Imagination and Creativity

Albert Einstein once said that imagination is more important than knowledge. Under the breath of understanding this statement, we can go further and imagine our lives to be more creative in design than what we choose to believe.

"Imagination is not a talent of some people, but is the health of every person." Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The dictionary defines imagination as the ability to form ideas or images in the mind and the ability of the mind to be creative or solve problems. This means then we all have imagination, we use it in our every day life.

Many words are associated with imagination, such as artistry, creativity, fancy, ingenuity, insight, inspiration, inventiveness, informal mind's eye, originality, enterprise, resourcefulness, sensitivity, thought, and vision. Other related forms are image, imager, imagery, mental imagery, imaginable, imaginary, imaginative, imaginativeness, imagine, imaginings.

Benefits of Imagination

Jane Bolton, Psychology Today in her article "'Build Self Esteem and Zest with Intention and Imagination' explains imagination as one of the six functions of our minds (along with logic, reason, will, memory, perception, intuition). Our ability to use our imagination for our benefit plays a major part in our experience of power, self-esteem and joy. In fact, one definition of the word "empowerment" is the ability to assign advantageous meanings to life's events. Facts are facts. But the meanings of the facts we make up, imagine, and interpret all the time. We can't help ourselves--our minds are made to create meanings."

Imagination, including imagery has been approached from serious scientific, philosophical or historical perspectives. Nigel J.T. Thomas Ph.D. is a philosopher, cognitive scientist, and historian of science and psychology who has developed a web resource for the study of imagination and mental images and their relevance to the understanding of consciousness and cognition.

Taking Imagination Seriously

An Artist's View - artist Janet Echelman uses her imagination to capture a windy day and brings it to life in her art forms. She gives an artistic view and on her Ted Talks explains how she found her true voice as an artist. "When her paints went missing, it forced her to look to an unorthodox new art material. Now she makes billowing, flowing, building-sized sculpture with a surprisingly geeky edge."

A Poet's View - To take a slightly more whimsical and romantic view, let's agree with poet and spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy who writes, "Imagination is birthless and deathless, its power is inexhaustible."

If we are able to take imagination and weave it into expansive works of art, we can also take imagination and apply it to our lives. The approach we take is to look at a more imaginative way to refresh or reinvent our life stories and see through a different lens that anything that once may have been impossible is now possible.

Life Is Not About Finding Yourself - It Is About Creating Yourself

For a long time, I believed that life was about finding myself. I thought that there was a purpose I had to fulfill, and I that had to search the world to find out what that purpose was. After a long time of searching, and feeling lost, I one day decided to give up. Believe it or not, giving up on finding myself was the best thing I did for myself at the time. Why, because when I stopped looking for myself, I actually found myself.

So many of us have been told to discover our destiny or find our purpose. However, how much better would life be if people told us to focus on being ourselves? What if somebody told us to go for the things that we like and want? What of somebody told us to be the person we want to be?

Well, I am here to tell you that life is not about finding yourself; rather it is about creating yourself. It is not about trying to figure out what you want to do; it is about being glad about what you like to do. It is about going for what will make you happy when you achieve or have it. On that note, here are some thoughts to help you understand how and why life is about creating yourself.

First of all, we did not start our lives off in a lost state of mind. When we were children, we all had dreams and goals. We all wanted to grow up and be somebody special. As we got older, some of those dreams seemed to fade away as we faced challenges. Some of us fell in love with new things as we met new people and experienced new atmospheres. Some of us even stopped dreaming altogether and allowed the circumstances of life to dictate our future. However, for those of us that kept dreaming, we maintained our creativity. With that, we were still able to be true to ourselves.

Next, when we were young, we were told that it is important to be educated. We were made to go to school to learn how to read, write, and do math. We did this because our parents and teachers told us we would need these skills for life. They knew that one day, if we possessed these skills, and continually fine tuned them, we could create and awesome life for ourselves.

Last, but not the least, as a child, people would ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up. They did this to encourage us to think about our future. They did this because they knew that it was within us to decide the outcome of our dreams. They knew it was up to us to choose a road to success. Thankfully, they did not ask us questions like, "Have you found yourself?" or, "Have you been looking for yourself?"

As you can see, it is up to you to build the life you desire to live. Therefore, go for the things you want in life and be happy while doing so.

How to Access Your Unconscious Levels of Creativity

Long before I began writing my book, I knew I wanted to write but I had no idea what, if anything, I would write about.

One night I had a dream: on an otherwise blank page the word "BOOKS" was written in capital letters. I was stunned when I woke up. As I have followed my dreams for many years, believing they are messages from my unconscious, I knew I needed to take this message seriously. I thought about what books my unconscious meant. The first, I quickly acknowledged, was a contribution for a book I had been asked to write; it was long overdue. But why the plural "books"?

The next morning I woke with a clear understanding of what the other book would be: an account of the journey in counselling of a number of my ex-clients. The following morning I woke with the chapter titles in my mind; those chapter headings changed very little over the next six years, as I completed the book. My dreams assisted me during those six years.

Paying close attention to our dreams is the most effective way of accessing unconscious levels of creativity, because they reveal to us hidden feelings, desires and truths that we may not recognise with our conscious mind. Sigmund Freud described dreams as "the royal road to the unconscious" and with my clients I have seen repeatedly how tuning in to dreams can send us down a path we may not have considered.

