Boost your creativity with 13 thinking tools

[picapp align="none" wrap="false" link="term=tools&iid=5065648" src="a/6/3/b/Open_toolbox_closeup_3aa9.jpg?adImageId=12838263&imageId=5065648" width="337" height="506" /]Have you ever heard people say that you just can’t learn to be creative, you have to be born that way?

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I have. All of my life as an artist, many people have insisted that “you either have it or you don’t”. I am always trying to see things in a more plastic and flexible way. I know I have continued to improve my creative flexibility by implementing different strategies of thinking.

I take time away by myself to just be, I take a moment to stop and really pay attention to my surroundings, I will investigate a news incident that I am particularly interested in, collect inspiring quotes, bake some cookies, spend 2 hours dedicated to drawing, go to art shows, really stop and listen to the sounds around me, and most importantly, listen to my own inner voice! Reading books by other artists and experts in  education and intellectual development has given me new tactics and reinforced my time tested belief. I believe that we all have the capacity to think creatively and to find the artist inside. One of the most helpful books was written by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein, who wrote Sparks of Genius. They actually studied the most creative people in the world and then broke the skills down into 13 different categories. IThis book is a comprehensive study of how to hone your creative skills.

I actually teach these to children!  They love stretching their minds and learn to overcome their fear of making a “mistake” so they can risk trying  some new ways of thinking. I share the tools here with you, briefly, and will continue to expand each one in a series of posts on developing your own creative IQ.

Check back early in each week to find out how to truly integrate these tools into your everyday thinking! For now, here are short summaries of thow can help you to become a more creative thinker!

• Observing is to watch something carefully. It is important to do because you increase your knowledge and awareness . It keeps you safe. You develop your ability to describe, reflect and remember.
• Imaging is to form a mental image of something that is not present. it is important for you to do because it helps provide meaning to what you experience and greater understanding to what you learn. Your imagination helps you to create something that never existed before!
• Abstracting is to simplify what you see to a few important lines, shapes or colors, words or symbols. it is important to do because you remove non essential information so you can see what is really important about something.
• Recognizing patterns is to organize random events around us that we see hear and feel, by grouping them.
• Making patterns is done by combining an element or operation with another in a consistent way.
• Making analogies is to discover connections between things that seem very different.
• Body thinking occurs when you are aware of how you feel and where your bod is in space. Many times your body senses things physically before you intellectually  become aware of it.
• Feeling empathy means to see the world through others eyes and understand hoe they feel.
• Thinking in dimensions is to understand that you can see things in 2d or 3d; that you can change the  scale or proportions of things.
• Modeling is to make things smaller (like a building) or larger (like dna) in order to understand it better.
• Playing is to do something just for fun. it is important because you can try things out without worrying ; to make your own rules; to change how you usually think.
• Transforming means to change a concept by looking at it from one form into another.
• Synthesizing is a way of thinking that combines different ways or understanding, such as using the senses, memories, scientific knowledge together in a unified way. This creates an awareness of the many connections ,helping you to understand i more deeply because you can experience it in so many different ways.

Do you sometimes have trouble accessing your creative side? What do you do to transform the problem into an opportunity to create? I love to get your comments. Dialogue is yet another way of inspiring creativity!

There is a great blog post from Michael Nobbs' blog drawing inspiration in discusses his successful use of setting limits to get more done!  And here is a post that will get you moving in a positive (and creative) direction from Mark McGuinness in his blog, Lateral Action.

Art is not a product, but a process!

"At the birth of the word 'art', it was a verb that meant

'to put things together.'

It was not a product but a process.

If we can reclaim that view of art-

as a way of looking at and doing things, as a series of experiences and experiments-

all of us gain a fresh grasp on the proven and practical ways to construct the quality of our lives.

from Eric Booth in "The everyday work of art"

Check out this "Ducks & Drakes" by    nkhverma for another perspective on how art is defined. it's also packed with a lot of ideas about writing and creaticvity.

