Do you ever find yourself clicking from blog to blog and wondering how all those people sustain such high levels of creativity? I know I do; and I especially wonder about those bloggers who work full time, raise families, and write craft blogs all at the same time... what?!? They are endlessly amazing to me.
The key to my creativity is simple: I have a job with a large amount of down time that I like to spend knitting and brainstorming craft ideas. For me, those breaks in between our shows are like blogging gold.
So how do non-professional show skaters do it? The Huffington Post sheds some light on the issue in their post (which is today's Link to Love): 5 Unexpected Ways to Spark Your Creative Genius
I thought their point about writing by hand was interesting, and I'd love to get one of those Aqua Notes pads to write in the shower.
I was a little bit scared by what they had to say about watching TV, though. Here's a snippet.
"Though we all feel inexplicable inspired when watching bachelorette meltdowns, this kind of mindless activity is not one that fosters brilliance. One study reveals that watching such low-brow (sorry) entertainment actually makes us dumber."I'm sorry to say that I'm guilty of watching Dance Moms way more often than I should admit. I guess that's a habit I might want to think about breaking.
One area where I'm definitely not failing, though, is liberating my mind to wander while doing monotonous activity. We've performed our ice show 170 times so far this summer. I can basically do it in my sleep at this point, and I often catch myself thinking through knitting patterns while I'm on the ice. I really do try to focus on the show, but maybe it's not such a bad thing that my mind wanders from time to time.
What do you think of the Huffington Post article? Do you already do the things they suggest? Do you have other ideas for sparking creativity? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Happy reading!
xoxo
Laura
Thanks for sharing this article! I think the writing by hand tip is spot on! I am most able to dream up projects when I sit down with a pen and paper and write up a long list.
ReplyDelete-Becca
Ladyface Blog
I really like the "turn off the telly" tip from the post. I don't watch any TV (unless there is a whole season of a show I like on netflix) and I feel like this has really helped me foster my creativity by daydreaming about my crafts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
-Lisa
I admit it, I love Dance Moms too. The article is probably correct about that show squashing creativity though. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's tough to be creative when you are in a job where your brain doesn't rest. I teach sixth grade, so my mind is jumping from one thing to the next constantly. When I get home I just want to sleep most of the time! It's really critical for me to be super organized at work so I have free time to be creative at home.
I like the idea of having a waterproof notepad for those shower ideas! I'm a big fan of writing by hand, I find that I brainstorm better on paper than on a screen. That was a really great article, thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteI just nominated you for the Liebster Award!
ReplyDeleteCheck it out here:
http://www.calijae.com/2013/08/second-liebster-award.html
I adore your blog, so glad I found it. I haven't read the HP article but I will after this comment. I think it is okay to watch some junk TV - we need it to wind down. Dance Mom's isn't gonna warp you. Unless you spent 5-7 hours per day watching a bunch of junk TV.
ReplyDeleteAs for day dreaming while you're skating...I once heard Julie Andrews say in an interview, when she did Sound of Music (or maybe it was My Fair Lady or some other show) on Broadway, she knew the lines and music so well that she would plan her dinner menu while on stage. I guess when you have performed your show 170 times, it is muscle memory so you can then go into an altered state and do other things with your mind.
Susan N. Kent, WA (cuz my profile below is "anonymous".