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Unleashing Your Creativity

Posted By: Randy GageSeptember 20, 2010

Last week I went back down to Key West to get some inspiration and finish some writing projects.   It’s always good to get back to Margaritaville and I write well there.  So what about you?

What do you do when you need to get creative?  Do you have a place to go when you want to work unencumbered, and without distraction? Even if it is your attic, or a swing in your backyard, you need a “safe space” to let thoughts percolate.  I think that’s important for two reasons:

One, you need to be able to approach your work with creativity to develop fresh ideas.  This is where breakthroughs come from.

The other facet of this is sometimes you need creative space when you are not working.  Just getting away and tapping into the artist in you.

Doing this rests your mind and allows you to come back to work with creative passion and energy.

Creativity is very underrated for most people.  And that’s a big reason why many people are broke.  Case in point, the Internet.

Say what you will about the dot-com meltdown, the fact is, many people became very wealthy, by creating new technologies, and new uses for old technologies.

Everything needed materials-wise to build a computer, a space shuttle or the telephone was on the planet 300 years ago.   What was missing were the ideas.  And they come from creativity; tapping into the creative half of the brain.

So besides your safe space, what else do you do to stimulate your creativity?  What specific action steps have you taken to get out of pattern thinking and develop fresh ideas?

Please share your thoughts below, and tomorrow I’ll let you know some other things I do.

-RG

29 comments on “Unleashing Your Creativity”

  1. Normally, I either meditate or read before I write, if I feel like "I'm not there yet". Reading books gets my mind running like crazy and processing new ideas.

    I sometimes write down questions to myself like what am I trying to convey, what I hope to achieve, and in doing so and answering those questions - something activates within me, a creative spark that was hiding behind the noise and insecurities.

    Good one, Randy!

    Josip

  2. Hi Randy,
    I have been reading your posts after getting introduced to you in Dr. Joe Vitale's 'Attract a new car call' and found your perspective and ideas about prosperity to be very very refreshing. Well, since I don't have any real private place at home to be creative, I usually go outside...which happens to be a secluded place amidst trees or a park. That helps me to feel calm and centered and it does work for me...
    Thank you for this post

  3. I find a live concert in any type of genre fires me up as long as it's good.. saw Aerosmith last week and it rocked... went to their web site before the show, wwwaeroforceone.com and there's a great interview with their drummer Joey Kramer and he says he does a meet and greet with fans before every show, his wife told him you don't realize how lucky you are to have fans like you got, give back... his book Hit Hard I recommend as well, you learn you can have everything and still hit a depression....

  4. I park my car outside in the driveway. Then I go ingo the garage and put on the iPod and listen to "The Phantom of the Opera" and I pace around in a circle and just let my mind wander.

    Another is I'll go for a walk and listen to the iPod, usually to a self-help audio or an interview with a "guru" of some sort. This usually works best with an interview/audio I've already heard several times. The audio of "The Slight Edge" is one of my favorite fallbacks in this department.

  5. Dear Randy,

    Nice article. What I usually do when I'm stuck on ideas is get in touch with some friends and find out how they are doing. By listening to their stories of their lives, I always find some new ideas that I can apply to my current condition. Then I thank them for sharing.

  6. I go for a walk with my dog and let my mind wander... Usually, when I get back home, I have to rush to my office to grab a piece of paper and write all the new ideas down:-)

  7. I actually went out of the house with the intent to come up with great ideas for a project I am finished with. I ended up in a brewery, had a beer, I usually don't drink, and I came up with some great ideas. It was a nice atmosphere, light music playing, quiet conversations all around. I have some new ideas for marketing now!!

  8. Hi Randy,

    I prefer to meditate for 20 minutes or more before moving into creative action. It helps me to remove any blockages which prevent me from tapping into the creative flow of ideas.

    As you noted everything to build what we have access to today has been around for a long time. We need to put our ideas into the proper order so that we might effectively create with the infinite storehouse that is nature.

    Thanks for sharing your inspiration.

    Ryan

  9. Randy a long time ago I lived in Key West. I worked the Half-shell Raw Bar next to Margaritaville at Lands End Marina.
    Anyway.