We dream every night, but many clients assure me they never do. I look into their eyes and tell them that now that I have asked their unconscious, I am sure they will remember a dream. They invariably do. It often comes as a shock, especially to male clients, because their dreams may reveal to them inner feelings and aspects of themselves that surprise them. On reflection, of course, they recognise the authentic feelings presented by their dreams. As a counsellor I rely on clients' dreams, as they reveal a great deal about the client's situation. It can be difficult initially to understand dreams without the help of an expert because they present stories to us in an almost forgotten language, via image and metaphor. Sadly in our society we are no longer accustomed to tuning in to our inner world.

If you would like to access your creativity via your dreams, the first step is to decide to pay close attention to your dreams. Next to your bed, have pen and paper and when you wake from a dream, write down everything you can recall - where you were, who was there, what was happening. When you come to look at this closely, you will start to understand what the dream is trying to tell you. Your unconscious will reward you once you begin to pay attention.

My practical advice on accessing hidden creativity is simply to begin, anywhere. Start writing, if that is what you would like to do. Write on any topic, for as long as you wish. Keep practising. Or if you would like to dance, sing or play music, look for a class that appeals to you. Just start.

Beware of the critical you. Explore your creativity, silencing the voice inside you which says "Not good enough". The truth is that while you may not be the next Picasso, Hemingway or Mozart, you are good enough - for you.

Unblocking Creativity: 9 Tips to Help It Flow Again

First of all, creative block happens.

Why does it happen?

- Responsibilities

- Stress

- Time (or lack thereof)

- Environmental conditions not suitable

- Worry

- Fatigue

This list could go on and on.

So how can you unblock creativity?

1. Creativity can strike at a moment's notice. Usually it comes when you're trying to fall asleep or do another important task. Carry a small sketchbook/notebook with you and/or keep one next to your bed to jot down ideas as they come. I'm a Post-It Note type of person, so I like to carry a pad in my purse and stick them on my computer so I remember.

2. Change the environment. We are putting a new roof on our house. The constant pounding, power tools and people coming in and out isn't exactly conducive to creativity. That's an example, but the point is, if something is happening in your home (construction, a husband who doesn't have an inside voice, or pets) that is keeping you from being creative, go somewhere. Try a coffee shop, even a library can be a good environment. In my area, there's an old theater that they turned into a bookstore/coffee bar. It's a great place for me to work on my computer.

3. Don't think you have to do a creative project and don't see it as a chore. While I have a business and rely on producing art for income, I always remind myself that when I had a corporate job, I dreamed of doing this. You'll still experience stress, deadlines, etc., but remember that being creative doesn't have a timeline.

4. Take a break. If you're knee-deep in a project and get stuck, walk away. Sleep on it. Play with the kids (human or four-legged). Often times, motivation will come back. It could be minutes, hours or days. Don't rush it. Let it happen naturally. The more you push yourself to be creative, the harder you'll find it is to grab hold of.

5. Peruse other artists'/crafters' websites. Sometimes you have to pull inspiration from others... and that's OK. Obviously, don't steal their ideas, but sometimes feeling their creativity can spark your own.

6. Minimize clutter. You've heard this many times. Organize your materials, buy some new baskets at the Dollar Store, or totes at Walmart and make organizing fun. Once you see progress, you'll want to continue. Once it's uncluttered, you'll enjoy the space and want to be there more often.

7. Keep a comfortable temperature. I love being chilly and warming up with a blanket and slippers. However, when my hands are cold, they become stiff and I lose the steadiness I need to create my art. Bottom line, keep your room at a comfortable temperature so that you're not being distracted by being too hot or too cold.

8. Journal. This doesn't have to be an everyday thing. In the same book you write your ideas in (#1 on this list), write down what you think is blocking your creativity. Take a look at it and see if there is a way to change it. Sometimes getting it on paper can put it in perspective.

9. Talk to someone- a friend, your mom, husband/wife- same as writing it down, verbalizing your thoughts and concerns can help you work through them. Sometimes if I'm stuck and can't figure something out, I call my mom. I'll explain the issue, then come up with a solution as I'm talking to her. In the end, she hardly said anything and usually she ends the conversation with, "glad I could help!" Just her listening allowed me to hear my thoughts out loud.

Remember, creative block happens all the time. These tips are what have helped me, as an artist, get through it.

The Audacity of a Dream and How It Can Change the World

The world as we know it today is the culmination of the development of the dreams of those who had the audacity to believe that the impossible was actually possible. It wasn't easy for those who had visions of a better way of doing things. Many were regarded as crazy, outlandish, eccentric, laughable, and some were simply dismissed as nothing more than "dreamers". Arthur Schopenhauer correctly observed that, "Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed, secondly it is violently opposed, and finally it is accepted as self evident."

We all remember the history lesson of how the first explorers believed that the Earth was flat and you could fall off the edge of the Earth. Then, someone had the audacity to suggest that the Earth was round and set off to prove it. Later, someone had the gall to suggest that a human being could escape the gravitational pull of the Earth and land safely on the Moon. Even later, some crazy fool thought that it would be possible to link the World through some crazy idea called the Internet. Today, we are exploring even crazier ideas such as the "God particle", the existence of worlds beyond our own solar system, and various ways to conquer and/or prevent disease.

Dreamers are different. They have the ability to suspend their disbelief or doubt. They reason that there must be a way and they just couldn't live with themselves if they didn't at least try. Often, these trials last many years but something inside pushes them onward. Dreamers are certain that they can bring the imagined into physical existence. The quest itself takes on a life of its own and brings a sense of purpose and satisfaction to the dreamer. The dreamer realizes that the actualization of the dream itself is merely steps away. Taking action keeps the dream alive and, with focused action, ultimately the dreamer is rewarded.

