There\u2019s a theory that everyone is born with an innate sense of creativity.\u00a0 As babies grow into toddlers, and toddlers grow into school-age children, they have within them a sense of adventure and curiosity.\u00a0 As they discover and learn, they take great joy in creating, whether it\u2019s coloring, drawing, painting, singing, dancing, or making castles out of Legos.<\/p>\n
That same theory posits that as we grow into adulthood, we\u2019re often urged to forget our creative side and conform.\u00a0 Buckle down, do what\u2019s necessary, make money.<\/p>\n
But that creative spark, though dampened, lives on in all of us.\u00a0 It may come back out in the form of a hobby, tending a garden, making a special dinner, or redecorating a room.<\/p>\n
This weekend my wife and I had an outstanding dinner at the house with two friends of ours.\u00a0 In addition to a delightful meal, the conversation was thought-provoking.\u00a0 We talked about food (of course), home remodeling, a smattering of politics, watching your adult children evolve, and ghosts.\u00a0 Yes, ghosts.<\/p>\n
We also had a very interesting discussion about creativity.<\/p>\n
We can save our discussion on ghosts for another blog.<\/p>\n
Being of a certain age, we all had former lives and are all redefining ourselves.\u00a0 One of us was a concert pianist who performed all over the world.\u00a0 Her husband was a noteworthy magazine publisher.\u00a0 Now they own a boutique hotel here on the coast, in a historic little town right on the waterfront.\u00a0 They\u2019ve redecorated, upgraded, installed a 21st Century computer and reservation system, and began a marketing program that includes sophisticated usage of social media.<\/p>\n
Additionally, they buy fixer-upper homes, make them look pretty, and sell them, moving on to the next project.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve traded one set of creative skills for another.<\/p>\n
My wife was at one time a very successful market research analyst who had done work for major corporations all over the world.\u00a0 She\u2019s retired now, and during our discussion, wondered what her creative superpower might be.<\/p>\n
During our earlier discussion, we talked about her enjoyment of genealogy and how it led to her discovery of a brother she never knew she had.\u00a0 It\u2019s an amazing story that I may share on another occasion.\u00a0 But the conclusion we reached was Cindy\u2019s creative superpower was in her curiosity.\u00a0 She\u2019s a discoverer\u2014an explorer.<\/p>\n
Mine is that I\u2019m a crime novelist and I make stuff up.\u00a0 Being a novelist has always been a dream of mine.<\/p>\n
I read where the definition of creativity is: Transforming your ideas, dreams, and imagination into reality.<\/p>\n
An article from Huffington Post cited a recent New Zealand study which says that \u201cengaging in creative activities contributes to an \u201cupward spiral\u201d of positive emotions, psychological well-being, and feelings of \u201cflourishing\u201d in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pacific Standard Magazine cited another study conducted at the University of North Carolina \u2013 Greensboro on college students that says that \u201cthose who reported feeling happy and active were more likely to be doing something creative at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I think about it, the happiest people I know are the ones who are creating and\/or exploring\u2014trying new things.<\/p>\n
So, what do you do to get your creative spark fired up?<\/p>\n
I take a walk around our neighborhood or up to the beach.\u00a0 I find that by the time I get back, I have a fresh perspective on what I\u2019m currently working on.<\/p>\n
Here are some other suggestions I found on the web:<\/p>\n
Keep a journal and jot down ideas as they occur to you.<\/p>\n
Exercise.<\/p>\n
Take a media break.<\/p>\n
Read a book.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be afraid to play.\u00a0 Thomas Edison\u2019s notebooks and Alexander Graham Bell\u2019s prototypes suggest that they played while working.<\/p>\n
Take a break from your daily routine.<\/p>\n
Try to think about things and look at the world around you in a different way.<\/p>\n
And finally\u2014I like this one the best\u2014dare to dream!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s a theory that everyone is born with an innate sense of creativity.\u00a0 As babies grow into toddlers, and toddlers grow into school-age children, they have within them a sense of adventure and curiosity.\u00a0 As they discover and learn, they take great joy in creating, whether it\u2019s coloring, drawing, painting, singing, dancing, or making castles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":778,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[176,172,164,169,165,17,149,180,179,173,168,28,170,174,178,166,177,175,167,171],"class_list":["post-776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","tag-adult-children","tag-adulthood","tag-creative","tag-creative-projects","tag-creative-skills","tag-creative-writing","tag-creativity","tag-crime-novel","tag-crime-novelist","tag-dinner","tag-fixer-upper-homes","tag-ghosts","tag-historic-towns","tag-home-remodeling","tag-novelist","tag-pacific-standard-magazine","tag-personal-growth","tag-politics","tag-university-of-north-caroliana-greensboro","tag-waterfront"],"yoast_head":"\n