Your Biggest Creative Risk

We are the risk-takers.

We are the tightrope-walking plate-spinners.

We are the stake-raisers.

But what if we’re not?

The biggest creative risk we can make is to not create. (Tweet this)

Why?

Because when we don’t create our artist dies. Like a once-growing vibrant houseplant stashed in the corner of a dark, dank basement, we wither under the poor conditions of apathy, blame and denial of responsibility.

The remedy? Continue reading “Your Biggest Creative Risk”

Waiting to be Creative: Get a New Mantra

Photo Credit: Xiaoyun Lee (Creative Commons)

“I just don’t feel inspired right now.”

“Not really feeling creative.”

“I can’t work under a deadline. My creativity doesn’t happen like that.”

Bull@#$*. For real. I don’t like to use strong language, yet sometimes you gotta call it what it is.

Especially if it’s ruining your artist and your life.

Continue reading “Waiting to be Creative: Get a New Mantra”

New Favorite Word: Ideation

When I grow up, I wanna be an ideator.

Realization #1: I love and thrive on creativity, ideas, and innovation.

Realization #2: I get bored easily.

Are you like this too?

While at the gym today, I was listening to a podcast I’d downloaded nearly a year ago from Ideasicle.com. Gaurav Suri, a philosopher, author, fMRI specialist (no, I don’t know what an fMRI specialist is) was speaking on what happens in our brain when we create. The podcast, though a bit dry at times, was tremendously inspiring and made me forget my workout–always a good thing.

Listen to it here.

Suri, through his research and other smarty-pants things, deduced that the ‘ah-ha’ moment an idea is birthed in our conscious (though often unconscious) mind, massive amounts of dompamine are released into the brain. In normal people language: when we have a cool idea we feel awesome.

(Side note: cocaine and nicotine have the exact same effect on our bodies.)

People actually make a living of doing this idea-making thing. Some license products, or even ideas, to companies who desire to produce the ideas, market them, and sell them to the public. Apparently the process of formulating ideas and concepts is called ideation. And it’s my new favorite word.

Dreaming up ideas is a lot more fun, and healthy, that smoking a cigarette. Or using cocaine.

And it’s cheaper. . . not that I would know. Just guessing.

Honest.