Creativity Tips: Take a Balanced Approach

Take a quick look at this post from Shanna on balance. Go ahead. I'll wait. La-ti-da-ti-da-ti-da.....

Back so soon! Oooh. You're a fast reader. Very good. Now, to Shanna's point, I can't count the number of times I hear people say, "I'm not creative." Truly. I hear it all the time. All. The. Time. I used to always launch into a big, positive, creativity-affirming speech. Now, I do the speech if I'm in a good mood. Other times, I just roll my eyes.

But for you, today, I'll be good. Listen up, my dear: You are creative. Just as we are all excellent at practicing balance, we are all excellent at practicing creativity.

Heck, I can prove it to you:

1. Think of a great story from your childhood or teen years.
2. Tell the story to someone.

What's creative about that? What's not?!? Deciding on the story and the audience are acts of creative selection. How you tell the story -- the words you choose, the inflections you use -- all creative acts. Storytelling itself is one of the most creative practices in the world.

Do I believe I'm creative? Absolutely. Do I believe you're creative? Damn straight. And I believe that's a balanced approach.