» auteur: Di McDonald
"How to become more creative in three easy steps" copyright Di McDonald 2005 Have you ever said to yourself "If only I was one of those creative people like ..........."? OR " I was born without a creative bone in my body" Did you know that" Everyone is born to create, that creativity comes from within and is in all of us!!!?? Creativity is actually a state of “being”. We are all born creative spirits. As you would know if you have ever observed a child in play, children are extremely creative. What happens then between childhood and adulthood which makes some of us feel we have no creativity and that we never did???? In this world we are taught it is not good to be different. I believe that because we are taught to conform, to behave, to not get in a mess or be dirty, we stop experimenting. As time goes on we begin to believe it is not good to do the very things which would enhance our creativity, so we start to lose touch with it. Being different, doing things differently, experimenting and having fun is the way to become more creative. What about those who just seem to be able to draw..really draw..not abstracts but real drawings. You know, those kids you envy, the ones you wanted to be like! They practice!!!!!!! Don’t you remember they were always drawing. always! If you practiced all day every day, you would also be able to draw beautifully. Doesn’t that make sense?? Its like every skill we learn. We learn to ride a bike by practicing..we fall off but we get back on again and again and again! How often did you practice drawing???? For hours??? For days?? I know I looked at my pitiful efforts and decided I couldn’t draw! I was one of the poor failures who just wasn’t given the “GIFT”! NOT TRUE! Ok lets get you started on the way to becoming a creative spirit again. Just to start to convince you that you actually have it in you, I want you to think about every day life. How often have you cooked a meal by intuition??? NO recipe…you didn’t need it did you? No , because you have practiced cooking in the past and know how to do it. You CREATE a meal! LOL OK Have you ever thought about what sort of outfit you would like to wear to a special occasion?? Yes I bet…you are creating in your mind!J You have screaming children who want you to tell them a story. You don’t have a book but you” Make up a story!” That is creativity! See???? You are creative in many many ways all through your life. Here are three easy steps to bring more creativity into your life. 1: Find some quiet time to relax EVERY day! No TV, NO radio blaring in the background…..Just you and thought! This gives our brains some time to actually bring some creative thought to you. You just don’t hear this creative part of you when its too noisy. If you can sit outside by a stream or fountain this will also help you relax. If you have something you would like to create..just muse on it. Think about it in the quiet and you will be AMAZED at what will start happening for youJ 2; Let go of Judgement and Fear! Do not judge anything you do that is creative. Creative endeavours and art are subjective, so what one person likes, another will hate. If you insist on judging your work then only compare it to your own work. That way you can decide if you are getting better and really, your opinion is the only one that matters! Let go of Fear! It is only as we move through the fear that we have a wonderful feeling of achievement and then we gain more and more confidence within us! 3: Play ( practice) Find time to play! I don’t care how you do it, if you want to be more creative you MUST play! Playing is experimentation. Whether you want to make a doll, a piece of art or do some writing or whatever, you need to give yourself permission to play. You are not aiming to complete anything, to make anything or to actually write anything that makes sense. You just spend an hour or however long you have in the quiet with your supplies and just say……WHAT IF???? What if I did that, what would happen…….do it and see! You will come to love this special time with yourself and your creativity. Have fun and enjoy your new found creativity.