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Be creative like Rocco Landesman in the NEA

“Creativity belongs to the artist in each of us.To create means to relate. The root meaning of the word art is to fit together and we all do this every day. Not all of us are painters, but we are all artists. Each time we fit things together we are creating-whether it is to make a loaf of bread, a child, a day.”

Corita Kent

After reading the article in the New York Times about Rocco Landesman in the New York Times, I find myself encouraged. Rocco is an artist in the real sense of using the skills of art, of fitting things together.He is an outspoken supporter of the arts using his creative skills to build a scaffold upon which art thrives and encourages growth and development in towns across the nation.The name of his campaign, as National Endowment for the Arts Chairman is "Art Works". It suddenly dawned on me that this is exactly the approach that the enterprising little hamlet of Oyster Bay, NY is successfully engaging in.

You know, it IS actually happening in Oyster Bay!  Galleries and artists are beginning to quietly thrive in this laid back town.  The Chase Edwards Gallery , Atelier Gallery, Art that Matters and the Teaching Studios of Art exhibit, educate and sell artwork. On the first Thursday of each month, there is an Art Walk scheduled from 7-9pm.. The galleries above are mentioned and sponsored by restaurants and businesses in town, many of whom also display artwork and stay open for the Art Walks so that customers can drop in for a bite to eat or to shop.

It is encouraging to see the community support for the arts on both a national and local level.

It is also true that each of us can engage in the actions of artists each day. Do not be afraid of trying a new idea, making a mistake, thinking outside the box. That is how Rocco, Oyster Bay and you can make new discoveries and initiate new ways of looking at your life . That is how discoveries are made, businesses are born and people create things that give flight to our imaginations!

How to rediscover yourself in a new place

[slideshow]How I needed a vacation this spring! Oh yes, it has been a long time since I spent any amount of time creating anywhere but in my studio.Suddenly I was off to another place with my  sack of supplies, and heavy load of books. I was on a beach. I slept. I read. I painted. I drew.

My work was reinvigorated. You can do this too.

Find a place to go that you love.

Give yourself the gift of time to listen to your internal voice. I need quiet space and early morning hours to listen.When and where do you listen internally?

Leave time and quiet space to meditate. Make sure you have designed some time with no obligations to anyone but you. How can you kindly and judiciously isolate some uninterrupted time?

Bring simple materials to work with. I needed books, paper, pens and pencils watercolor and water. I actually didi bring too many books! They made traveling arduous. What do you need to bring?

Keep your goal simple. Mine was to sketch every day as necessary with the measured regularity of sleeping and eating. It would be a process, like breathing, not an event, like a party. If you limit yourself to one goal, what would it be?

Reflect on what you have learned.

From taking too many books, I learned that I need to make more time to read in my regular daily schedule. They weighed down my bag and my psyche.

You can do this in a small scale each day without going away. Going away can help you to stick to your goals because you have changed and temporarily simplified your environment which helps with focus.

If you would like more ideas about minimizing what you need  visit  this specific post by Leo Babauta in Zen Habits . To explore the benefits of working regularly, check out the inspiring post by Phillipe Benoit  at The French Easel.

What turns your creative intelligence on? I would love to hear some of your suggestions!

Why being creative is a lifesaver

When you think of a lifesaver, you usually would think of a doctor or emergency  medical technician.

Or a life vest. Or a lifeguard. And you would be right.

I have experienced, however, that I can physically live without observing the beauty of the world around me.

I know that we can plod through our lives without imagining what we could become. As Ken Robinson of The Element says,

“ ...we tend to take our imaginations for granted completely.We’ll even criticize people’s perceptions by telling them that they have ‘overactive imaginations or that what they believe is ’all in their imagination.’  People will pride themselves on being ‘down to earth, ‘ realistic’ and ‘no- nonsense’ and deride those who have their ’heads in the clouds.’ And yet, far more than any other power, imagination is what sets humans apart from any other species on earth.”

