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95 percent of what we know about the brain, we have learned in the last 20 years. So, your beliefs about creativity were probably shaped by faulty information.
For instance, many believe that only special, talented people are creative – and you have to be born that way.
Wrong.
The notion that ... Views: 927
The Four Elements
I've often noticed how water can inspire moments of creative problem solving and inspiration.
Some people "plant" a problem to be solved under their pillow before sleep. Similarly, when I need inspiration about a project or situation I’m facing, I’ll sometimes, "plant" it ... Views: 2251
Do you secretly hold an “ascetic self-flagellant, it-must-be-hard-to-be-good, that’s for other people” attitude about your creativity?
(Don't waste your time telling me you aren't creative--life is the ultimate creative act and you are alive, or else you wouldn't be reading this).
Self-care ... Views: 1105
I used to be a jazz singer. I thought Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan were wonderful and I strived to sing like they did. But no one impressed me as much as Billie Holiday. The tragedy and the talent meshed together into a musical offering unlike any I'd heard. I was inexplicably drawn to the ... Views: 1025
I used to be a jazz singer. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, they were wonderful and I strived to sing like they did. But no one impressed me as much as Billie Holiday. The tragedy and the talent meshed together into a musical offering unlike any I'd heard. I was inexplicably drawn to the drama ... Views: 1034
I was reflecting on how I spend a week each year in Taos, New Mexico at the Mable Dodge Luhan House co-leading a retreat with author and performer Suzanne Falter-Barns (www.howmuchjoy.com). Another Taos Writer’s Spa is coming up at the end of July this summer. We create a circle for women where ... Views: 1161
In a previous article I mentioned a new credo that I'm working to adopt into my life, and that's to "do one thing (at a time) and do it well".
When I can focus my thoughts, efforts and energies on that ONE thing (at a time), I'm much more productive and I enjoy my work (or play, or learning) ... Views: 1044
I spent last week making art in two different workshops. It was a very humbling week. I encountered that first hard bump of learning something new, that first jolt of, "Oh no, I can't do what I want to do, I can't make what I see in my head or feel in my heart." When I learn something new, I ... Views: 1077
The "Sensazione" chapter of the book, "How to think like Leonardo da Vinci", by Michael Gelb, is dedicated to re-awakening and sharpening each of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
As artists, we get to play in the land of the senses as often as we allow ourselves to. And ... Views: 1221
Stage fright can be an incredibly debilitating condition that can keep artists locked away in their own homes, carefully guarding their creative gifts. Then those gifts never see the light of day, and they're never seen by the world. And stage fright doesn't only inhibit performing artists. If ... Views: 1112
My husband and I went to see a production of "Forever Tango!" presented at the Angela Peralta Theater just two blocks from our home here in Mazatlan.
After all, since we're moving to Argentina in July, we need to learn more about tango, which was born in Buenos Aires back in the late 1800s. ... Views: 1978
Over the centuries, human beings have developed many techniques to gain access to their inner wisdom and improve learning.
One technique that many people have found very beneficial is to have an imaginary guide that they can call on for advice and insight.
A modern variation of this ... Views: 1909
It isn’t just about “looking good” or eating disorders; body image relates to our identity, and how we think about and accept ourselves, which directly or indirectly affects how we access the awareness and emotional energy we need for creating.
Body image issues can be especially significant ... Views: 1444
Many creative artists are uncomfortable with praise and compliments. We can be so busy judging ourselves harshly that we don't quite know what to do with positive feedback.
We almost wish people would just "come out and say it," "it" being the negative thing that they're REALLY thinking, just ... Views: 6867
"Clever people seem not to feel the natural pleasure of bewilderments, and are always answering questions when the chief relish of life is to go on asking them." - Frank Moore Colby
Creativity asks of us a certain level of curiousity. Every new piece of art, music or writing is unknown when we ... Views: 1039
We can be just as afraid of our strengths as we are of our weaknesses, and just as afraid to succeed as we are to fail. In her book, A Return to Love, in a passage that was made famous by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 Inauguration Speech, Marianne Williamson writes:
"Our deepest fear is not that ... Views: 1050
Many great things have started as an simple, creative idea. Consider donating some of your best ideas to help others. The more creative you are, the more ideas you will be able to create. You can be creative even if you don't think you are.
