if you give it away” – the words being: “It’s just like a magic penny, hold it tight and you won’t have any. Lend it, spend it and you’ll have so many, they’ll roll all over the floor”.

That song was about love, but here it could easily apply to creativity. Lend it, spend it and you’ll have more. Be creative and be generous with that creativity and you’ll have more. It’s about practicing creativity over and over so that it becomes second nature.

Creativity isn’t just about being able to paint pictures – it’s about doing things differently, thinking outside of the box and coming up with new ideas.

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Tweet this: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have” 

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How do you practice creativity so you can gain even more creativity? Here’s some thoughts:

  1. Doodle. Sketch. Colour in – or as I discovered this week, zentangle. Try the 30 circles test where you draw 30 circles and then turn each one into something, or turn squiggles into pictures.
  2. Learn something you didn’t know before. Sign up for evening class or a workshop. I fancy doing a workshop on something creative like wreath making, chair painting, scarf making or writing.
  3. Ask questions. Asking questions helps you to see things in a different way and to discover more than one answer to a problem.
  4. Exercise. Maybe you could pop out for a ten minute walk, or pop to the gym, dance around the house or join a running club. The walk to school and back is great for me, what could you fit into your life?
  5. Play games. Card games, ball games, play with your kids, get your imagination going. Personally I HATE playing with toys, you know, where you have to be a rabbit or something – but I like playing snap or car races or just setting up a Playmobil farm,
  6. Get messy. Cut things up and glue them down. Make things with cellotape and felt tip pens. Scrapbook. Paint. Bake. Make models.
  7. Write some letters. Or postcards. Think about how pleased the recipients will be! Connect with people in real life instead of online or on your phone.
  8. Read. Anything and everything.
  9. Go out. To the theatre, cinema, library, art gallery – anywhere where you can experience creativity (which is.. anywhere.. right?) and try places you’ve never been before too, have some new experiences.
  10. Sleep. How can you think creatively if you’re not well rested? Go to bed.
  11. Try some opposites. You’re right handed? Write with your left hand. Wear your Tshirt inside out. Drive a different way to your usual route. Wear odd socks. Choose a different newspaper.

The more you do “stuff” the more creative you will be. What will you be able to do with all of this extra creativity? It’ll help you to do better work, write better blogs, think up better solutions, have more fun, help others more effectively – being more creative will help you with everything you do as you’ll do things differently – being creative means having original ideas, so the more creative you are the more original you will be!

In the comments: What one thing could you do to help you be more creative? 

 

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