Monday, June 21, 2010

Creativity Tips: Take the Creativity Quiz

It pains me to say this, but several CI team members have recently mentioned they enjoy the blog even though they are not creative.

Seriously? Are you trying to kill me here? Just twist that knife in my gut, people. So, love you, admire you, need you to focus. Chug some coffee and answer these questions:
  1. Are you choosing your own clothes today?
  2. Have you ever made someone who was sad feel better?
  3. Can you write a sentence that conveys exactly what you want?
  4. Can you cook anything without a recipe? Do you vary the spices now and then?
  5. Can you paint, knit, dance, quilt, do macrame? Do you remember macrame? (OK, that last question isn't really a question. My mind wanders.)
  6. Have you ever suggested an idea in a business meeting?
  7. If you miss a highway exit, do you give up and park on the shoulder? Or do you find another way home?
You may have answered all those questions with, "Jan, you're buggin'." I've heard it before. Hell, I'm thinking of putting UR BUGN on my license plate. But here's the simple fact, folks. We are all creative. And, yes, that includes you.

If you answered even one of those questions with a "yes," mazel tov! You get a gold star for creativity. FYI, questions 3 and 5 are no more important than the others. You may not be a painter or a poet or a photographer. Some of us have talents -- and work damn hard to hone them -- in areas other people lack.

Isn't that wonderful? We're not all the same. But we are all creative. Everyone of us invents new answers, new solutions. We are creating our lives. We're moving forward and, hopefully, making the world better in that creative process.

This week on the Creative Instigation blog, we're going to focus on the heart of creativity, something I wander away from after almost three years of daily blogging. I promise not to nag. You promise to appreciate your own talents!

6 comments:

Brenda said...

Thanks for the reminder that I really am creative(although not even close to you!!!) I tend to think of myself as a 60year old "GG" and it is nice to feel good about the things I do that I think are daily routines and you think they are creative!
Once again you just rock!
blessings,
b

Mo said...

mea culpa!

veredlh said...

I like being yelled at every now and then... :-)

Lezlie said...

You rock!

(And so do I! )

parallel creative said...

Yes! I am someone who has recently decided to change by adopting a more creative frame of mind. And I am realising that really I have been creative all these years, I just didn't realise it.

Desiree Brigitte Wawolumaya said...

Hi Jan, I truly love your writing style and all the contents about'creativity'. It helps a lot, thank you!

Further for your information, I am new to blogging and currently almost completed my webblog at wordpress.com. Coincidentally, I have planned to use my webblog for empowering more youth in Indonesia to 'create'. However, suddenly got this issue of writer's block:) and just didn't seem to be able to transfer my ideas on to a short writing. But now your content have solved that confusion!

Please let me know what I can do for you in return as my token of appreciation. If you don't mind, please guide me because I am still very new to BlogHer community. Thanks again Jan and look forward to receive your advice.