I have known many people that were scared to use a ... Views: 1450
There are many models and techniques that aim to help people come up with creative ideas. In this article I describe an original way of using Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences as a helpful pattern for generating a wide range of ideas in any subject.I must first review the basics ... Views: 1849
When all is said and done, building a business is not rocket science. But you must reach out and build meaningful relationships by being very clear about who you are, what you offer and how you offer it.
Please do not confuse this with networking. To succeed at creating a business that ... Views: 1052
Healthy criticism can help refine our talents and creative projects in the pursuit of excellence. But when it is based on a excessive perfectionism or an unrealistic self concept, criticism can be destructive and self-limiting, eroding our creative assurance and vitality.
Many creative people, ... Views: 2216
In my 2004 e-book, the Creativity Interviews, I asked 7 questions about the creative process to 19 creative artists from a variety of disciplines.
One of these questions was "what does creativity bring to your life?"
As I'm looking through the answers with new eyes, themes start to pop up in ... Views: 1936
"So I am not the only one having these creativity blocks? This makes me feel less lonely." - Martine, Painter
Why IS it so vital to our creative fulfillment to connect with our fellow artists?
Support – Asking for support is often the last thing we think of, even when things are at their ... Views: 1058
Personal Brilliance is the result of mastering the everyday habits that create a lifetime of success. Personal Brilliance is the sum of what you’ve learned, experienced, and practiced. Awareness, curiosity, focus, and initiative are the catalysts that spark innovative thinking and light the way ... Views: 2511
Since I've been offering Artist Retreat Day programs, I've been hearing a lot about the concept of "permission". Some artists who said yes to a retreat day shared that this was a much-needed structure to enable and empower them to FINALLY give themselves permission to take time for their ... Views: 995
Lucid dreaming is dreaming while being aware that you are dreaming. The idea is that once you are aware you are dreaming you can alter your dreams and control what happens. Once perfected, it allows you to control the direction of your dreams. This is an enticing prospect for creative problem ... Views: 2246
The exploration on consciousness will be an increasingly subject in Quantum Physics as any observation is changing the results of the experiments we perform. At the very small the illussion of matter becomes more obvious and the realization that nothing is independend from each other more ... Views: 1455
I've been studying science lately, in the form of a book called "The Science of Getting Rich", written by Wallace Wattles in 1910. To download your free copy of this book, visit: http://www.scienceofgettingrich.net/gifts/everyday_artist.html
This book has created enormous shifts for me in how I ... Views: 1079
copyright 2005 by William G. Covington, Jr. PhD
Thoughts might be intangible but they are real. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote about the reality of these unseen forces and how managing them can have significant consequences. If you do not control your thoughts, you usually limit what goes on ... Views: 1126
Doing anything creative often brings up fears, anxieties, insecurities. Courage may be defined as going ahead in spite of fear. But many creators not only live with their fears, they welcome them.
Fear is perhaps the most basic emotion we have. As Leonardo da Vinci reportedly said, "Fear arises ... Views: 3121
How many times have you told yourself, “I want to be more creative in my life” and how many times has that ended up on your New Years resolution list along with wanting to exercise or eat better, with similar disappointing results.
Well, I have good news and bad news for you today.
The good ... Views: 1546
Creativity for the mystic has special meaning. In the world of the mystic all is one. This means that there’s only one Creator. Your job as an artist, painter or writer is simply to attune with this One source of all creation, listen and report on what you’re told. This is the essence of divine ... Views: 1463
Repetition Is The Key To Learning Something Deeply
Repetition is the key to learning something deeply. It works most effectively when you are isolating a small amount of material, because the object of your focus will be more specific.
When you have the correct chord movement for part of an ... Views: 1912
In the "Roadblocks to Creativity" e-course, we look at the 7 most common things that block our creative expression. So, if we're "blocked" when we're facing those things, what are we like when we're free of them?
Well, certainly we're connected to our "Inner Artist". This is a part of each of ... Views: 1214
Everyone's a poet.