    I don't do that very often but I have really been thinking about how and where to go. I live in Sacramento so the mountains seem a good place. I will take the advice and get away. I think I could use it right now.

    Thanks for the reminder

    vincent

  10. I get inspired usually when I see some performances. If I go out and do some stand-up, we all get inspired by each other; we notice a perspective that someone else doesn't have or something. It's like picking up on a vibe, and running with it. Doing an improv show is my favorite.

    I can get very ranty (you think?) and anger or frustration can lead to a lot of inspiration too... looking for solutions to frustrating problems.

    I recently wrote the whole outline to a play after seeing a play that I hated SO much; I basically made a comedy out of this ridiculous drama.

    I also feel inspired when Watching OPRAH!!!! Friday I pretty much lost my mind crying... a real man can admit that.

  11. Either of 2 things that are on opposite ends of the health spectrum. I like to get into the gym for a great workout or go running (with Aerosmith blasting on my iPod!). Or..... smoke a great Ashton cigar with a glass (or 2) of wine in a relaxed setting (like my backyard... at night.... no lights).
    Either of these get the creative juices flowing.
    RJ

  12. Flying long haul. The whole process is strangely centering & I get inspired watching people.

    Walking any city, being at the beach & out at deep sea, and when I am home, I get most inspired by the pool with the sun sparkling across the water. Water & sunlight rejuvenates me from within and i draw the most inspiration from things I read when I do it there.

    To get out of fixed patterns, I just go out with the sole intention of exploration & do something different. Mostly, I join courses, pick up a different book, listen to different music, go to a different club, meet different people. Variety is inspiring and people are amazingly quirky and fascinating to get to know.

    And if I'm REALLY stuck, I go shopping. LOL.

  13. I go for a forest walk or a rock walk with my partner, and as we walk and talk, the ideas flow. Seems to be something in a natural space that opens up the mind.

  14. I go to my desk in my Den or the one at work and sit and think there. Sometimes my creativity is spontaneous - an idea can happen anytime, anywhere, but most of the time I go and sit at my desk in my own space there when I know its time to work on formulas or ideas. That's my spot. When I do this, I can't have any distractions. This is the place that wok best for me.

  15. It depends on what I am trying to accomplish. If I need to get energetic I listen to my iPod and put on some high energy music. If I need to write I sit in a quite space. For overall life I like to go to the beach.

  16. Every morning I sit in an armchair in my office that looks out the window, sipping a cup of coffee and writing in my notebook - asking myself a lot of questions, and wait for the answer to flow. I get a little gem everyday, but some days it is really profound!

    My best ideas come when I am doing something physical that doesn't take too much thought/focus- such as painting the walls, showering, mowing the lawn, or washing the dishes. I think I may be more deliberate about doing this now!

    I enjoyed everyone's responses! That alone is inspiring! 🙂 Thanks!

  17. I believe some brilliant ideas come in a moment, like what happened to Archimedes in bathroom and made him to run and yell " Heureca! Heureca! ".

    When I am looking for and idea I just repeat a question related to the issue in my mind and ideas come to my mind couple days or hours later. I really got some answer by this.

    As for resting mind, going to the nature would be a good idea, I think there is this positive energy in the nature and we really can release our mind from everything in there. I did it yesterday and it was lovely.

    Good luck
    🙂

  18. As a multi arts practitioner, I have a stack of techniques and practices, so no shortage of ideas-I have far more challenges completing some before a new set come along to sweep me off my feet! lol

  19. I've been contemplating the answer to that question for the past day. I'm not sure I have a definitive answer. I do mostly left-brained stuff at work given that I work in accounting/finance with a bit of legal, HR and management. But I feel like I have good balance. My biggest hobby is dancing and that's very creative. I do that 3 times a week. My brain shuts down completely and I think of nothing else. I usually walk away feeling emotionally and mentally refreshed. I do realise however, that it is quite a routine part of my life rather than something spontaneous or special.

  20. to tap into my power of creativity, I would take time to go back to nature. I love water falls and clean rivers.  fresh air, relaxing and reminds me that there is abundance in this universe.  water Is flowing freely.  stimulates my creativity.  once I'm back in the city getting a good massage or spa would be very helpful...