Ken Robinson’s definition of  imagination is

”the power to bring to mind things that are not present in our senses”.

With this power, you become free to create because you are not dependent on being limited by something you have already experienced.

Creativity is defined as to “make or cause to be or to become” in the Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus.

Imagination gives you the tools to create. To create is to bring something into being, that has never existed before!

Each person, in their own unique way, has the ability to create.

In this way, we actually create the story of our lives!

As Tom Peters says,

”Your schedule today is ... a short story with a beginning, narrative, end, and memory that lingers on.”

Tell me your story.  How are you using the material of your life to transform that life?

Nurture your creative spark

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it,                                        bearing within him the image of a cathedral.

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Keep your creative energy flowing:

~Think of every mistake or roadblock as a way of discovering something new

~Live in the now moment--be present

~Be grateful for what you have.

~Believe in and trust in yourself

~Break bread joyfully with friends & family

~Keep your physical body in good shape

~Make time to get a good night's sleep regularly

~Make time for contemplation

~Share what you have from your abundance.

I love this statement about the importance of being creative!

“It IS about engagement. You don't need to suffer, you need to live.You don't need to lose, you need to be open to risk.You need to feel what it's like to stick your neck out and be judged.You need to dance with uncertainty. You need to pursue passion with breathless zest.You need to sit in a moment, alone in a sunwashed field and let every sense flood.It's not about suffering. It's about being present.It's about connecting to what's real and what's not.It's about allowing yourself to feel.Be it from the back of a station wagon in the deep South or a pied-à-terre on Park Ave. It's about being real.”by Jonathan Fields

Just for fun, check out the Creative Exercises by Benoit Phillippe on his blog My French Easel. Check out the post Meditation and Creativity by Mark McGuiness at Lateral Impulse. He includes links to three other articles about developing creativity

I'd love to hear how you support that creative impulse of yours!

Your perception changes everything

" I believe that in the indeterminacy of drawing - the contingent way that images arrive in the work- lies some kind of model of how we live our lives. The activity of drawing is a way of trying to understand who we are and how we operate in the world."

William Kentridge

Funny, I was just beginning to write this blog about  being aware of how you look at things, people and life. What you focus on determines how you feel and then what you will create in your own life.

Then my saavy husband walked in with a video being shown on the Museum of Modern Art site,currently showing the artworks of  William Kentridge, artist from South Africa. When asked if art can change the world, William Kentridge claims its power is in us seeing and hearing the work. He detects strong influences in his life related to how he perceived the work of others. So the artist can affect us on a gut level and it helps shape us and directs our attention.

The artist, as well  is searching to find out who she is and articulate what she thinks by making marks, objects, videos in a visual language that is personal and visceral. Each of us is searching to define ourselves and our world. When we look, listen and respond...that is when the art initiates change!

Have you ever listened to music that just reframes your thinking every time you hear it? There are many songs that do this for me . Yesterday, I was at a yoga class when"Landslide". by Stevie Nicks came on. Landslide by Stevie Nicks always anchors me because I connect it with an amazing event in my life. It reminds me of an important turning point in.

Do you remember a dance, a song, a piece of music, a movie, a play, a poem, a book, an article that cuts through the chaff and touches and changed your heart? Can you think of art that affected you and how?  I'd love to hear about it in comments or share on twitter!

Here's a succinct and  honest post about Genius, misunderstood as a bolt of lightning by Seth Godin. It explains the process of creating.

Create each day...really.

A snow day in the north east!

A gift that I didn’t expect.

I look at this day as if I were painting.

Time itself is the medium.

I can imagine what I want to make of the day ... and then transform it into what I have imagined!  Just like creating a painting.

That’s why I named my blog Make art. Transform life.

Because that is the way I create.

I wake up each morning with gratitude for the gift of another day. I can plan what I want to do but what happens during that day is not in my control.

