An Exercise to Reinforce Creativity

At last week’s meeting, I led an exercise to help reinforce creativity in each of us. I had been reading a book called Living the Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery, and one of her suggestions inspired this exercise that I adapted for the group.

I passed around blank 3″x 5″ index cards, and asked everyone to spend some time thinking about and writing down times, places, or situations where they seemed to get the most ideas. Then we went around the room and each read off a few.

• Lily - sometimes takes notes on steno pad, with necessary information on one side, fantastic ideas on the other
• Carol - often writes notes on bank deposit slips during sermons an found her students needed “incubation time” for new ideas, so would introduce a new project BEFORE the finish of the old one
• Emmie - likes isolation for thinking
• Lettie - finds inspiration in colors and designs
• Cathy - must have order and tidiness to create
• Dianna - if she sketches before working directly with a material, she has many more ideas
• Diane - doesn’t mind clutter, but needs absolute quiet for creating and looking at photos, but only in color, not black and white
• Donna - inspired by travel, old ruins and primitive art

These are just a few tidbits that I remember, but there were many more reveals and interesting discussions about ideas, creativity, and work habits. We can all be distracted by the difference of our lifestyles and art styles, but this was a great way to reconnect with what brought us together in the first place — the desire to create and to support each other in this endeavor.

2 comments April 20th, 2008