Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Creativity Tips: Be Prepared

My brother is an Eagle Scout. He understands the motto, "Be prepared."

On the other hand, I may be the only woman you'll ever meet who was asked to leave the Girl Scouts. (Apparently, I was a disruption in the friendship circle. Go figure.)

But recently, on a walk with JoJo the pup, I was prepared -- and able to take this photo in our neighborood park.

Now, this isn't great art in terms of photography. It is three great lessons in creativity:
  1. Change your perspective
    I saw this shot by getting out of my element. Without JoJo, I rarely sniff around under evergreens.
  2. Slow down
    I was wandering. If I'd been exercising, I would have quickly walked past it.
  3. Be prepared
    I had the right creative tools with me -- in this case, a cell phone with a camera. The same tree was much prettier on my next walk -- better lighting -- but I didn't have the phone.

This week, celebrate summer. Stroll somewhere unexpected. Creative inspiration could be right around the corner.

1 comment:

Leslie said...

Very cool! I try (but don't always remember) to have my camera with me wherever I go. It's a fun way of taking notes without pencil and paper.