Creativity

Creativity Index

1. SoulCollage - Fall in Love with Yourself! By Anne Marie Bennett
   What is SoulCollage®?SoulCollage® is a unique blend of spiritual practice and the fun of collage. It was created by Seena Frost in 1980 as she worked with friends and clients in her therapy practice in California.Each card in a SoulCollage® deck represents and honors one of the following facets of my unique life: a voice that lives inside of me, a person who supports me, an animal that has special energy to give me, or a mythical figure which guides me.Using very simple materials (scissors, g…



2. Are You Inventive Enough to be an Inventor? Some Guidelines to Invention Success! By Vishal P. Rao
   Inventors make a ton of money when the invention is needed and when the process is done properly. There are different types of inventions. Some inventions are more practical, making the everyday lives of individuals easier (pens for example), some inventions are simply for entertainment purposes (television), and some inventions are multi-purpose (educational devices that are also entertaining). In addition, some inventions are simply answers to medical problems, as in prosthetic devices while…



3. Art, Artists and Vocation By Mary Baker
   "If you really want to upset your parents…go into the arts!"—Kurt VonnegutHow many times have people been told that "You can't make it as an artist."How many times when you've told someone that you are studying theater, dance, the visual arts, do people look at you and cringe; feel sorry for you, and feel that you and your family have wasted a great deal of money, and that you have wasted years of your life.How often when you tell people that you are involved in the arts, do people feel…



4. Take Time To Think By Davis Goss
   I recently saw a program on television wherein the participants discussed the degree to which present day computer technology has contributed to our economy, well-being and our ability to communicate. They pointed out the many ways that this technology was already obsolete and that further refinements will impact our future in ways we dare not imagine.This scares me.This advancement precipitates an increasing reliance on computer skills and "push the envelope" technology. This over-emphasis …



5. Unleash Your Creativity and Think Your Way Out of the Box By David Amerland
   The brain is a strange organ. It works in ways we don’t yet understand and manages to create everything we see. Working at odds with the rest of the body it performs best when we’re not consciously trying and it is exactly this right-hemisphere activity that contributes to some of our most creative moments.Creativity is the lifeblood of every facet of life. From the arts to business, without it, things would become stale very quickly. Yet, as society is becoming more complex and process-driven…



6. Mindfulness and Teaching: Lessons From Dynamic English By Maya Talisman Frost
   Back in 1983, I was hired to teach English in rural northern Japan. I had no experience teaching, and didn't speak a work of Japanese.No matter—I had the requisite four-year college degree and a thirst for adventure.My employer/boss/teaching partner was Grif Frost, a 27-year-old budding entrepreneur who had married the Japanese exchange student who had once lived with his family. He ended up living near his wife's parents in Mutsu, and did what any self-respecting English-speaking person did i…



7. Are You Working on Your Masterpiece? By Ian Christie
   Have you ever thought about your career or the work you do as art...as a form of personal creative expression? We can easily summon an image of the painter, sculptor, musician, writer or inventor in their studio, engaged in the wonderful process of creating a masterpiece.Try applying this analogy to you and the work you do. Your career...past, present and future is a canvas upon which you are painting, a block of stone upon which you are chiselling. The work you do, the life you lead, are the …



8. Abundant or Redundant: Where do You Live? By Ken Donaldson
   Abundance...this word has become quite popular these days as one of the latest “metaphysical buzzwords”. “Creating abundance”, “manifesting abundance”, and “living the abundant life” are just a few of the abundance of abundant clichés these days. All of these sayings are trying to convince us that this abundant Life is just out there waiting for us to step into it. So you may be asking the $50,000,000 question: “How do I do that?” Quite frankly, I’m not sure I have all the answers to that but …



9. Maturity and Creativity By Douglas Eby
   Age and maturity can bring a new level of passion, ability and insight for creative expression. Although some areas that depend on physical performance, or accumulating and processing vast amounts of information, may become less easy or available, many creative endeavors flourish with increasingly varied life experience and the kind of vitality adult development can nurture.There are many examples of people making significant creative projects in middle age and beyond. Despite losing a leg (in…



10. Creativity Stereotypes – Are They Holding You Back? By Michele Pariza Wacek
    Here's a quick quiz:1) When I see a see a sunrise, I'm moved to:A. Compose a poem.B. Try and capture the beauty with my paints and brush.C. Stumble drunkenly into bed -- boy that party was a lot of fun.D. Cover my face with my pillow and go back to sleep. Who in their right mind gets up early enough to look at sunrises?2) At work, I'm the person my coworkers go to when they need someone to:A. Think up a new theme for the office party (especially if they want it to be a bit wild and off the…



11. 7 Things Sapping Your Creativity Right Now By Linda Dessau
    This was a very easy article to write. I was late in getting started this month, and as my publication deadline got closer and I could no longer wait until I “felt” like writing an article, I was forced to sit down and do it. In doing it, I thought about the last month (when I meant to be getting started on this as well as other creative projects), and I identified seven things that have gotten in the way of my creativity. Maybe you’ll see yourself in some of these.1. Not getting enough sleep …



12. Story and Screenplay Structure By Kal Bishop
    Structure is beneficial to creative output in a number of ways. There are at least two types of structure, work processes and frameworks:a) Work processes such as incremental production produce more output than a "do your best" approach. Writing four pages a day completes a words-on-paper first draft screenplay in one month. A "do your best" or "waiting for inspiration" approach can take months or years.b) Work processes such as separating creative from critical thinking allow the build up of …