ENTER THE DREAMERS

How can we do this better?

While Henry Ford did not invent the automobile, he is widely credited with being the pioneer of the mass production of automobiles. During the early 1900s the average consumer could not afford an automobile. Ford had a vision for making cars affordable to the public at large while efficiently assembling the product and thus enabling massive output, lower costs, and higher profits. While he was credited with the idea, the actual concept and development came from several of his employees, notably, Clarence Avery, Peter E. Martin, Charles E. Sorenson, and C. Harold Wills. The important thing is that Ford was always asking the question, "How can we increase efficiency and lower costs?" Again, the power of the mind at work and, more importantly, the collective power of several minds at work.

I have stories that I can tell on the big screen.

Lost in a sea of tourists and working as a tram operator, Anthony Zuiker came up with the idea for a TV series that focused on the forensics of criminal investigations. He was continually writing and, when coworkers would ask what he was doing, he would say that he had ideas for scripts he was working on. The cynics and naysayers dismissed him and even told him he wouldn't amount to anything. Years passed only to see those people eat their words when he became the Executive Producer of all three CSI franchises and would go on to acquire a net worth of approximately $100 million dollars. Further, the ideas he came up with provided entertainment for millions and produced jobs for thousands. A true testament to the truth that vision can become a reality.

How can I use my wealth and influence to enable a brighter future for children?

Oprah Winfrey had a dream. If there were a way to empower young girls to reach for something better and to become successful like herself, she would do it. Ms. Winfrey put her time, money, and influence to work to create an environment where little girls in Africa could learn to be leaders. The premise being that education would promote peace and prosperity. The result was the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Again, because someone dared to dream and to take action, numerous people benefitted tremendously.

Why wait until I'm a senior citizen to enjoy retirement? What about multiple mini-retirements along the way instead?

When Tim Ferriss was in his 20's, he was, by many measures, already a success. But he didn't feel like one. He felt like his business was running him instead of the other way around. He had an online nutritional supplements company called BrainQUICKEN which he subsequently sold to a London based private equity firm. During this time, he felt like many business owners in that if he were to disappear for a few weeks and go and enjoy himself, the business would fall apart. But, Mr. Ferriss had a bit of the scientist gene in him and decided to test that theory.

What followed was experiments in disappearing for a while and coming back to see that the expected results (total disaster) never bore out. An idea was born that one could take mini retirements throughout their career whether you were a business owner or even worked for somebody. For those working, one could negotiate "remote working agreements" with their bosses and actually be in Spain working and the boss would never know.

Can I really be more than I am at this moment? Could I really make it a reality?

I think all of us at some time or another has been dissatisfied with our station in life whether it's finances, career, personal relationships, or something else. During these private moments, we have dreams of what we'd like to be or become. Unfortunately, we start listing to ourselves all the reasons why we can't pursue that dream. As a result, what may have been will never be. That's a tragedy because often when we follow our dreams, we also allow other people to believe that it's possible for them as well. Further, were the dream to become a reality (which happens every day), it could potentially benefit untold numbers of people. Think about the world that would exist if more people really went after what they wanted. The truth is that we all dream these dreams, but few act on it. My dream is that we all, myself included, pursue our dreams and, in the process, find ourselves in a new reality transported to a richer more satisfied world.

Building Underwater Sand Castles - When There's A Will There's A Way

Indeed, I have a friend who does financial planning with a team of accountants and estate lawyers and not long ago, I was having a conversation about all this and stated "only two things are guaranteed; death and taxes," and then she told me that "when there is a will, there is a way!" Interesting double-entendre, and yet, there are some things which are almost impossible to escape or simply cannot be done for instance; building a sand castle underwater. Now that I've piqued your curiosity, let's talk.

Okay so, you are probably saying; "hey, that's just not possible, it can't be done, and the laws of physics simply won't allow it," and if you have any science background you might start by discussing dissolved solids, liquefaction, and other stark realities to prove your point. Sure, okay, but what if I introduced some new strategies to this equation and proved you wrong? Well, let's try to create the impossible. Why? Because, at our think tank this is our specialty, solving problems, and yes, whereas, building sand castles underwater is silly, why not think of all the potential uses and applications if we could, better yet, when we figure this out.

What if I gave this challenging project to a group of engineers, what do you think they might come up with? Would they try to put a dome at the bottom of the sea, pump in air, builder a sand castle, spray it with some sort of sealant or coating, and then slowly let the water back in - or would they try something else? Would they attempt to take the sand to the surface and make it into blocks, and take the blocks back underneath the water and builder their sand castle that way? After all, there are many ways to skin a cat, and it is surprising what you can come up with when you stop to think about it.

Yes, when there is a will there is a way, and with a properly done estate plan and will, this can help you from paying too much in taxes after your demise. Still, you have to ask yourself is anything really impossible? Perhaps this is something I'd like to recommend to engineering students to think on. It is these tough questions and difficult assignments which make engineering one of the finest professions which will best serve humankind in the future.

You must challenge yourself to solve any problem that is presented. Creativity and innovation can be had in art or science. You might laugh at the concept of; "underwater basket weaving" until of course you try it and see how difficult it actually is. Please consider all this and think on it.