How I perceive what happens determines the richness of the day and shapes what I do with my experiences.

Just like making a drawing:

Surface: Time is  the canvas.

Material: People and events are the paint.

Applicator: My perception is the brush in my hand, interpreting what I come across each day.

Product: My actions or inactions transform each day.

So today, I image that I will make some drawings and paintings and write about the process of creating and investigate how it transforms us.

I will post my work later on in the day. What are you doing if you are snowed in today? I love to hear about how you view your options on days suddenly gifted to you, through cancellations or change in plans.

Be sure to read an inspiring  post this morning, on the Art of Great Things by Jeffrey Tang. It gives much food for thought.

Coincidently,two pieces of my artwork are being shown on the current post Live Like You Were Dying on the Religion Network, by the wonderful Lisa Bowman. Be sure to check them out!

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Living everyday creatively

I am always shocked when people ask how I find the courage to think outside of the box.  They wish they were so lucky to be born with talent to draw and paint. They wonder how I manage to t find the time to create .

The fact is, I thrive on making new things and coming up with new ideas. I get up 2 hours earlier than I have to in the morning so I can make time to express my thoughts and sustaining images in paint and graphite. I work at a job that by its nature, constantly demands that I teach my students to understand the power of creativity that is latent in each one of us., just waiting for us to discover that it really is ours!

I write this blog because of those people who wish to exercise their creative abilities in their lives. I want to share the importance of being creative...of understanding the ability that we all have to think in new pathways , to make our ideas visible and audible.

Honestly, I also need to constantly remind myself to stretch my imagination. Through the process of teaching I have found that that I learn so much more when I teach. So this blog engages me in articulating my process of working and shares my belief in the necessity of developing yours and my creative imagination.

Ken Robinson, in his book, "The Element: How finding your passion changes everything", writes

"  You can think of creativity as applied imagination.

You can be creative at anything at all - anything that involves using  your intelligence. It can be in music, in dance, in theater, in math, science, business, in your relationship with other people."

In this spirit, let me share a  blog that plays with the imagination and creativity. It is called creative every day and Leah shares a simple process of creating a design by playing with an idea.

Playing is a great way to get some creative juices moving!

Have fun! I love to hear about what you are imagining and then actually creating in your life!

Resolve to take action.

"You can only generate ideas when you put pencil to paper, brush to canvas...when you actually do something physical"

by Twyla Tharp, choreographer

Imagine, then create your year in 2010

Every day you can create a new way of looking, thinking, changing. This is your challenge as a human being. You are endowed with imagination, or the ability to see things in your mind's eye. When you make what you imagine, real, you are using your creativity!

So it is with New Year's resolutions.

Imagine what you can do with your life this year. Now make it begin to take shape by actively, step by step, making it real. Make a commitment to yourself. Your resolution is not necessarily related to making artwork, as mine happens to be. It just has the attitude of an artist . When you imagine something and then create  it, you are an artist in your life.

Seriously investigate the details of Leo Babauta's method at this link. He has really simplified  this yearly conundrum. Leo suggests that you;

Choose six habits you would like to change this year.

Choose one to focus on for the first two months.

Commit to creating this habit.

Choose a trigger to remind you to do it.

Progressively increase your commitment.

In eight weeks you will have accomplished what yo set out to do.

Take small baby steps. Reward yourself. Publicly commit to doing this.

Here is my first journal sketch, as promised.  I have linked the image to my online gallery of journal sketches. I included a few from 2009 that were inspiring to me. I have promised to post publicly, because I believe that it is important to be transparent as I am making my resolutions happen this year. I encourage you to take this opportunity to make your efforts together with me. Let me know how it works for you and what you are doing to stay on track.

I also found a fantastic book that I am reading. Is inspiring as it champions the the innate value of the creative imagination and its existence in all humans. It is called "The Element: How finding your passion changes everything"' by Ken Robinson, Ph.D. Be sure to check out his dynamic website , too!

