How to Be Creative

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Do you think that creative people are born, not made? Creativity is a skill that can be learned. You may be interested in diving deeper into artistic pursuits, or you may just want to re-experience the wonder you felt as a child. Creativity isn't just about drawing pictures or writing books. It's about finding solutions and seeing opportunities too! Here are some things you can do to get your creative juices flowing!

Steps

1. Write a list of basic questions, such as 'What is your name?', 'Where are you from?', What did you do last Thursday?' Creative people lamps.
   
2. Try to come up with at least 10 questions. The more you ask, the better! Whatever question comes to mind, write it down, even if it seems foolish.
   
3. Answer the questions with song lyrics. (Name) 'Well, they call me Baby Driver'(From)'Up on Cripple Creek',(Thursday) 'Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.' Try not to use the same song too often.
   
4. Try giving answers that don't directly answer the question, like the 'Baby Driver' answer isn't actually a name. (The first time you try this, you might give straight answers to all the questions.)
   
5. Using a tree leaf as your base, see how many things you can turn it into. (You can draw the parts, or just imagine them.) Examples: you might add hands, feet, and a face to a maple leaf, you might use it to fan a mouse, or tuck it in your pocket as a handkerchief.
   
6. Play word association games. It helps to have someone willing to play along, but if no one will, you can do this alone. If you're doing it solo: Is he leaping up or falling down?
   
   1. Write down your beginning word.
      
   2. Spend 10 minutes or so just saying the next word that comes to mind.
      
   3. Write down your final word.
      
   4. Compare the beginning word to the final word. They should be pretty diverse. This loosens up your mind to allow free association of ideas.
      
   5. Repeat with limts. If you did the word association without any limits on words — including bad words — try to do it again with limits on that or in other ways and notice what other associations you come up with.
      
   
   
7. Imagine what the world you know must look like to a soaring eagle or a pit-pattering mouse. How would you feel if you were 3 inches high and a 6 foot tall creature came along?!
   
8. Imagine you are 5 times as tall as you actually are. What might happen? How big would your feet be? Where would you get shoes? How many regular size peanut butter & jelly sandwiches would satisfy your hunger?
   
9. Buy modeling clay and just play with it.
   
10. Mold it into animal shapes. Squish it up and try again!
    
11. Press things into the clay to make impressions. Overlap different things to make new designs (see warnings).
    
12. See how long you can talk (and make sense!) without using a common word, like 'and','but', 'the' or 'that'. Pretty funky Froggy, huh?
    
13. Write the alphabet as pictures. Turn A into a ski chalet, B into a bunny, C into a frog.
    
14. Draw several random lines on a piece of paper (they can be straight or curvy) and see if you can create a picture with them. Try the same things with random shapes or figures.
    
15. Draw a picture and see if you can change it or make it something different.
    
16. Look at a painting and try to think of as many words as you can to describe it. Remember, a picture is worth 1000 words.
    
17. Read Exercise an Open Mind.
    

Tips

• While all these actions may seem a bit ridiculous, if you try them several times, you'll start reaching for more unusual ways to do them (creativity!). Many of the results will be totally silly, but some will be nearly brilliant. One stroke of brilliance is all it takes!
  
• If you are shy, try doing these exercises when you are alone. It's a bit more fun with other people, but if you are uncomfortable at the idea of being laughed at(because sometimes the results are hilarious!), do them alone. Once you see how much they can enhance your creativity, you'll probably be more willing to share them.
  
• Doing new things such as the ones listed, or even just picking a gross-sounding ice cream flavor forces new neurological paths in your brain, making you more creative, open-minded, and flexible. Try to make unappealing decisions. Routine is the enemy of creativity.
  
• Remember that creativity is a spontanious and passive process. Dont try TOO hard to be creative, or you will only get an idea block.
  

Warnings

• Modeling clay - Don't press fragile items or things that shed into the clay. Also be aware that some clay may stick to your objects, so impressing Great Grandma's Fabergé Egg probably isn't wise. Modeling clay sometimes transfers colors from itself to the object or vice versa. Careful, you dont want to pull the paint off something.
  

Things You'll Need

• Pen or pencil
  
• Paper
  
• Modeling clay (the kind that doesn't dry out!)
  
• A variety of household objects to press into the clay
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Exercise an Open Mind
  
• How to Create a Packing Tape Sculpture
  
• How to Create a Calder Mobile
  
• How to Write a Song
  
• How to Draw Anime and Manga
  
• How to Develop Your Creative Side
  

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