Architect In Retreat

When we were studying architecture, we felt that we are so poetic, creative, philosophical and even powerful to a certain extent. We create something out of nothing, we dictate how people live in our creation, sometimes we even felt that we are playing the role as God! During the creative 5 years that we have to go through in an architecture school, everything around us becomes the abundant raw materials that we can tap into to develop our ideas. We become idealistic and perfectionist. To us there is nothing that we cannot do. As a result of this environment and our strong belief at that time, we produced out of the world architecture; we developed brilliant ideas and we challenge the conventional way of life. We were presenting a better solution to our current social problems by creating a better living condition through our design.

Do you still remember such a time when you managed to design great buildings because you know that you could not fail and there was no constraint to hold you back? I'm sure we all do, it is just that some of us have been practicing in the industry for far too long that we haven selectively forgotten such wonderful moments that we experienced during our study life.

When we practice architecture in the industry, we are all too preoccupied with council's guidelines, client's budget and employer's expectation that our creative capabilities were systematically erased over time. Majority of architectural firms end up becoming more like drafting companies producing drawings designed by someone else to submit to the local council for approval. We don't even care whether the developer will follow our construction drawings and build according to plan as our employers' only concern is to be able to receive their professional fees.

Do you think architects can produce design that can benefit the society as a whole in an environment like this? The answer is an obvious NO! We are constantly worrying that the client might not accept our design; that our submission would be rejected by the local council and other firms would snatch future projects from us. Imagine this, if there is a heavy metal chain around your legs, do you think you can run fast and far? All these constraints around us are like the metal chain that is stopping us from unleashing our full creative potential.

If you study architecture just because you want to earn a living, then wouldn't a Medicine degree make more sense to you? Of course, we may never be able to replicate the experience we got from university in the real industrial situation, but we can at least be more assertive in defending our ideas and not let other parties dictate our every move. If you fall into this group of architects, then you should consider quitting practicing as architect right now! Yes, quit your job and do something else. At least take a break and rethink about what you really want. The sad truth is you can never be creative if you continue to stay in the commercial industry. The power of economics is simply too great that it will overpower you and you have control over nothing.

In order to produce architecture, you should consider doing something else that can earn you a living while you sharpen your architectural skill in the meantime through some experimental design or writings. Put yourself back into the learning environment of the university once again and explore new possibilities to our current social woes because after all architecture is not just about building, it is about a way of life. Give yourself a break and recharge your design power before you plunge yourself back into the mundane professional life that satisfy only other people's expectation.

This may be an extreme approach to some but it is something that worth pondering upon.

Sing an Irish Song, the Right Way

If you're Irish and you want your voice to be heard where do you go to sing an Irish song? This is a more complicated question than at first it appears. Irish music has many sides, traditions, and etiquettes. It's important to know the differences. The Irish music community can be a tight-knit group, non musicians are confused when attempting to sing or participate in an Irish session. Your first step is to educate yourselves on these differences.

Most true Irish sessions are built around tunes and music, as opposed to words or lyrics. Think of jigs and reels, as opposed to folks singing songs back and forth. The session players stay true to the tune and try to do justice to the music. There is on an occasion the opportunity to sing an Irish song at a traditional Irish music session, but it is usually from a regular. These songs are less well-known, sometimes sung in Irish or in the Sean-nos tradition. So a real Irish session isn't the perfect spot to sing your Irish folk song.

You find yourself at the local pub and a nice little band is playing your favorite traditional Irish folk music. This for sure will be your chance to let a song out, not so fast. These guys are performing, they are paid by the owner of the pub to entertain the crowd and keep them eating and drinking. There may be a chance to sing a song but you had better be good.

What you are looking for is an Irish singing session, singers session, or singsong session. These are specifically set up for people to sing their favorite Irish song, provided they follow a few rules.

1. There will be someone in charge of the session, they normally ask for a song from people they know. They also will throw out invitations to add a song, they are subtly in charge.
2. Watch and get a feel for the group, it's important to be patient, sing along with a chorus or two and enjoy your fellow singers.
3. You do not have to be a great singer, I once heard a woman sing a song in Cork Ireland, she had the worst voice and the best performance at the same time.
4. Know the words. Nobody likes to put up with a new singer to their group that fumbles through the songs and has more apologies than choruses.
5. When your time to sing your Irish song comes, sing a song you love and commit.

Find yourself a singer's session and let that Irish song out, I can't think of a better way to spend the evening. If you are having trouble finding a singers session, find a few fellow Irish song lovers and start one at home.

Creative - Factors Influencing an Individual to Be A Creative Observer

There are many novel creations in the world created by the creative people. Creative people can create a new ideas and concepts for a problem which is rational and practical in nature. Each and every creative people have the deep understanding of the nature of the life and the world. Creative thinking requires different ways of observing. Creative people understand the values of different things in a different situation. There is a direct relationship in the way an individual thinks and an emotional state of an individual. An individual perceives the same thing in different manner relating the surroundings with their subject of interest to create some new ideas. The generation of an innovative idea depends upon the level of interest in a particular subject in an individual. I have explained the process of an individual changing into a creative individual.

The process of the development of a creative observation skill in an individual is as follows:

1. The first step in an individual behind the development of skill of creative observation is an occurrence of an emotional event. An emotional impact can change the person's way of thinking. For an example, creative people are found being deeply influenced by some individual which makes them want to do something different.

2. The second step in an individual in the development of the creative observation skill is an exploration of their subject of interest. An individual begins to explore for their subject of interest which is eventually found by an individual. This helps them in learning things in faster pace because of their curiosity.

3. The third step in the development of the creative observation skill is the change in the way they perceive. They are so much interested in the subject matter that they begin to perceive the nature relating it to their subject of interest.

