5 Creative Brain Foods
the smallest things ignite creativity
In this fast paced, busy world we live in, it’s often hard to find your creative juices. And, if you do, sometimes it’s just a fleeting memory of your busy day. Sometimes it’s hard running a business, wearing all or most of the hats, and still find time to be creative. After all, being creative is what brought you to this point in your career, or made you take that leap of faith to branch out on your own. Here’s 5 things that I do to help feed my creative mind:
- Listen to my favorite music while working; often we get in the rut of having the TV on when in fact it can stifle our creativity. Try classical music for a change. It’s very calming and inspirational.
- Take time to really look at nature; I love to go outside and check out nature in my own yard or nearby bike trail. Things as simple as the texture of a lamb’s ear plant, or the veins in a hosta, or a butterfly landing on a petunia, or a song bird flitting from tree to tree. Lately, I’ve been watching a pair of robins, in a tree outside of my studio window, nesting. First, building their nest together, now taking turns sitting on the eggs, patiently waiting for them to hatch.
- Go for a walk; take a walk around your own neighborhood. Look for patterns in landscapes, houses or sidewalks. A broken sidewalk is a great design idea or just a reminder that not everything we do in life is easy.
- Go through some of your own past work; this is why you want to photograph your work whether it’s professional or just a snapshot. You can keep your pictures in an album or on your computer and refer to them when your not feeling very inspired. You can always take an old design and put a fresh twist on it.
- Take a drive; I grew up going for rides with my family so taking a drive in the country with my favorite station on the radio is brain food for me. When you go for a drive look at the horizon. What do you see? When you pass through a small town, take time to go inside the small hardware store and close your eyes. Smell the “oldness” of the building. Look at the quirky tools for sale and buy a pack of gum just to interact with the owner.
These are just 5 of the techniques I use when I’m not feeling very creative. What do you do when you need to ignite your creativity? I would love to hear what lights your passion.
