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Bruce Honig

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What are activities that you do to nurture and expand your ability to be creative?

After 30 years of studying creative thinking I have to the semi-conclusion that one can develop their creativeness in four general ways:

1) Knowing and understanding the blocks to their creativity (social, cultural, intellectual, emotional, etc)

2) Knowing about ones own creativity as well as others (the creative process, motivation, influences, etc)

3) Using creative inducing tools (Brainstorming, Mindmapping, etc)

4) And simply practicing....practicing ones own creativity.

What are the activities that you do to support your creativity abilities? These are things you do that further your creative mind, that enables you to think in original and useful ways. Things you do that enable your mind to be flexible in thinking and helps you to think in many different ways.

Your answers does not have to fall into any of the 4 categories above. Try to be as specific as possible. For example, art might be a way you practice your creativity but what is it about the art and how do you apply it so that it supports your creativity?

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Topics: Education kills creativity creativity solving problems thinking skills
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    Debra Smith 200+

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    May 13 2011: I find art classes and painting help to make me more creative overall. I remember once going to an art class when I was upset (devasated) by a very significant event. The only reason I went was because I had promised a friend I would drive her there. I went in with an utterly knotted frame of mind and I started trying to capture an eggplant on a canvas. I struggled with the shape and I had to work to get the colour and the shading - and without realizing it- I had utterly let go of the rotten feelings and when I came out of the class i had a much better (and more creative) way of handling the situation that was upsetting me. It was as though stimulating another part of my brain allowed my solution forming sections to rest and consider less locked in alternatives.Hope I made some sense.
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    Lindsay Newland Bowker 50+

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    May 13 2011: Creativity is a state of being in which we can choose to live all the time..it's a state of openness to all possibilities, a state of receptivity to information and expeeience, it's a willingness to surrender ego to other and greater forces. Lawrence Kubie wrote awonderful book long ago that made these elements my life practice..terrible ittle great book Neurotic Distortion of the Creative Prcess. Those cut off from this natural way of being can return through practices which include thgese cornerstone elements. Noticing how often we have a "that's impossible" reaction to things is a good place to start..I see all through TED conversations folk who drop by to say "impossible" and never get past that.
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    Paige Steele-Rollins

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    May 13 2011: I'm just beginning my journey to increase my creativity. When I was younger, I was much more creative & I found at some point between high school and college, that I was unable to get over the creative blocks & found myself to FEEL less creative. I guess "education kills creativity" is sadly true--at least institutionalized/structured education does. I wish that more schools would encourage and enhance the link between education and creativity, because I know that they can coexist.

    As for activities that support my creative abilities--sitting outside, watching movies and reading books that I otherwise would not, "doodling", forcing myself to write short/creative stories from start to finish, learning new languages, trying new foods, traveling to places i haven't been (even if they're only 15 minutes away--new scenery always helps), meeting new people and spending time with children (they see things in such a different way).
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      Lindsay Newland Bowker 50+

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      May 13 2011: Paige you are right..you are returning to what once was yours naturally..and you are right it is still within you enjoy your journey...
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