I Don't Have Time to Be Creative!

Most people don't have time. They don't have time to be creative. They don't have time to exercise. They don't have time to talk. They don't have time to sit down and eat. They don't have time to relax. They don't think they have time for anything.

The average person spends four hours a day watching television (13!!! years of their life). That doesn't even touch on the time we spend on Facebook (ha!) and other possibly meaningless activities. Imagine what you could do with that time. When you think you don't have time to do the things you really want to do (relationships, dreams, hobbies, fun, exercise,...) - start with an honest assessment of where you spend your time and I bet - big money bet! - you will find all the time you really need to get things done and do the things you want to do.

And if you spent some of that "extra" time letting your mind wander and flow from one thought to another, you would allow your creative mind the freedom it needs to solve problems and come up with new ideas. Enjoy your new found time!

Look and See!

I was sitting outside in my lounge chair working on business classes and presentations. I took a break for a minute to look up at the sky and examine the clouds on this beautiful partly cloudy day. I was amazed to see something that resembled a rainbow as far as the colors but streaking across their edge instead of in an arch in the sky. It was unusual because it hadn't rained and the colors were typical of a sunset, not the sky in the middle of a sunny day. I lifted my sunglasses to see if it was just the polarization of the lenses - but it was still there.  What a treat. I gazed at the sky for another ten minutes or so, then settled back into my work. If I hadn't stopped to look I might have missed it, for it was gone later when I checked again for my little miracle.   

My son invited me to see a film called "The Seer: A Portrait of Wendell Berry" at the Houston Fotofest International a few days ago. My girlfriend and I joined him and his fiancee. The focus for the 2016 Biennnial Fotofest's 16th International Biennial of Photography and Mixed Media Art is humanity's relationship with the changing planet. This movie was the portrait of this accomplished poet, farmer, writer, activist and academic, Berry, who spent much of his life, and still does, on a farm in Kentucky.  One of the key comments from his daughter was how Wendell always said - "look and see" to her as she was growing up. It taught her to really pay attention to what was around her and appreciate all of it.

By looking and seeing we stay open to all that is there and open our mind to possibilities - enhancing our creative minds. 

Look and see what you didn't see before. Enjoy.

I Don't Know

I can't remember exactly where I saw it (and I'm ok with that!), but I think it was a movie. A group of people were hanging out and a question came up that no one knew the answer to. Their first reactions were to pull out their cell phones and look it up. But one man said - "Let's not. Let's be ok with not knowing." As hard as it was for some, they resisted. They simply sat there and pondered the unknown, sharing ideas on what they thought the answer might be and ended up having a great conversation on the topic.

It's ok not to know. We jump to looking things up so quickly on our phones or other devices and miss out on the beauty of exploring ideas.

Ambiguity is one of the drivers for creativity. To improve your creative mind, exploring being ok with ambiguity is an effective exercise. It stimulates your creative thinking.

So, next time you don't know, resist the urge to look it up right away. Let your mind play with ideas and see what comes up. Then, if you have to, look it up. You will be improving your ability to create one moment at a time.

(If you would like to explore creativity drivers in greater detail, connect with me regarding the Creatrix creativity and risk taking assessment - www.ideasandbeyond.com)