Of course, everyone's a critic, too! This means that there are plenty of opportunities to heighten our awareness of words and how we use them.
Words create pictures, and just as a painter uses a combination of colors and strokes to express a concept, we offer an artistic ... Views: 1350
Yes you got it. You read it correctly. We’re not out of our minds. We really are saying that “anything that’s worth doing is worth doing poorly”. When we found this quote by Joachim DePosada on the web site: The Gary Halbert Letter, it struck such a huge cord. It made such immediate sense to ... Views: 1296
Copyright 2005 by Dr. William G. Covington, Jr.
Creative people operate within a "dialectical tension between involvement and detachment" write psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Passion can only come where strong emotions are present. Emotions will not be activated when one is ... Views: 2281
We get so busy in our day-to-day life, with all the doing and actions and daily chores, that we can quickly lose sight of the BIG PICTURE. What's it all for? What are you working towards?
If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?
Taking the time to connect ... Views: 1066
A player at any level of skill can draw soothing music from a harp
It may seem daunting to imagine yourself playing a harp. But it really isn’t such an impossible task. To ease you into that possibility, let me share some perspectives with you. Learning to play the harp is like painting by ... Views: 1219
Where are you when you get your best ideas? This was a question posed by Michael Gelb, author of "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci". Most people say the shower, bed, garden, the walking path or treadmill. Hardly anyone says great ideas come at work. In fact Robert Frost once joked "The brain ... Views: 2191
Everyone has a book in them – or so the saying goes. In 2001 I had an idea that it should be possible to develop a computer program that would help ordinary people realize their dream to write their own novel. So we started developing newnovelist. We were confident that we had the right ... Views: 1363
Copyright 2005 by William G. Covington, Jr. PhD
Formal education emphasizes the left hemisphere of the brain, the part that processes information in a rational, logical way. However, in recent years, there has been increased interest in exploring the overlooked right hemisphere which houses the ... Views: 2978
Tips on Breaking the Creative Block
There’s no question that creating anything is hard to do. Here are some tips if you find yourself creatively blocked.
Set a goal
Set a goal for yourself. For example, it could be to write one poem, one short story, to paint two small paintings or create ... Views: 1199
This was a very easy article to right. I was late in getting started this month, and as my publication deadline got closer and I could no longer wait until I “felt” like writing an article, I was forced to sit down and do it. In doing it, I thought about the last month (when I meant to be ... Views: 1146
When you think of being more creative, what comes to mind? Most people think in terms of artistic skills, but creativity manifests itself in a number of ways beyond the obvious. Picture creativity like a jet stream that flows all around us: when we step up to the flow and dip our hands in, we ... Views: 1482
Creativity is a mysterious force that visits us with great ideas, new ways of seeing the world and the courage to do things differently. Revitalizing your creative talents will help you in the most unexpectedly wonderful ways: a new business idea, a renewed commitment to self-care, an ... Views: 1303
The ability to exercise your creativity is even more important for you than you probably think. Why? First, your creativity tremendously contributes to your self-actualization, which is essential for you to feel satisfied with your life and be happy. Second, it is exceedingly important for being ... Views: 986
Creativity and innovation begin with the spark of an idea. But for so many, the process ends there with no plan to manifest. Understanding simple ways to turn your ideas into action will give you the edge to turn that spark to a flame and rise as a leader in innovation and creativity.
These ... Views: 1692
All problems are not equal. Some will bite you. Some just nudge you. Those nudges are worthy of more attention.
There are two types of problems, acute and chronic, with two distinct warnings signs and different methods of solving them. You need to be aware of both and how to deal with them. ... Views: 1203
"Companies are increasingly falling into two categories - those that are innovative and those who go out of business" Dan Branda
CEO HP Canada
A company should never be satisfied with its products and services. You must always be innovating. Hewlett Packard began with $500 in cash and ... Views: 1875
copyright 2004 William G. Covington, Jr. PhD
Structure is important in maintaining achievement over a period of time. Creative people sometimes seem to desire a lack of structure because the right hemisphere of the brain is stimulated when less structure is apparent, however on closer ... Views: 2368