4. The final step in the development of creative observation skill is the change in the way they observe the surroundings. They are interested in finding new problems and solutions related to their subject of interest so they have the tendency to observe the nature searching for the problem and finding out the solution of the problem which helps them to generate new ideas.

These are the steps which are involved in the development of the creative observation skill in an individual. The level of creativity depends upon the level of interest of an individual in a particular subject matter.

When you are deeply influenced by some creative people, it can help you to be a creative thinker because you want to be like them. This will make you a creative observer.

Creative Solutions

It's not only 'artsy' people who benefit by having a creative talent. Creativity is the basis of solutions to even the most mundane problems people face in life. It's a spark of creativity that brings an idea for many new business startups. Creativity also plays an important part in solving problems both in everyday life as well as in the workplace.

One of the things that creative people have in common is passion. While discipline is important and a person can be trained in discipline, when passion is already present, you don't have to train yourself to become disciplined. The passion for what you are doing will drive the discipline naturally.

Being interested in something isn't the same thing as passion. While interest will drive creativity at first, when the interest diminishes, creativity for the subject may diminish as well. Creative people who are passionate about a subject will keep striving to learn more and question how an idea or product can be changed or improved. It may very well be that the problem isn't that you are not creative; you just don't have the passion in the area.

Don't make the mistake of waiting for inspiration and passion. Get in the habit of being creative by searching out a task or problem that needs a creative solution every day. Get to know yourself and what your enjoy doing, not just what you know that you are good at.

Many people who have doubted that they had the ability to write were surprised to find that journaling was a key to finding inspiration and passion. When convinced that their writings didn't have to be shared with or judged by others, the journaling process was allowed to succeed and being free to write about anything without the fear of being judged allowed new ideas to present themselves almost magically on the paper.

Doodling also can bring hidden ideas to light. When the hand is allowed to work on its own, it's surprising what it can tell you about yourself. When you are faced with a problem that needs a creative solution, don't just look at it like it was a roadblock that won't let you through. Change your way of thinking about it. Look at it from a different angle. Step back from the problem and let it compost for a while. Draw the problem out and doodle your way to a solution.

Be confident that you are creative and creativity will come.

5 Ways to Get Smarter

The brain is an amazing organ; the coordination centre of sensation and intellect. There used to be a misconception about our brains, our intelligence, and our IQ. We used to think that we were bound to live with the intelligence level we had at any given time. New research has shown that we can become more intelligent, smarter, and increase our IQ levels by taking some specific yet simple actions. These are the actions to take to become smarter and more intelligent:

Action #1: Reshaping The Brain

Lets start with our brains. Our brains have elasticity and plasticity. Over the course of your life, your brain has the ability to reshape connections when faced with new experiences. At any age, the brain can grow new neurons and the more mental stimulation you get, the more brain function is improved. By brain training exercises and games you can improve your attention, problem solving skills, memory, and processing speed.

Action #2: Learn a Foreign Language or Two

New research suggests that learning a foreign language gives you a mental boost. It also protects you from age related mental decline and lowers the risk of developing problems of memory loss or mental decline. Those who speak several languages have a reduced risk of developing cognitive problems. Learning a foreign language provides the brain with a mental workout that fine tunes the brain and makes your brain more powerful.

Nowadays you can learn a foreign language in the comfort of your own surroundings and just by devoting about 20 minutes a day over a period, you can learn to speak a foreign language. Learning new languages contribute to make you "smarter". Let's face it, it makes you appear to be more sophisticated as well.

Action #3: Do Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual thinking tool that helps you get information out, generate ideas, and analyze information. Mind mapping jogs your creativity and helps you think in a more lateral way. It helps with cognition and maximises the power of the brain. When you need to think and generate information which is something that we do very often, mind maps help you to make the most of it and really use the power of your brain. At work and at home, you can use mind mapping for your thinking and analysis of information.

Action #4: Diet and Exercise

There are certain types of foods that help to boost your brain power like blueberries, oily fish, whole grain foods, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, brown rice, and broccoli. Talk to your doctor about your diet and about exercise so that you can get a diet and exercise plan that is scientific and really works for you.

Action #5: Increase Knowledge

Your brain has the ability to do more and you can stimulate the brain through brain training, brain games, and learning foreign languages. In addition to improving cognitive ability, you should also increase your knowledge while stimulating the brain. Read books and explore new areas of study. It helps to keep your brain sharp and makes you more knowledgeable while doing so.

10 Wonderful Ways to Ignite Your Creativity

Each of us is born with a unique set of talents and gifts.

Whether you paint, write, sculpt, dance, compose, sing or play music... whether you're an entrepreneur or an aspiring leader in your field... or looking to be more fulfilled in your chosen profession...

When you get your creative juices flowing you feel more alive. When you express yourself in some creative fashion, you feel more joyous, fulfilled and free. We are all born to create and be creative.

With that said, here are some wonderful ways to help you get those juices flowing...

1. Connect to the place of wonder and awe within - Play with crayons and let your inner child out. Watch the sunset. Find the awesomeness and wonderfulness in life. Creative inspiration will follow.


2. Let go of any "conscious" agendas - Getting out of your own way can spark the creative impulse. Be guided by your intuition or "Higher Self" and allow the creative spirit to move through you.


3. De-Clutter - While "creative types" may have a knack for messiness, clutter can block the flow of your creative juices. Do a spring cleaning regardless of the month of the year!


4. Get out in nature - Nothing like majestic mountains, towering evergreens or an expansive ocean to stir the heart and inspire a creative burst. Take a walk, a hike, a jog, a bike ride or a drive through nature and your creativity will blossom.


