Thursday Thirteen #615

Do you think of yourself as a creative person? Do you sometimes find your creativity is, well, dry or suffering from lack of attention?

Being creative all the time takes a little work. Sometimes we are in the zone and we forget to look around us. Sometimes that zone goes and I'm stuck wondering what the heck happened to my ability to write lively, sparkly words.

Here are some ways to work around a rough period, or to strengthen the creative process.

1. Learn something new. Nothing can trigger an episode of raging creativity like trying to do something you haven't done before.

2. Work with someone else. Having the inspiration from a partner, editor, or just another commentary on your work can help you slip over from "okay" to "great" when you're working on a project.

3. Be curious. Be intrigued by everything around you. Who built that building? Why is the weather weird? What type of bird did you just see? Look up stuff and see what you will find.

4. Read. A lot. Reading makes you think and comprehend things in different contexts. Read experts on something you're interested in. Or read fiction just to take a break and to get the feel for a different rhythm of words.

5. Do what you love to do. Maybe you've been hacking away at some paid project. Stop and go play the guitar, or work on a project that you're interested in (maybe that secret novel in the drawer). Step back. Make sure your life is balanced between work and play.

6. Look in other artistic areas for inspiration. If you write short stories, read some poetry. Visit a museum and look at painting. Check out pottery or textile arts.

7. Don't do anything. This sounds like a strange one, doesn't it? But sometimes the best way to get your groove back is to stop. Stop thinking about it, stop worrying over it. The best ideas will come when you're in the shower or visitng a friend or something. And make sure you are getting enough sleep. Sleep is important. (Last night I dreamed we had a tiny little cow loose in the house. I was chasing that thing everywhere, yelling "Shut the door, I don't want it to poop all over the place.")

8. Take a walk. Get out in nature. Examine a tree, look at an ant colony, see how moss looks. Feel the dirt, scrape a cobweb from your face. Watch a squirrel eat a nut.

9. Make sure your workspace is what you need. Maybe you need more music, or less. Maybe you need a different kind of music for a day if you listen to the same thing over and over. Maybe you've got a lot of clutter that needs to go. Or maybe you need more clutter. Whatever works for you.

10. Ask for help, advice, or feedback. Let someone else look at your work. See what they say. It's advice, remember. You don't have to take it. But maybe they see something you're missing.

11. Think of the worst idea you've ever had. Now try to make it work. It's like solving a puzzle. Work out why the idea is terrible. What would make it work? Could you make it work? Could you take this terrible, awful idea and turn it into something grand?

12. Become an expert on the subject you're working on. Drawing a picture to demonstrate societal change? Learn about that. Become a social scientist. Writing a poem about war? Learn about war. Which war? And why are you writing about that, or any other topic? You don't have to to write or create only what you know. Go learn about something and write about that.

13. Give yourself a treat for success, and don't define success as finishing. Success could be simply being curious, or taking the first step, or making a list. You're not indulging yourself by being creative, you're being human. Humans - all of us - are creative for a reason. It's how we got to space or designed computers or cars. (Just don't reward yourself with food.) Maybe your reward is . . . more time for creativity.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 615th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.