    Ron

  21. Creativity - I have tried and trying so many ways to bring it when i want. Not always works, why? dunno 🙂
    my best creativity motivation is silence. then melodies, esp classical music. sometimes i need to dance my belly-dance to get creative ideas:)

  22. Every one has different kind of creativity ideas in mind, and the different way of getting creativity ideas, some one likes music while doing any creativity task, some one likes dance and some one likes dance,  for me I get ideas when I roam in peaceful place normally.

  23. Every one has different kind of creativity ideas in mind, and the different way of getting creativity ideas, some one likes music while doing any creativity task, some one likes dance and some one likes dance,  for me I get ideas when I roam in peaceful place normally.

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  • 29 comments on “Unleashing Your Creativity”

    1. Normally, I either meditate or read before I write, if I feel like "I'm not there yet". Reading books gets my mind running like crazy and processing new ideas.

      I sometimes write down questions to myself like what am I trying to convey, what I hope to achieve, and in doing so and answering those questions - something activates within me, a creative spark that was hiding behind the noise and insecurities.

      Good one, Randy!

      Josip

    2. Hi Randy,
      I have been reading your posts after getting introduced to you in Dr. Joe Vitale's 'Attract a new car call' and found your perspective and ideas about prosperity to be very very refreshing. Well, since I don't have any real private place at home to be creative, I usually go outside...which happens to be a secluded place amidst trees or a park. That helps me to feel calm and centered and it does work for me...
      Thank you for this post

    3. I find a live concert in any type of genre fires me up as long as it's good.. saw Aerosmith last week and it rocked... went to their web site before the show, wwwaeroforceone.com and there's a great interview with their drummer Joey Kramer and he says he does a meet and greet with fans before every show, his wife told him you don't realize how lucky you are to have fans like you got, give back... his book Hit Hard I recommend as well, you learn you can have everything and still hit a depression....

    4. I park my car outside in the driveway. Then I go ingo the garage and put on the iPod and listen to "The Phantom of the Opera" and I pace around in a circle and just let my mind wander.

      Another is I'll go for a walk and listen to the iPod, usually to a self-help audio or an interview with a "guru" of some sort. This usually works best with an interview/audio I've already heard several times. The audio of "The Slight Edge" is one of my favorite fallbacks in this department.

    5. Dear Randy,

      Nice article. What I usually do when I'm stuck on ideas is get in touch with some friends and find out how they are doing. By listening to their stories of their lives, I always find some new ideas that I can apply to my current condition. Then I thank them for sharing.

    6. I go for a walk with my dog and let my mind wander... Usually, when I get back home, I have to rush to my office to grab a piece of paper and write all the new ideas down:-)

    7. I actually went out of the house with the intent to come up with great ideas for a project I am finished with. I ended up in a brewery, had a beer, I usually don't drink, and I came up with some great ideas. It was a nice atmosphere, light music playing, quiet conversations all around. I have some new ideas for marketing now!!

    8. Hi Randy,

      I prefer to meditate for 20 minutes or more before moving into creative action. It helps me to remove any blockages which prevent me from tapping into the creative flow of ideas.

      As you noted everything to build what we have access to today has been around for a long time. We need to put our ideas into the proper order so that we might effectively create with the infinite storehouse that is nature.

      Thanks for sharing your inspiration.

      Ryan

    9. Randy a long time ago I lived in Key West. I worked the Half-shell Raw Bar next to Margaritaville at Lands End Marina.
      Anyway.

      I don't do that very often but I have really been thinking about how and where to go. I live in Sacramento so the mountains seem a good place. I will take the advice and get away. I think I could use it right now.

      Thanks for the reminder

      vincent

    10. I get inspired usually when I see some performances. If I go out and do some stand-up, we all get inspired by each other; we notice a perspective that someone else doesn't have or something. It's like picking up on a vibe, and running with it. Doing an improv show is my favorite.

      I can get very ranty (you think?) and anger or frustration can lead to a lot of inspiration too... looking for solutions to frustrating problems.

      I recently wrote the whole outline to a play after seeing a play that I hated SO much; I basically made a comedy out of this ridiculous drama.

      I also feel inspired when Watching OPRAH!!!! Friday I pretty much lost my mind crying... a real man can admit that.