5. Listen to great music - Music adds color and dimension to life. Play one of the great classical pieces or any other music that inspires you and unleash your creative genius!


6. Follow your bliss - Passion is the essence of creativity. It's what gets you up in the morning and keeps you going all day long. Focus on what you're passionate about and ignite your creative fires.


7. Dance as if no one's watching - Dancing is a great way to move energy. If you're feeling stuck or in a rut, get your groove on! Pretend no one's watching... even that part inside you that may think the whole idea is just plain stupid. Rekindle the fun.


8. Watch an inspirational movie - Inspirational movies connect you with your heart wherein creativity is given birth. Make some popcorn and rent a good movie this weekend!


9. Break for beauty - Find beauty in your surroundings... in the opening of a flower, the setting of the sun or a star-filled sky. Take beauty breaks throughout the day and reconnect with what inspires you.


10. Unplug - Turn off the cell phone and television. Leave your inbox alone. Decompress from the constant bombardment of our hi-tech world. Find your creative center and live from that place.


11. Bonus Idea - Meditate. Take some time each day to meditate. You can sit in mindful silence... focus on a "mantra" or phrase... or even do a walking meditation. However you choose, meditation can help you stay connected to the inner source of your creativity and vitality.


12. Bonus Idea - Gratitude. Overwhelm and stress are creativity-killers. Sometimes just thinking about all the things you are grateful for in life can lift the fog and weight of your concerns. You'll feel more free to be the creative, magnificent person you are meant to be..

Life can be a creative adventure... even when the path is rocky or the road ahead is unclear. Use these suggestions to help unlock and ignite your creative genius. As a wise person once said, the journey is the destination.

Here's to making it a creative journey!

How to Develop a Creative Mind

The power to develop a creative mind is sometimes underestimated. This statement may seem controversial but it is not. It is rather a fact. The mind is always active regardless of what we are doing. This fact also cannot be disputed in any meaningful way. Every person should be a witness to this constant activity of the mind. If you look at the past five minutes or so, you will notice that many thoughts have crossed your mind. If you look back three days, then it will be almost impossible to remember all the things that have crossed your mind. All the thoughts that may have come to you within the past three days must be too numerous to remember. This is a hint that every person has the power to develop a creative mind.

Ideas flash constantly upon every mind. Your mind, a storehouse of mental power and unlimited knowledge, is always churning and ready to unleash its creative potential if you help it to do so. Every person has a brain. Where there is a brain, there is a mind. And where there is a mind, it can be creative if the right conditions are produced for creativity. The process of creativity, as with many other human qualities, can be learned.

The development of a creative mind is not a function of the level of intelligence. This means that every person can be creative. The development of a creative mind begins appropriately with the process of self-discovery. Every individual has a brain as we have already seen. All of us also have talents in one or more areas. Some of the talents are apparent but most of them are hidden. Nature is responsible for this distribution of talents. If this were not the case, nature would have done a great deal of injustice to some people. So in the absence of a major handicap, every person can acquire a creative disposition from his apparent and hidden talents. The way to do so is to use the process of self-examination to uncover areas of interest and capabilities.

The ability to do certain things comes to us naturally. Such things are easy to recognize if you are truly capable of doing them. Even so, you will still need frequent practice to determine the feasibilities of the things you wish to do. By doing so, you will also discover whether you can do them with ease or not. Unlike those talents that come to us naturally, many others are usually hidden. The process of self-discovery comes in really handy to bring out those talents you never knew you had. This is critical to the development of a creative mind.

As an instance, if you have never written any article, it does not mean that you cannot write a book. You may have all the hidden talents to be a good book writer. But until you start writing and learning more about that subject, you will never know how good a writer you can be. The same thing applies to all activities. Take a closer look at yourself and never underestimate your capabilities. Use brain-storming and write down a long list of ideas and examine them carefully. At this initial stage, you should be concerned with quantity and not quality. The list should include all the things you are interested in doing and also those things you will like to do regardless of whether you like doing them or not. Then select one of the items and make up your mind to concentrate on it. You will be amazed at some of things you can do when you set your mind on something. The process of self-discovery is an ideal place to start in any quest to develop a creative mind.

If you wish to be creative with anything, make that thing an obsessive need. The idea of obsession is a time-honored way of developing creativity and doing great things. When you make something an obsessive need, you decide that there is a good reason why you must have it. It also means that you make it an obligation on yourself to acquire it.

One thing accordingly leads to another in many positive ways and finally into a passionate indulgence. Be passionate about an idea and you will open many doors of possibilities concerning that idea. The first action that normally follows a passion is a microscopic examination of the subject in question. You develop an unusual interest, which encourages you to learn as much as possible about it. In that process, your concentration and imagination helps to uncover many possible solutions. You may also discover other ways to originate a concept. Passionate indulgence ensures that your passion stays alive and your knowledge about the subject continues to increase. Your creative mind can becomes awakened.

The next logical step in the creative process is independent thinking. Freedom of thought is one of the best ways to find solutions to problems. The premise behind independent thinking is that a mind that is already predisposed to generating ideas will be even more active if it is tuned for more ideas. The mind, which is prompted about a problem searches constantly for solutions to our predicaments consciously and unconsciously at the same time. The conscious activities of the mind are normally obvious and need no explanation. The subconscious activities on the mind, on the other hand, are often not apparent and need a little elaboration.