13. The Cat in the Hat By Charles Bonasera
    The other day, I was at a friend’s home to tape a radio broadcast when I had the opportunity to watch her small kitten in action. The black with white trimmed feline was a joy to behold. It had a small ball made up of tin foil that it would carry around and literally throw while running with a snap of its head. Then, she would catch it before it stopped rolling. At one point it jumped onto my friend’s lap (who was undaunted by this) and proceeded to reach something on the wall that caught …



14. The Four Elements By Bonnie Moss
    Empedocles,a Greek philosopher,scientist and healer who lived in Sicily in the fifth century B.C., believed that all matter is comprised of the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Fire and air are outwardly reaching elements, reaching up and out, whereas earth and water turn inward and downward.In her book, Four Elements in Ancient Greek Philosophy, Tracy Marks describes a wide-ranging look at earth, fire, water, and air, and the dynamic twin forces of Love and Strife. Her book…



15. The Healing Powers of Journaling By Christin Snyder
    For the past several years, I have found joy working as a motivational writer and speaker. One of my greatest passions has been the gift of sharing my deep love and respect for the written word. Words are powerful. They provoke thought, stimulate creativity, and most importantly, they hold within them the power to heal. Most people do not realize the incredible life-changing potential writing has.Journaling is a practical tool that anyone can use to enhance personal well-being. It knows no lim…



16. Make EVERY DAY An Artist Retreat Day By Linda Dessau
    What do you enjoy most about going on an Artist Retreat Day? For most of us it's getting away from our "normal routine", having our creativity sparked by new surroundings and having the luxury of "open time" to work on our creative projects.A retreat gives us the opportunity to step outside the day-to-day and look at the big picture of our creative dreams. It gives us freedom from obligation and responsibilities and guidance from a facilitator and/or our artist peers.Here are five ways to brin…



17. What Makes a Person Intelligent? By Larry M. Lynch
    In traditional intelligence theories when one is asked the question “What makes a person intelligent?” the most common responses will often note a person’s ability to solve problems, utilize logic, and think critically. These typical traits of intelligence are sometimes grouped together under the heading “raw intelligence”. A person’s intelligence, traditionally speaking, is contained in their intellect. In other words, how we each understand, evaluate or respond to external stimuli, regardles…



18. Why Teach Thinking? Why Not ? By Alvin Chan
    The word ‘creativity’ has so many diverse meanings and interpretations. I remember telling an audience of teachers that creating a mess is also creative as long as new things and views are being conjured up. This led to much laughter and discussion about the meaning of ‘creativity’ (This notion of ‘creative mess’ was taken from master-thinker, Dr Edward de Bono).Most people feel that creativity has to garner results or products, and it is not wrong to think so. However, by giving such consciou…



19. Creativity: Getting Out of the Box By Marcia Zidle
    Leadership, especially in times of change, depends increasingly on the ability of managers, professionals and even front line workers to think and do things differently. In other words, to get out of the box!So, how do we get out of the box especially when most people are comfortable staying with the tried and true rather than exploring and championing new ideas? Here are tips to jolt your mind and start thinking more creatively.Stretch your brain. When a group meets to come up with new ide…



20. Increase Your Creativity: Work in Other Mediums By Susan Fuller
    Are you looking for ways to increase your creativity?Many years ago a group of music students at the Boston Conservatory of Music taught me this lesson. Every one of them was working in some medium other than their music. Some of them were acting, others painting and still others dancing, but all agreed their music was improved as a result.This is true for all ”creatives.” Improve your creative process and output by singing if you're a painter, by dancing If you're a sculptor, or by painti…



21. Kick Start Your Creativity with a CKS By Gary Ferguson
    Do you find your creativity waning? Are you searching for inspiration in your artwork? Create a CKS (Creativity Kick Starter) to keep your muse on-call.A CKS is very easy to do. Just get a large three-ring binder and use it to hold examples of pottery, art, and designs that you find appealing. These can come from any medium. If you are a potter, don't limit your examples to just pottery. Save pictures of paintings, sculpture, quilts, wood work, or anything else you find appealing.Many of t…



22. The Creativity Creed By Catherine Franz
    I believe that creativity is a natural order of life itself and it provides my life with the purest of energies.I believe there is an underlying creative force infusing throughout my life.I believe that when I open my creativity, I am opening the Creator’s creativity.I believe creativity is part of my destiny and just as important as all living things.I believe creativity is my Creator’s gift to me. Using my creativity is my gift back to him.I believe expectation of a fulfilling life attr…



23. Break An Egg For Creativity By Tony Papajohn
    In 1420, the dignitaries of Florence held a competition.They offered the enormous prize of 200 gold florins to the architect whose genius could span the unfinished dome of the Florence Cathedral.This was a great challenge. Even the original builders of the cathedral in 1296 left writings hoping that God would offer a solution because they did not have one.Filippo Brunelleschi was the answer to their prayers.He proposed the radical idea of a dome supported by a brick vaulting system that balanc…



24. Find the Artist Within By Eileen Bergen
    Can anyone be an artist? People admiring my work often say, “I could never do that!” I say, “Yes, you can!” Eight years ago, during a very difficult time in my career in finance (Downsizings, layoffs – let’s not talk about it, OK?), my company sent me to a development workshop for female executives. I came out of a particularly thought-provoking discussion group and penned the following very prophetic free verse. Threads They Said Mimi said,…



25. Macrovision By Chris Stewart
    These days it's all about breaking things down into manageable pieces in order to be able to reach a goal and track your process/progress, and keep yourself from going insane because there's not a lot of time to breathe.And I'm a firm believer in this approach, in, as I've heard it termed: 'microvision.' But I'm also a believer in thinking 'blue sky,' or BIG. I call this MACROVISION. This is where you step back and open up and let everything move through you (not 'in,' but 'through'), when you…






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