Wield the power to become what you imagine!

[picapp align="none" wrap="false" link="term=fencing+sabre&iid=275210" src="0271/3a69a6e1-e9ae-4730-9abe-7c6b8ecaf6a7.jpg?adImageId=8718412&imageId=275210" width="319" height="480" /] It is all about how you perceive yourself, how much  time and resources you think you have.If you have always desired to create something...to make something happen, like a business, a book, a job, a sculpture, a trip, a degree, learn a language you can.  If you have always wanted to love what you do and work at what you love, you can!

And now is the perfect time to start.

A fresh new year is upon us!  I know, you've made new years' resolutions before, only to fall away before the end of January. So have I.  My successful resolutions  have been nurtured organically, gently and consistently. I  found a very helpful site! Leo Babauta of ZenHabits has done it again!  He has come up with a method of making resolutions that is simple, clear and productive. His site for this purpose is 6 changes. Please be sure to check it out for the specifics!

I am so motivated that I have already chosen 6 things I want to transform. As you might have already guessed, the first is my artwork. Actually, I just want to work more regularly and often on it. I already have the time slot in place for it, but am currently not making the best use of the time. Sometimes I am tired or don't feel I have enough room or time to create what I want. Sometimes I don't know what I want to create because I have so many ideas and lose focus. Since I also teach art full time, my time has to be focused and well defined.

Leo's suggestions are well defined on 6 changes method, I will choose a trigger event to precede my work, work without pressure, taking small steps . I am making a public commitment on this blog by posting and reporting on my progress. Beginning January 1, 2010, I will be making 5 art journal entries and two paintings a day . I will be posting one daily on this blog with a link to all of them on my website.

So, I would love to know what habits you would like to empower yourself with to elicit change in your life. We can support each other in our goals. You can contact me in comments here or on twitter at bethvw.

I'm in. Are you?

Breathing space into cracks of time

[picapp align="none" wrap="false" link="term=rock+climbing&iid=7204553" src="5/b/8/b/Outdoor_Sports_353c.jpg?adImageId=8209675&imageId=7204553" width="500" height="744" /]Have you found that there is never enough time to actually accomplish all that you “desire” to do?Sometimes I get up in the morning with a list a mile long that is leftover from yesterday. How many times have I put off painting or drawing for other things that seem more important?  How long have I been promising myself that I will revisit learning French, write a note to someone, bake bread or visit an old friend?  It just seems that it is easier to take the habitual road than to break new ground.

But I’ve done it before.  I’ve taken that  first step to initiate a new idea or  project in spite of my perception of time's scarcity.

• List things that you know are important stepping stones when viewed from the  perspective of your entire life. Ask how you would feel if you never tried this? Where does it fit in your life, if you live each day as if it were your first?
• Think of the fleeting moment that is your life on earth and how this currently deferred venture will fit in?
• Pray.
• If it meets the criteria,  make a plan to integrate it into your day. A daily habit is great because it helps to bring you to the table.

• Find a little time in between things. Do not over schedule or pack time too tightly. At the beginning or end of the day is simple and not jarring.  For an early morning person, rise earlier. If you are a night owl, stay up 30 minutes later. But don’t do both at the same time. Sleep is a necessity for creative thinking. Leave a window in between projects that is larger than you think you need.
• Set aside 30 minutes each day.
• Re prioritize your life. be more expedient at the things that you are already used to doing and give yourself a healthy but finite time to do them.
• When you enter that newly found time space, breathe in and breathe out.
• Slow down.
• Allow yourself the deep luxury of being in the now moment.

Finally time opens up, welcoming you into the flow.

Drawing on meditation

Drawing is the discipline by which I constantly discover the world. (Frederick Franck)

Imagine your life...now live what you've imagined.

Act as if.

It is very effective.

