Recent Articles
Get Yourself Juiced Up
November 30, 2011No Comments
Some days, creativity comes easily. Other days, it’s more of a struggle. On those days when it’s just not happening, try starting your creative session by listening to music that gets your creative juices flowing.
This is my creativity playlist. I’d love to hear about any songs that get you into a creative groove.
Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
Flower [...]
Characters to fall in love with
September 8, 2011No Comments
Sometimes there’s nothing I need more than to fall in love. Desperately, hopelessly in love.
With a character, I mean.
One who makes me laugh, makes me cry, expands my heart, causes me to stay up until the wee hours of the morning trying to discover what happens next.
For those of you who are looking for your [...]
Cross train to keep your creativity in shape
September 8, 2011No Comments
Creative work is a lot like exercise: You’ve got to use your muscles regularly so they don’t turn to flab. And with both creativity and exercise, practicing one activity at the exclusion of everything else may not be the best way to improve your overall ability level.
Olympic champion Michael Phelps, who many believe is the [...]
Want to give your creative work new life? Take a close look at negative space.
December 20, 20102 Comments
Sometimes you’ve got to face the truth: The project you’ve been working on for months sucks. It may be a phenomenal idea, but for whatever reason, it’s just not working.
At this point, you have two choices: give up or find another way to make it work.
Like all creative people, I’ve experienced this myself. Recently, I [...]
To connect with your audience, create from the heart
September 9, 20104 Comments
Imagine a 34-year-old construction worker talking about the inspiration Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” gives him. Or a 28-year-old U.S. Marines officer who is moved by the William Butler Yeats poem “Politics” because he, like Yeats, chooses the love of a woman over war. Or a retired corporate executive who finds joy and fond [...]
Rituals to help inspire your creativity
August 10, 2010No Comments
In his days as lead singer and lyricist for Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant performed the same action before each concert: throwing a TV out of a window. Today, the less reckless Plant gets his creative juices flowing in a more grown-up way: by drinking a pot of tea and ironing his clothes. Pop star Madonna [...]
Creativity dysfunction? Time to get it UP!
August 6, 201010 Comments
We all know them—bloodsucking so-called friends who feed off of your creative energy, leaving you exhausted and unable to muster the emotional reserves you need for your craft. They waste your time, pee on your creative ideas, see your creative pursuit as a mere hobby and expect you to work for free. Worse, these “we’ve-always-done-it-this-way” [...]
Sex up your brainstorming
March 26, 20102 Comments
Your brainstorming sessions are dead in the water. You’ve been banging your head against the wall for weeks and still can’t come up with kick-ass creative ideas for a personal project or innovative solutions for a problem at work. These techniques will help you bust through that block and add a little va-va-voom to your [...]
Creativity black holes
March 23, 20101 Comment
Being creative energizes you and makes for a richer life. It makes sense, then, to protect yourself from things that suck your creativity. Here are some black holes to avoid.
The Green-eyed Monster
Another videographer had a break that you didn’t have? A designer whose work you admire uses software you can’t afford? Your favorite writer doesn’t [...]