Tap the Creative Inside You

Imagination is the source of creativity. It's a place where unlimited possibilities reside. It's where pure energy lives.

People are innately imaginative and creative. However, most people are simply not conscious of their imaginative and creative selves.

Creativity is the cognitive process of developing a novel idea or concept.

Teresa M. Amabile, a creativity expert, argues that creativity is not a quality of a person. Rather, it is a quality of ideas, behaviors or products.

According to her, creativity has 3 basic ingredients:

1. Domain-Relevant Skills - These are skills associated with expertise in a relevant field (e.g., artistic ability, technical ability, talent, etc.).

2. Creativity-Relevant Skills - These skills include a cognitive style or method of thinking oriented towards exploring new directions, approaches that can be used to generate new ideas, and a work style conducive to developing creative ideas.

3. Task Motivation - Recent evidence suggests that a genuine interest in a task for its own sake, rather than for achieving external rewards such as money, enhances creativity.

So how can you develop your creativity? Here are 2 ways:

1. Provocative Operation, coined by Edward de Bono - This involves disrupting your thought patterns. It works with the premise that the more you are used to something, the less stimulating it is for your thinking.

Application: Insert "interruptions" into your day. This can be writing in a different room or area, reading magazines you wouldn't normally read, tuning in to a different radio or television station, cooking and eating something different.

2. Forced Analogy - This method forces you to compare a concept, idea or problem with something else that it has little or nothing in common with. The results are new insights.

Application: Compare an emotion (e.g., elation, excitement, anxiety) with a tangible object (e.g., pen, chair, door). How is anxiety like a door?

When you need to tap the creative inside you, use these 2 techniques. Tap into your imagination and you enable yourself to create new things, come up with ideas you have never thought of before. Tap into your imagination and you awaken your creativity.

About The Author

Copyright (c) 2003-2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

Shery is the creator of WriteSparks! - a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks! Lite for free - http://writesparks.com

---

Connect With Your Creative Dream

We get so busy in our day-to-day life, with all... Read More

Creativity Management ? Overcoming Blocks

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

Magic In Your Spice Rack

Variety is the spice of life, but spices, historically are... Read More

7 Things Sapping Your Creativity Right Now

This was a very easy article to write. I was... 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

The Art of Keeping a Journal

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

Business Innovation ? Personal Creativity

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

The Healing Powers of Journaling

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

Why Teach Thinking? Why Not ?

The word 'creativity' has so many diverse meanings and interpretations.... Read More

Creativity Management ? Working From Real Life

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

What Open Stage is Teaching Me About Life

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

I Want To Create...

What would you like to create? A peaceful life, a... Read More

Fear & Creativity

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

Break An Egg For Creativity

In 1420, the dignitaries of Florence held a competition.They offered... Read More

Becoming Radiant: Boost Your Teams Creativity with Mind Mapping

I don't take notes anymore. Instead, I create one wildly... Read More

Creativity Management ? Breaking Through The Mental Barrier

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

12 Ways To Boost Your Creativity At Work

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

Who Wants To Be A Creative Genius?

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

Creativity Management and Team Size

Effective team structure is critical when managing creativity and creative... Read More

Lucid Dreaming: Discover a Whole New World

Did you know that all of your most cherished dreams... Read More

True Power: Understanding the Source of All Creation and Creativity

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

Creativity Management ? Intellectual Cross Pollination

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

How To Master Your Game

Learn how to master your area of endeavor the right... Read More

Taking it Step by Step: Combining Intuition, Spiritual Purpose, and Creativity

Something I have always found helpful is taking affirmative action... 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

Sharing Our Creative Work with Others

In my "Roadblocks to Creativity" e-course, I ask the question:"What's... Read More

Mindfulness and Independence: Observing Fireworks

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

Becoming More Creative -- What We Can Learn From Disney

When you think about the legacies Walt Disney left us,... Read More

Creativity

Creativity is the gift to mankind. This is not the... Read More

A Quick Course in Creativity

This quick course in creativity is designed to give you... Read More

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

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

Inspiration, Creativity, and Channeling ? Opening Ourselves to Greatness

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

Push The Right Button

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