Your subconscious mind is always active. This occurs in the deeper part of your brain, which stores many thoughts that are not yet available for access. As you think about how to solve a problem, you may come up with an idea to solve that problem consciously by working for it. But consider that some solutions sometimes seem to appear out of nowhere. This happens to all of us. Such solutions may have been in your subconscious mind all along but only surfaced because you did not quit thinking about that problem. Your subconscious mind is still working actively even in your sleep. This explains why we wake up sometimes and suddenly remembering and thinking and coming up with ideas to solve some of our pressing problems.

Take advantage of independent thinking and let your mind wander controllably in search for solutions to your problems. When it comes to ideas, a wandering mind feeds on itself. That is to say, an idea once originated from independent thinking, generates more ideas with further application of independent thinking. In no time, a perfect solution crystallizes and activates your creative mind.

As an extension of independent thinking, the idea of repetition is a proven method of developing a creative mind. The inspiration to do something again and again has many benefits. These benefits are based on the principle that the more you do something, the better you get at it. Practice indeed is what leads to perfection. When you perform an activity and do it over and over, its procedure becomes grounded into the mind. You learn more ways to do it better as time goes on. After awhile, the way to do that activity becomes second nature to you and needs little or no effort. This is how people become experts at certain professions. Repetition promotes active learning, creative behavior and builds up valuable experiences. Experience is usually the priceless knowledge gained from direct observation or participation in an event for a certain reasonable length of time.

All inventors use the process of repetition extensively. When you see an invention, outsiders do not regularly have any idea of how long it took the inventor to conceive and discover the item. As a rule, it takes many trials and more trials to come up with great inventions. Inventors try and try again while all along elevating their interest in the venture. Repetition is unquestionably one of the best exercises for the brain.

Physical exercise, as we know, has many benefits. These benefits translate into good health, which would have been impossible without the repetitious nature of the exercise. In the same way, we get better and better at doing something if we employ the mind again and again at performing that activity. The natural creativity in you also gets better and better the more presence of mind you have on this subject. We learn more and more each time until the point of perfection is reached. Perhaps, more than any other activity, the idea of repetition plays a more productive role in unlocking the mysteries to many of our pursuits. Make use of the concept of repetition. It has too many advantages and all of them are conducive to the development of a creative mind.

Every person has the ability to develop a creative mind. Nature gave every individual a brain and made that possible. Even so, a creative disposition will not come to you as a birth right. You have to take the necessary steps in order to activate your creative mind. In this endeavor, you must maintain a concentrated mindset, imaginative conduct and visionary behavior to harness the creative power of the mind.

Every person should make the development of a creative mind an active preoccupation. Creativity must become an inseparable part of your life. This means that procrastination should have no place in your activities. Indeed procrastination is one of the greatest destroyers of dreams and must be eliminated from all the things we do. Never postpone any activity you can do today. Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not wait for tomorrow. It may never come. Once postponed until tomorrow, you defeat yourself in many ways. Each day brings its activities and it does not help to add them to each other unnecessarily. The postponement of activities is counter-productive to the accomplishment of goals.

When it comes to creativity, today's science fiction often becomes tomorrow's reality. Most of the achievements we see today were inconceivable a few years back. But thanks to the imagination and persistence of some individuals, new inventions pop up from time to time. This process has been going on since the beginning of time and will continue till the end of time. The lesson? If you believe in the value of something, use passionate indulgence to engage your mind, body and soul into it until you realize your dream. Take all the necessary steps to develop the natural creativity in you. Be humble enough to listen and learn from others but never allow any negative suggestions to stop or discourage your drive to activate, discover and establish your creative mind.

For more information on how to develop a creative mind and general self-improvement techniques, please visit http://www.selfimprovemania.com.

How to Develop a Creative Mind

The power to develop a creative mind is sometimes underestimated. This statement may seem controversial but it is not. It is rather a fact. The mind is always active regardless of what we are doing. This fact also cannot be disputed in any meaningful way. Every person should be a witness to this constant activity of the mind. If you look at the past five minutes or so, you will notice that many thoughts have crossed your mind. If you look back three days, then it will be almost impossible to remember all the things that have crossed your mind. All the thoughts that may have come to you within the past three days must be too numerous to remember. This is a hint that every person has the power to develop a creative mind.

Ideas flash constantly upon every mind. Your mind, a storehouse of mental power and unlimited knowledge, is always churning and ready to unleash its creative potential if you help it to do so. Every person has a brain. Where there is a brain, there is a mind. And where there is a mind, it can be creative if the right conditions are produced for creativity. The process of creativity, as with many other human qualities, can be learned.

The development of a creative mind is not a function of the level of intelligence. This means that every person can be creative. The development of a creative mind begins appropriately with the process of self-discovery. Every individual has a brain as we have already seen. All of us also have talents in one or more areas. Some of the talents are apparent but most of them are hidden. Nature is responsible for this distribution of talents. If this were not the case, nature would have done a great deal of injustice to some people. So in the absence of a major handicap, every person can acquire a creative disposition from his apparent and hidden talents. The way to do so is to use the process of self-examination to uncover areas of interest and capabilities.

The ability to do certain things comes to us naturally. Such things are easy to recognize if you are truly capable of doing them. Even so, you will still need frequent practice to determine the feasibilities of the things you wish to do. By doing so, you will also discover whether you can do them with ease or not. Unlike those talents that come to us naturally, many others are usually hidden. The process of self-discovery comes in really handy to bring out those talents you never knew you had. This is critical to the development of a creative mind.

