Are You Creative? Or Not?

George was looking at the jumbled mess of weeds and rocks in the backyard. His wife wanted a patio and horseshoe pit where the family could entertain and have fun. He began to look at various places to see what he could conjure up.

After graduation from Florida State University, Sara Blakely found herself selling fax machines door-to-door. In the heat and humidity of the Southeast, required pantyhose were extremely uncomfortable. Sara developed a hosiery product that not only provided coverage but slimmed her customers. Spanx was born.

In 1819, Elias Howe’s family was pinched in poverty. His wife sewed for others by hand. He visualized ways to mechanize the process but was stumped on how to create a lockstitch. One night, he dreamed he was surrounded by African bushmen, all holding spears pierced near the points. The needle was invented.

What did they have in common?

Creativity was the common thread that ran through all three stories. All saw a need and filled it in unique ways. Your imagination, once unharnessed by those “I can’t do it” thoughts, has the most unusual ways of expressing itself. Even everyday tasks can be much more fun with a pinch of originality.

Ever watched someone who loves to cook? They make something. Then taste it. If it’s not right, they throw open their spice cabinet to see what they can add to shape the dish’s flavor. Someone who simplifies a process is also using this talent. A child watching his dad make a bench asked why he didn’t do it in three steps rather than nine. A shortcut!

Steps to Creativity

Want to boost that creative muscle? Here are some tips:

• A notebook or section on your phone. Set up a specific place for ideas. Note them as they come to you, for they are often fleeting. Have ideas at night as you sleep? Wake yourself up and write enough to remember the jist for the next day. Follow-through is easy.
• Consider a project or creative endeavor as you fall asleep. Your subconscious mind will take over and provide a multitude of ways to lay out what you want to accomplish.
• Be playful. You’ll find it easiest to create if you have some fun with what you’re doing. When I discovered Zentangles, I realized there was no right or wrong way to make patterns. They were all doodles and I could fiddle around for fun too.
• Be open to different things. Antiques Roadshow has examples of treasures created after someone traveled the world (or a small town.) Just different and off-beat is enough to stimulate mixing up those hum drum ideas.
• Be curious. I have an elderly friend who is an everlastingly curious lady with a sense of humor. She is loved by many, often because she asks interesting questions about what others are doing and why.

How about you?

Want to mix up your world and create different? Anything from painting a wall a bright color to solving a major problem is fair game. Unleash your imagination and go wild. Live unstuck!