Creativity

by Beth Zurkowski

Everyone has some creativity, but kids have the most. As we grow older we lose some.   People who are experts in this field say at age 0-5 we have 90% creativity. At age 7 we have only about 20% and as an adult we only have 2%. This is unfortunate for people who want to be creative in fields such as writing, art science, and technology.  We start to lose originality when we are told what to make and how to make it to get a good grade in school. And that means we are not using our imaginations.

·         To encourage ideas to form, as an artist or writer, you need to carry around a notebook to jot down ideas and cut newspaper clips and put them into a scrap book.

·         Find pictures to add captions to. Go crazy. It doesn’t  matter if it’s silly. No one needs to see it. Draw cartoons, little doodles. Do art and writing every day.

·         Daydream—just imagine what would happen if you could fly. Where would you go?. How would it feel? Who would you meet?

·         Brainstorm—It’s okay to have weird ideas. You never know you might come up with a solution to a problem or even invent something.

·         Do word associations—Come up with ten key words and let your imagination go. What do the words suggest to you? Write them down. You will be surprised with what you come up with.

·         Paint what a song sounds like or a food item tastes like. In essence change sound or taste into sight. Or describe how a song tastes.

·         Keep your curiosity—What have you always been curious about, but never pursued ?  Go explore and try to get your child-like wonder back.

·         Keep an open mind – don’t write the same book over and over like you are following rules. Break free of you constraints and experience new areas you have never been before.

·         Leave your comfort zone—Do something scary and wild.

·         Create passion for your idea—Feel the power that creativity has over you.

·         Play—Everyone seems to have difficulty finding time to just play. Play is important for human development and survival. It’s perfect for problem solving as well as social and communication skills.

The right side of the brain is creative. The left side is logical and used for technical ideas. But Einstein believed creative people used their whole brain. At work it is encouraged to always use the left side of the brain. We have to conform with the ways things have always been done. My sister is a drafter and it’s encouraged at her work to think creatively-- out of the box. But those jobs are scarce.  To be creative you need to be a leader and go down new avenues of adventure. Not to worry, It is possible to get the creative juices going again.

Beth Zurkowski  is an article editor to the Apollo’s lyre. She is done with her first novel, The Shade Riders and Nocturnal Ned and trying to find an agent at this time. You can visit her on the web at Http://Bxerk.net.