As an instance, if you have never written any article, it does not mean that you cannot write a book. You may have all the hidden talents to be a good book writer. But until you start writing and learning more about that subject, you will never know how good a writer you can be. The same thing applies to all activities. Take a closer look at yourself and never underestimate your capabilities. Use brain-storming and write down a long list of ideas and examine them carefully. At this initial stage, you should be concerned with quantity and not quality. The list should include all the things you are interested in doing and also those things you will like to do regardless of whether you like doing them or not. Then select one of the items and make up your mind to concentrate on it. You will be amazed at some of things you can do when you set your mind on something. The process of self-discovery is an ideal place to start in any quest to develop a creative mind.

If you wish to be creative with anything, make that thing an obsessive need. The idea of obsession is a time-honored way of developing creativity and doing great things. When you make something an obsessive need, you decide that there is a good reason why you must have it. It also means that you make it an obligation on yourself to acquire it.

One thing accordingly leads to another in many positive ways and finally into a passionate indulgence. Be passionate about an idea and you will open many doors of possibilities concerning that idea. The first action that normally follows a passion is a microscopic examination of the subject in question. You develop an unusual interest, which encourages you to learn as much as possible about it. In that process, your concentration and imagination helps to uncover many possible solutions. You may also discover other ways to originate a concept. Passionate indulgence ensures that your passion stays alive and your knowledge about the subject continues to increase. Your creative mind can becomes awakened.

The next logical step in the creative process is independent thinking. Freedom of thought is one of the best ways to find solutions to problems. The premise behind independent thinking is that a mind that is already predisposed to generating ideas will be even more active if it is tuned for more ideas. The mind, which is prompted about a problem searches constantly for solutions to our predicaments consciously and unconsciously at the same time. The conscious activities of the mind are normally obvious and need no explanation. The subconscious activities on the mind, on the other hand, are often not apparent and need a little elaboration.

Your subconscious mind is always active. This occurs in the deeper part of your brain, which stores many thoughts that are not yet available for access. As you think about how to solve a problem, you may come up with an idea to solve that problem consciously by working for it. But consider that some solutions sometimes seem to appear out of nowhere. This happens to all of us. Such solutions may have been in your subconscious mind all along but only surfaced because you did not quit thinking about that problem. Your subconscious mind is still working actively even in your sleep. This explains why we wake up sometimes and suddenly remembering and thinking and coming up with ideas to solve some of our pressing problems.

Take advantage of independent thinking and let your mind wander controllably in search for solutions to your problems. When it comes to ideas, a wandering mind feeds on itself. That is to say, an idea once originated from independent thinking, generates more ideas with further application of independent thinking. In no time, a perfect solution crystallizes and activates your creative mind.

As an extension of independent thinking, the idea of repetition is a proven method of developing a creative mind. The inspiration to do something again and again has many benefits. These benefits are based on the principle that the more you do something, the better you get at it. Practice indeed is what leads to perfection. When you perform an activity and do it over and over, its procedure becomes grounded into the mind. You learn more ways to do it better as time goes on. After awhile, the way to do that activity becomes second nature to you and needs little or no effort. This is how people become experts at certain professions. Repetition promotes active learning, creative behavior and builds up valuable experiences. Experience is usually the priceless knowledge gained from direct observation or participation in an event for a certain reasonable length of time.

All inventors use the process of repetition extensively. When you see an invention, outsiders do not regularly have any idea of how long it took the inventor to conceive and discover the item. As a rule, it takes many trials and more trials to come up with great inventions. Inventors try and try again while all along elevating their interest in the venture. Repetition is unquestionably one of the best exercises for the brain.

Physical exercise, as we know, has many benefits. These benefits translate into good health, which would have been impossible without the repetitious nature of the exercise. In the same way, we get better and better at doing something if we employ the mind again and again at performing that activity. The natural creativity in you also gets better and better the more presence of mind you have on this subject. We learn more and more each time until the point of perfection is reached. Perhaps, more than any other activity, the idea of repetition plays a more productive role in unlocking the mysteries to many of our pursuits. Make use of the concept of repetition. It has too many advantages and all of them are conducive to the development of a creative mind.

Every person has the ability to develop a creative mind. Nature gave every individual a brain and made that possible. Even so, a creative disposition will not come to you as a birth right. You have to take the necessary steps in order to activate your creative mind. In this endeavor, you must maintain a concentrated mindset, imaginative conduct and visionary behavior to harness the creative power of the mind.

Every person should make the development of a creative mind an active preoccupation. Creativity must become an inseparable part of your life. This means that procrastination should have no place in your activities. Indeed procrastination is one of the greatest destroyers of dreams and must be eliminated from all the things we do. Never postpone any activity you can do today. Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not wait for tomorrow. It may never come. Once postponed until tomorrow, you defeat yourself in many ways. Each day brings its activities and it does not help to add them to each other unnecessarily. The postponement of activities is counter-productive to the accomplishment of goals.

When it comes to creativity, today's science fiction often becomes tomorrow's reality. Most of the achievements we see today were inconceivable a few years back. But thanks to the imagination and persistence of some individuals, new inventions pop up from time to time. This process has been going on since the beginning of time and will continue till the end of time. The lesson? If you believe in the value of something, use passionate indulgence to engage your mind, body and soul into it until you realize your dream. Take all the necessary steps to develop the natural creativity in you. Be humble enough to listen and learn from others but never allow any negative suggestions to stop or discourage your drive to activate, discover and establish your creative mind.

For more information on how to develop a creative mind and general self-improvement techniques, please visit http://www.selfimprovemania.com.