1)
Get Away From it All. You knew I was going to say this, right? Taking time off from
your daily grind rejuvenates your body and mind. Even if you can’t
travel this summer, “get away” by allowing yourself to dream. Spend
some quiet time reflecting on your life and wishes.
Ask yourself: What would I do if I had no chance of
failure?
2)
Use Your Body. We spend so much of our lives THINKING, reasoning and
over-engineering our decisions. It’s surprising that smoke doesn’t
come out of our ears! Let the innate wisdom of your body stimulate
your creative mind. Swim, hike, dance -- or whatever does it for you
-- and feel new ideas flow.
Tune into any physical sensations you have with the ideas you
get. What do those sensations tell you?
3)
Make a Creative Vision Board Use old magazines and found objects to create a collage that
represents what you want in your life. Choose pictures, items and
phrases that really resonate with you.
Keep your creative vision somewhere you can see it for daily
inspiration.
4) Play With Children or Pets. Pets and kids have the most refreshing take on life. Play
with your loved ones and let your uninhibited creativity roam. What
possibilities are there for you if you don’t have to be productive
or care what others think?
Rover won’t tell!
5)
Mind Map. Draw a mind map as you are thinking through an issue to help
stimulate your creative thinking. A mind map helps you see
possibilities and connections between thoughts.
To do it: Write your idea in the center of a large piece of
paper, then “brain dump” using branching lines, colors, key words
and sketches to capture related ideas. The resulting picture shows
clusters of ideas branching from your central issue.
For more information on mind mapping see: Mind
Map in Wikipedia
6)
Explore Seek new experiences -- new places, concepts, people. You’ll
start to see connections between ideas you hadn’t previously
noticed. Each week have a date with your creativity. Go to the
bookstore to browse publications you wouldn’t otherwise read. Visit
a hobby shop or garden center. Check out a new museum, or show.
Fresh experiences bring fresh thinking.
What's new for you? Challenge: Go explore something new in
the next 24 hours!
7)
Be Gentle With Yourself. Nothing squashes creativity faster than a harsh inner voice
criticizing your ideas. Doesn’t your inner critic need a vacation
too? When you hear that voice, visualize sending your inner critic
away. Maybe it will miss its flight home!
Happy Creating!
How She Does It:
Julie Teahan Takes the Road Less Traveled (And Writes a Novel
About it!)
Congratulations to Julie Teahan as she thrives on the road
less traveled! Julie’s first novel, Skipper’s Revenge,
has received unanimous 5 star reader’s reviews on Amazon; including
raves from one of Amazon’s most respected regular reviewers!
Julie’s novel epitomizes the story of a woman on the road
less traveled: becoming empowered and recognizing her right to live
the life she desires despite a series of mishaps that are hilarious,
touching and ultimately transformative.
Add this success as an author on top of being the mother of
an active toddler, leading high profile consulting projects at work,
managing personal investment properties, and being a notoriously fun
hostess to friends and family. Wow! If you see a whirlwind going by
in downtown DC, it’s probably Julie!
With great admiration for all she is able to accomplish, I
just had to ask Julie how she does it! How does she stay
creative and find the time to follow her dreams? Here’s what she has
to say:
How do you stay creative in your busy life? Where does
your Creativity come from?
As a working mother, I am
forced to be creative in my life. Creativity is a tool that I use to
survive whether it's being creative on how I manage my time or being
able to create a meal out of a can of beans and whatever is left in
the fridge.
Being creative is something you have to work at though. It
doesn't come from any one place, per se. It's about looking past the
obvious and seeing possibilities.
What was the most challenging thing about writing the
book?
Disciplining myself to sit down each morning and
spend the time writing was a challenge. There would be days when I
would write pages upon pages and days when I would sit staring at a
blank page. I am not a very disciplined person so you have to find
something that motivates you enough to be disciplined. For me, it
was a promise that I made to my father to write a book and my goal
to create a career that offered flexibility.
What was the easiest thing about writing the
book?
The easiest thing about writing this book was the
story itself. I had the story and details in my head for a long
time. And each week I would add a detail or description based on
something that I had seen or heard. Stories and detail are
everywhere. You just need to be able to translate them.
What advice do you have for others?
Any one can
write a book if they have a good sense of the English language. I
grew up in West Virginia and some of the greatest stories told to me
during my childhood were by local folk who weren't necessarily well
educated. However, they had a great aptitude for storytelling. If
you have a story to tell and are disciplined enough to put it on
paper, then go for it.
Thank you, Julie!
Copies of Skipper's Revenge are available at
www.bn.com online or at www.amazon.com.
For more information on the book or the author, go to
www.julieteahan.com