    11. Either of 2 things that are on opposite ends of the health spectrum. I like to get into the gym for a great workout or go running (with Aerosmith blasting on my iPod!). Or..... smoke a great Ashton cigar with a glass (or 2) of wine in a relaxed setting (like my backyard... at night.... no lights).
      Either of these get the creative juices flowing.
      RJ

    12. Flying long haul. The whole process is strangely centering & I get inspired watching people.

      Walking any city, being at the beach & out at deep sea, and when I am home, I get most inspired by the pool with the sun sparkling across the water. Water & sunlight rejuvenates me from within and i draw the most inspiration from things I read when I do it there.

      To get out of fixed patterns, I just go out with the sole intention of exploration & do something different. Mostly, I join courses, pick up a different book, listen to different music, go to a different club, meet different people. Variety is inspiring and people are amazingly quirky and fascinating to get to know.

      And if I'm REALLY stuck, I go shopping. LOL.

    13. I go for a forest walk or a rock walk with my partner, and as we walk and talk, the ideas flow. Seems to be something in a natural space that opens up the mind.

    14. I go to my desk in my Den or the one at work and sit and think there. Sometimes my creativity is spontaneous - an idea can happen anytime, anywhere, but most of the time I go and sit at my desk in my own space there when I know its time to work on formulas or ideas. That's my spot. When I do this, I can't have any distractions. This is the place that wok best for me.

    15. It depends on what I am trying to accomplish. If I need to get energetic I listen to my iPod and put on some high energy music. If I need to write I sit in a quite space. For overall life I like to go to the beach.

    16. Every morning I sit in an armchair in my office that looks out the window, sipping a cup of coffee and writing in my notebook - asking myself a lot of questions, and wait for the answer to flow. I get a little gem everyday, but some days it is really profound!

      My best ideas come when I am doing something physical that doesn't take too much thought/focus- such as painting the walls, showering, mowing the lawn, or washing the dishes. I think I may be more deliberate about doing this now!

      I enjoyed everyone's responses! That alone is inspiring! 🙂 Thanks!

    17. I believe some brilliant ideas come in a moment, like what happened to Archimedes in bathroom and made him to run and yell " Heureca! Heureca! ".

      When I am looking for and idea I just repeat a question related to the issue in my mind and ideas come to my mind couple days or hours later. I really got some answer by this.

      As for resting mind, going to the nature would be a good idea, I think there is this positive energy in the nature and we really can release our mind from everything in there. I did it yesterday and it was lovely.

      Good luck
      🙂

    18. As a multi arts practitioner, I have a stack of techniques and practices, so no shortage of ideas-I have far more challenges completing some before a new set come along to sweep me off my feet! lol

    19. I've been contemplating the answer to that question for the past day. I'm not sure I have a definitive answer. I do mostly left-brained stuff at work given that I work in accounting/finance with a bit of legal, HR and management. But I feel like I have good balance. My biggest hobby is dancing and that's very creative. I do that 3 times a week. My brain shuts down completely and I think of nothing else. I usually walk away feeling emotionally and mentally refreshed. I do realise however, that it is quite a routine part of my life rather than something spontaneous or special.

    20. to tap into my power of creativity, I would take time to go back to nature. I love water falls and clean rivers.  fresh air, relaxing and reminds me that there is abundance in this universe.  water Is flowing freely.  stimulates my creativity.  once I'm back in the city getting a good massage or spa would be very helpful...

      Ron

    21. Creativity - I have tried and trying so many ways to bring it when i want. Not always works, why? dunno 🙂
      my best creativity motivation is silence. then melodies, esp classical music. sometimes i need to dance my belly-dance to get creative ideas:)

    22. Every one has different kind of creativity ideas in mind, and the different way of getting creativity ideas, some one likes music while doing any creativity task, some one likes dance and some one likes dance,  for me I get ideas when I roam in peaceful place normally.

    23. Every one has different kind of creativity ideas in mind, and the different way of getting creativity ideas, some one likes music while doing any creativity task, some one likes dance and some one likes dance,  for me I get ideas when I roam in peaceful place normally.

    Leave a Reply to Randy Gage Cancel reply

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