I have had and do have times when I can't seem to get my imagination to go past what I already do in my current "real" life. I am trying to change my direction, but it just doesn't happen . I guess you could say I am in a rut. At this point, I know I have to free myself to fulfill the potential of my vast imagination. The only way to do that is to let go of my self taught or life taught parameters and choose to go beyond them.

Suddenly, everything is possible. And it really is!

It is all about what you believe is possible. Allowing yourself to "image" or" make a picture in your mind" of what you would like to accomplish is one of the  thinking tools of creativity as defined by Robert and Michele Root- Bernstein in their book "Sparks of Genius". Their research outlines 13 thinking tools that they have discovered are used by the world's most creative people.  use the ideas in this book to remind myself of ways to sharpen my creative tools. I will be occasionally referencing them as I explore ways to increase creativity in your life.

To simplify, to get out of a rut of thinking the same thoughts and doing things the same way. Here are 5 concrete steps:

1. Set aside at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time. Sometimes, just doing this takes imagination!      Some suggestions I have found to be helpful are:    Get up a half hour earlier; sit in your car at lunch time; put dinner up and sit in the kitchen while the meal warms up; go to your room; take a walk with the dog; go to the beach or a park nearby; have a cup of tea or coffee where nobody knows you so there is no extended conversation; go to the library and look busy. (You really are!)
2. Now make pictures in your mind of how your life "is" when you are living the life you imagine. This is the most important step!
3. Describe this in a journal. A journal to write, draw or collage in is a great place to automatically put down your thoughts. It also saves time AND your thoughts because you never actually lose the previous ideas. The journal is always there for reference.
4. Act as if you are already doing this! If you want to be a successful writer, you need to write as if you already are. What would a writer's day look like? What would be the priorities in his/her life?
5. How would you define success in accomplishing your newly imagined goal? Defining exactly what you want is important because each person can have a totally different idea of what achieving "success" in that area is.
6. Make a list of things to do that would accomplish this. Start with a simple item that you can accomplish today and determine when, today,  you will do it. Set up another goal for the next day.
7. Focus on this goal and how to continue to advance, expand and change it on a regular basis. Continue to use your journal and your reserved time. Adjust the time more or less, depending n your schedule and the time needs of your chosen path.

Let me know how you are creatively re-imagining your life. It is always astounding to see how concentrated imaging makes a path for transformation in life! Take a look at some other people who have transformed their lives and documented it on their blogs! Zen Habits has a detailed of how he makes changes and an interview with Colin Wright in Far Beyond the Stars.

Why being creative is the next best thing!

Creativity is becoming increasingly important in the world theses days. As we struggle to find solutions to the problems an issues that are currently preoccupying us, vast knowledge is not enough! Daniel Pink writes in his book "A Whole New Mind",

"Today, the defining skills of the previous era_ the "left brain: capabilities are no longer sufficient. And the capabilities we once disdained or thought frivolous- the "right brain" qualities of inventiveness, empathy, joyfulness and meaning- increasingly will determine who flourishes and who flounders. For individuals, families, and organizations, professional success and personal fulfillment now require a whole new mind."

How can you incorporate more creativity in your own life?

Change your perception.

Yes, that's right. Change how you look at things. When I was in high school, in Latin class, my teacher taught me that if the world was overwhelming us take a walk to an imaginary mountain nearby, and climb to the top. Then look at the troubling situation from a different perspective. I never forgot that gem of a suggestion. It changed my life.

Changing your viewpoint opens up all sorts of options that you never noticed before!

Try it and let me know how it changes your life.

Recognizing beauty is explored by Patrick in  Unwrap your Mind . I love the way he analyzes and explores in his inspiring blog.

Also , check out my guest post today about "Art & Soul" on The Religion Network .

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Words to inspire your journey.

"Take more time,

cover less ground."

