Creative environments

“You can’t wait for creativity. You have to go after it with a club.” Jack London

You can improve your creative output by working in a space that contributes to your creativity. For me, that means lots of visual stimulation: books, pictures and color. I also need music or TV for background noise, toys (juggling balls, a yoyo, and a teleidoscope are my favorites), plenty of colorful marking pens, paper pads in various sizes and Post-It notes in all sizes and colors.

Other ideas are a flipchart or white board and markers, a baby picture of yourself, a symbol or picture of your vision, cartoon books or other inspirational books such as Living Juicy by SARK. You also need a comfortable chair or bed. Natural light and a view of nature from a window is also nice. If you can’t manage that, pets, a fish tank or a plant will help.

Even with the perfect environment, you may still find that you get your best ideas while driving, exercising, sleeping or bathing. Be prepared to capture these flashes of inspiration by:

· Keeping a pad and pencil by the bed.

· Having a voice recorder in the car.

· Keeping a grease pencil in the shower.

· Carrying 3/5” index cards or a small notebook in your pocket or purse

· Leaving a voice mail message for yourself

If you still find yourself in a situation where you can’t write down or record your ideas, try composing a song or rhyme to help you remember. These bursts of insight can be fleeting, so we have to be ready to catch them whenever they appear.

© Copyright 2007 Dixie Darr. All rights reserved