Quiz -- Are You Creative?

Worried you may not be creative or you may not be creative enough? This quiz will help you find out just how creative you are.

Take a piece of paper and number it from one to seven. For each question, write down the corresponding letter of your answer.

1. When you come across a rose, you immediately:

A. Smell it.
B. Quote every rose poem you can remember.
C. Write your own poem.
D. Sketch the rose.
E. Step on the rose.

2. One of your dreams in life is to:

A. Write a novel.
B. Become a painter.
C. Travel the world.
D. Climb all the famous mountains.
E. Just once, get everything done on your to-do list.

3. Your desk:

A. You have trouble finding as it's buried under everything including the kitchen sink.
B. Resembles a natural disaster.
C. Is a bit of a mess, but you know where everything is.
D. Is basically neat -- you use the stacking method.
E. Is in perfect order -- everything in its place.

4. The person you admire most is:

A. Einstein.
B. Walt Disney.
C. Your mother.
D. Jane Austin.
E. Anyone who can get everything crossed off his or her to-do list.

5. You consider yourself:

A. Extremely creative.
B. Creative.
C. Somewhat creative.
D. A little creative.
E. About as creative as a turnip (come to think about it, turnips may be more creative then you are).

6. You get new ideas:

A. All the time.
B. Several times a week.
C. Several times a month.
D. Once or twice a month.
E. You dimly recall getting a new idea when Clinton was in office. Or maybe it was the first Bush.

7. You dream in:

A. Color.
B. Black and white.
C. Both black and white and color.
D. You can't remember now.
E. Nothing. You don't dream.

Scoring:

Throw out all your answers except for number five -- "You consider yourself:". If you answered:

A. Extremely creative -- Then you're extremely creative.
B. Creative -- Then you're creative.
C. Somewhat creative -- Then you're somewhat creative.
D. A little creative -- Then you're a little creative.
E. About as creative as a turnip -- Then you're about as creative as a turnip.

Okay, this was a bit of a trick. But it's true. How creative you think you are corresponds with how creative you really are.

A couple of studies illustrate this. A big company wanted to increase creativity in its employees. So it hired a group of consultants to come in. The consultants started by thoroughly testing all of the employees. They discovered the only difference between the employees who were creative and those who weren't was this: Creative people believed they were creative and less creative people believed they weren't.

Even more telling was what happened to the group that wasn't creative. The consultants focused on helping them nurture their creativity. At the end, those employees were actually more creative than the ones who had initially considered themselves creative.

And that means you too can become more creative. In fact, how creative you become is entirely in your own hands.

Creativity Exercise -- Assumptions

Ready to become more creative? Here's an exercise.

Write down all the reasons why you're not creative. Go on. Write them all down. Every negative reason you can think of.

Things like:

I've never been creative in my life.

I haven't had a new idea in over a year.

I don't have time to be creative.

Now reverse those negative assumptions and make them positive. Like so:

I am a creative person.

I have lots of new ideas all of time.

I don't need time to be creative because I already am creative.

Do this every day and see what happens. This is a great way to start getting rid of those inner demons that keep all of us from realizing our true potential.

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at http://www.writingusa.com.

---

Overcoming Artists Block (Part 1)

How many times does an artist stare down at that... Read More

Connect with Your Muse

Lately I've been discussing how to thrive as a creative... Read More

Mindfulness and Teaching: Lessons From Dynamic English

Back in 1983, I was hired to teach English in... Read More

Tips on Breaking the Creative Block

There's no question that creating anything is hard to do.... Read More

Mindfulness and Poetry: Delicious Word Awareness

Everyone's a poet.Of course, everyone's a critic, too! This means... Read More

Unleash Your Creativity and Think Your Way Out of the Box

The brain is a strange organ. It works in ways... Read More

True Power: Understanding the Source of All Creation and Creativity

"True Power" is a series that will focus on proven... Read More

Think Orange! Creativity and the Sacral Chakra

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could just flick a... Read More

Connect with Your Inner Artist

In the "Roadblocks to Creativity" e-course, we look at the... Read More

Creativity Management ? Artists and Creativity

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Top Five Reasons to Cultivate Your Creativity

Cultivating your creativity is more than spending time with a... Read More

Top Ten Ways To Jump-Start Your Creativity

1 - Take A Tour of the Great Outdoors Consider... Read More

Overcoming Artists Block (part 2)

Once you are ready to start working again you will... Read More

Mindfulness and Music: Things That Go Hmmm

Shhh... can you hear it?One of the most powerful forms... Read More

Inspiration, Creativity, and Channeling ? Opening Ourselves to Greatness

Channeling is much easier to do than most people suspect.... Read More

Connect with Your Surroundings

Clutter is one of my favourite topics, and I've written... Read More

The Power Of Your Intuition

We all have enormous reserves of mental capacity that we... Read More

Top Five Journal Exercises

Keeping a journal is a form of creative expression that... Read More

Creative Thinking versus Critical Thinking

The process of creative thinking is often, mistakenly, intertwined with... Read More

Mindfulness and Independence: Observing Fireworks

"It's a free country," they say. "Celebrate our independence," I... Read More

Make EVERY DAY An Artist Retreat Day

What do you enjoy most about going on an Artist... Read More

Fear & Creativity

My fears are most powerful when they're simmering just under... Read More

Forget Thinking Outside The Box....GET Outside The Box

I happened to overhear a conversation the other day between... Read More

Go Ahead and Think Outside the Box!

I am trying to create a discipline where I blog... Read More

Top Ten Creative Strategies for Inspiring Creativity Where You Work and Play

Websites, automobiles, milk cartons, living spaces. Design saturates every aspect... Read More

Dare to Dream

Have you ever thought of this? When you were young... Read More

Should You Quit Your Job for Your Dream?

The next time you're moodily sitting in your office, wishing... Read More

Mindfulness and Creativity: The Wow of Wonder

You are so creative.Don't deny it. Whether or not you... Read More

You Dont Have To Be An Artist To Be Creative

Imagine that a block of ice has been set on... Read More

Creativity Isnt Just About Art It Is About Healing

Go on, pick up a pen, hold it in your... Read More

We Tend To Make Up Our Own Truths: What Stories Are You Making Up?

Someone once said that man keeps looking for truth that... Read More

12 Ways To Boost Your Creativity At Work

As workplaces continue to rightsize and downsize, we all find... Read More

The Art of Keeping a Journal

Journal keeping is basically without rules. It is an uncensored... Read More