Thomas Merton

Dancing In The Waters of Life from gratefullness.org

How to kick start your eyes to actively look

[picapp src="7/f/e/c/Male_martial_artist_de47.jpg?adImageId=5154652&imageId=5063921" width="358" height="477" /]   I want to share with you a way of keeping your thinking skills in top form. Just like the rest of your body, your eye/ brain connection needs regular exercise to work at optimum performance.The best thing, is that you can do this anywhere with anything, just bring along your perception and focus. This is the first of 13 creative thinking tools as defined by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein in their book "Sparks of Genius".

1. Choose an object or a place that you are interested in learning more about.
2. Discern as much as you can about how it looks, color, shape, form, texture, size, line.
3. Even take notes, a photo. Make a sketch.
4. Also identify other sensations that you notice, such as particular sounds like in the space, , smells, what it feels like to be in the space. Identify what it reminds you of. re there any memories associated with it? Are there historical connections? Document all observations.
5. A journal is a good place to put tis information in case you should want to reference it in the future.

You have just done a little exercise that does not involve a specific time, place or fee. You are exploring something that is interesting to you. In the process you are  exercising your creativity, memory, intellectual capacity to make connections. This will help you to become more confident in your own observations.

These skills are essential for artists, musicians, scientists, writer, historians, teachers, students and doctors.

So carry your little journal with you and give your creative mind a workout. You will be surprised at how much more you notice about life! And don't forget to let me know how it works for you. What did you learn?

Creative, clean living in 3 easy steps.

Do you start a boring job that has to be done around the house,  and plod through it?

I have begun many a task like that, and somewhere between the necessity of gettting it done and the annoyance of wasting my time with upkeep, I have discovered how to make it fun and creative.

First, I have to change my perception to take in the gestalt of laundry in my life. No research, just what it represents in my life. So I reflect upon  what laundry means  to me. Cleansing, layering renewing are concepts that come to mind.

Then  I observe laundry  as a way of exploring shadows and light. See how it looks in different lights. Look at it straight from the dryer crumpled in the basket and then folded crisp and clean.

Then I respond to the visual beauty that I have discovered in my ordinary day. What a blessing!

Because I draw and paint, I will document my experience that way. Other ways to articulate your laundry experience could to write about it , photograph it or tell stories about it. You could also begin to notice subtle variations in colors, trying colors next to each other that you never tried before.

I can't say that this will get those chores done faster. In fact, I may take a little longer, especially once I get started on a painting.  But I have a real feeling of satisfaction when I complete the task , As I touch the laundry with my hands, transforming the deep clefts of shadows and mountains of light into folded patterns of crisp geometric shapes I am lead to understand the necessity for renewal, order and balance in my life.

What ordinary household or work tasks could you transform creatively?

How to think outside the box by putting things into the box.

To" think outside the box" means to think outside of the expected.

Nice idea. Very creative.

But how do you get yourself to relax enough to do that? Twyla Tharp has come up with a very concrete way of collecting ideas. I have mentioned her and her book, "The Creative Habit" before. It is well worth taking a look at.

Interestingly enough, Twyla Tharp's method involves a box. A box for each tiny little idea you have. Then as you come across photos, writing, music, objects you put them in the box. After a while, as it gets full, you look through it. Suddenly, there are so many ways to investigate and expand that tiny little idea you had in the beginning.

• Choose some idea you want to explore.

• Be on the alert for anything that seems to be connected in any way.

• Eventually, the contents of the box will provide fertile ground for developing ideas.

• The labelled box gives the idea the respect it deserves.

• It makes a place for an abstract idea.

• Nothing has a schedule or has to be put in order.

• You may start several boxes at once, without a problem.

• It is there waiting for you when you need it.

• The physical box reminds you that you are looking for ideas.

I have used a box for doing idea research. I tend to use different  color notebooks. I also use the computer for additional information and links to add to either the real box or the notebook. I refer to my art journals as my own personal visual encyclopedia. And I do write a lot in my art journals and make lots of literary connections.So books are very much a part of my collection of ideas.

Have you come up with another  system for collecting ideas? What works for you?