Creativity Exercise: Doodle You

You did buy that sidewalk chalk on Monday, didn't you? You know, the chalk I asked you to buy? I'm assuming you follow my every suggestion.

Hmmm. Based on my experience as a mother, that could be a false assumption. So here's the deal. You can doodle this outside, or on a clean sheet of paper.

Doodle your name. Doodle it twice. Doodle it different.

I'm going to doodle Janet because it's more fun than Jan.

Creativity Tips: Think Beyond

To continue with our sidewalk chalk theme, Mary and her friend Erin started by sketching the standard hopscotch game. Then, they decided to think beyond. By the time they were finished, the game ended three houses down.

It's creative brilliance. Instead of playing the we've always done it that way game, they made their own rules.

Take a lesson from the teens. Don't follow mindless rules. You'll be hoppier. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Creativity Exercise: Sidewalk Art, Take 1

Happy Monday! We're going to start the week with an errand and an exercise. I want you to go buy sidewalk chalk -- you can usually find it at the dollar store.

If you already have sidewalk chalk, you're my hero.

Then, go doodle outside. If you're not comfortable doodling on the sidewalk in front of your house, try the patio out back. Or doodle in front of the neighbor's house. Just keep it friendly.

My inspiration? Mary and a friend decorated our driveway and sidewalks this weekend. Which brings to mind a creativity tip, to go along with the exercise. Keep art supplies handy, and they'll get used!

Friday Fun: More than Seven Words

I've been meaning to pay tribute to George Carlin, and my good friend Barb provided the way to do it. Check this out ... if you're over 18. And don't have sensitive ears. It is, after all, George Carlin.

Creativity Tips: Just Say Stop

I know, I know. I promised to give you my advice on how to deal with bad wizards, and then I didn't do it.

I forgot.

But here it is: When your brain starts in with that hideous self-talk, telling you how stupid and talentless and useless you are, visualize a stop sign. See it. Say "STOP!" to yourself. (I recommend doing this silently, or people twitch.) Then, force your brain to go to a happy place.

Back in my radio days, I periodically made mistakes on the air. Hard to believe, but true. I would use this technique to stop beating myself up. It took a while, but it finally worked. Now, when the negative self-talk starts, I stop it. Fast.

Never let a bad wizard win.

Site Seeing: Wordle

As promised, the Creative Instigation team will periodically go site seeing this summer. Leslie sent the link to Wordle, a site that's time-consumingly addictive. It's also productive. After I write my blog, I'm going to create a home page look for a Web site, using this as a design tool.

Again, as I mentioned yesterday, tools matter.

(OK, I can hear the groans from my designer friends. Relax, I'm playing. I don't scream every time you write a headline, do I? Oh, yeah. I do ....)

Creativity Tips: Butter is Better

One of my creative outlets is baking, so today's tip stems from that: Use unsalted butter in your recipes and everything will taste better. I guarantee it.

In baking -- and in other creative venues -- the right "tools" make a difference.