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.

---

Self-Care for Creative Artists: 10 Reasons To Care About It

1. To be more comfortable in performance situations ? performance... Read More

Learn A Life Skill TODAY!

Did you ever watch your grandma knitting?Wasn't it boring? Didn't... Read More

Self-Care for Creative Artists: 5 Ways to Start Today

Self-care is the path to creative expression. By paying closer... Read More

The Healing Powers of Journaling

For the past several years, I have found joy working... Read More

A New Discovery Of An Old Secret

Some years ago, when the world seemed to close in... Read More

Our Limitless Quantum Reality

Modern science tells us that on a sub-atomic level --... Read More

Are You Creative?

Have you ever heard the saying, "The harder I work,... Read More

Why Creative Visualization Works

Experience has shown that creative visualization works. It is quite... Read More

New Inventions - From Absurd to Wacky!

New inventions? Heard of a revolving restaurant combination television tower?... Read More

How A Creation Box Can Work For You

Bring to mind a time when you decided that you... Read More

Overcoming Artists Block (part 2)

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

What Open Stage is Teaching Me About Life

After many years of performing as a vocalist, I switched... Read More

Innovation Through Concept-Combination

There are many creative problem solving techniques used by inventors... Read More

Creative Drought

For the past several hours, I've struggled with this week's... Read More

Business Innovation ? Personal Creativity

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

Creative Memory Tricks

What's the biggest problem with memory tricks? Remembering to use... Read More

Mindfulness and Independence: Observing Fireworks

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

Top Ten Reasons To Start Creativity Coaching

DEVELOP YOUR ARTISTIC CONFIDENCE I'd really like to write but... Read More

Mind Mapping

Ever been on a project where you had trouble keeping... 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

Creativity and Communication Lessons from Crossing the Street

Spring is in full bloom, which means it's 'get back... Read More

Art, Artists and Money

Practical money tips for people in the arts.1. Sock it... Read More

Who Wants To Be A Creative Genius?

Can You Learn Creativity?Have you ever watched Robin Williams do... Read More

Creativity: The Key To Getting More Done In Less Time

If your to-do list seems as long at the end... Read More

Are You Inventive Enough to be an Inventor? Some Guidelines to Invention Success!

Inventors make a ton of money when the invention is... Read More

The Source of Growth and Creativity

Bare attention (to objects, people and circumstances) is what brings... Read More

Computer In The Shop? What Do You Do Now?

Have you ever had one of those days when you... Read More

Push The Right Button

You can live a much more successful life than you... Read More

Creativity Management ? Synergy of Craft and Art

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

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Think Creatively

You may have heard of Roger von Oech's book, A... Read More

The Optimal Mind State

Let's begin by defining the optimal mind state and the... Read More

The 7 Simple Steps To Harnessing Your Creative Power And Achieving Incredible Success

Let me repeat what I believe is the most powerful... Read More