Cultivate your creativity: this month's problem; Your life lacks inspiration. Here's where to turn for new ideas—and how to put them into action

Shape, August, 2004 by Laurie McLaughlin

The Challenge

To spark your creativity Self-imposed barriers can keep you from letting your creative juices flow, whether it's for a hobby that's hit a slump or a work presentation that needs to sparkle with innovative ideas. Being afraid of what others will say, having perfectionist tendencies or believing you lack the talent for coming up with great ideas can leave you in a holding pattern.

The Solutions

* Do your homework. An in-depth understanding of your subject will help you generate new ideas. For a work presentation, for example, gather all the facts you know about your project, then search the Internet for more information about your audience and/or product. "This may not look like you're creating or brainstorming, but you really are," says Yvette Brown, co-founder of X! Promos, an Irvine, Calif., marketing company that has produced promotional campaigns for Barbie and Dubble Bubble gum. "It's part of the process."

* Fill your project box. Next, put that research to use. "Before you think out of the box, you have to create a box," says Tony Award-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp, author of The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life (Simon & Schuster, 2003). Tharp suggests loading a cardboard box with items that relate to your project. For instance, when Tharp collaborated with Billy Joel on the musical Movin' Out, the first thing in her box was an index card that read, "Tell a story." Other items ranged from a macrame vest that inspired costumes to Polaroids of Joel's childhood stomping grounds. "The box is a place to anchor your thinking," Tharp says. After you've reviewed your idea box, you can go back to it for inspiration whenever you hit a rut.

* Write off your fears. "Don't be afraid to try," Brown advises. "Remember, everyone has the ability to problem solve, and that's really what [creativity] is." Fear of failure, fear of not being original or just plain fear of going where you've never been before can stifle your creative flow before it even begins. Write your doubts down and file the page away; you'd be surprised how much the physical act of acknowledging your obstacles and setting them aside can relieve the burden. And as for worrying about not being original, Tharp declares, "Honey, it's all been done before--get over yourself!"

The Payoff

Tapping into your creative skills leads to personal empowerment by allowing you to express yourself and realize your potential.

"For me, it's being able to say, 'I did it,'" Tharp says. "I did it without anybody's permission. I did it without anybody telling me how to do it. End of story."

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1. Create a ritual. Every time you sit down to work on a project, incorporate a special act--like burning a scented candle or playing a particular CD--that signals you're being creative and nothing can interfere.

2. Learn about the creative process. Two books to try in addition to Tharp's: The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron (Jeremy P. Tarcher, 2002), and The Zen of Creativity, by John Daido Loori (Ballantine Books, 2004).

3. Don't look for approval. Some people are going to like what you do and some people aren't. What's important is that you take pleasure in what you create.

4. Delete distractions. For one week, remove some of the diversions from your life--TV, newspapers, shopping--think of it as a vacation for your creative health.

Laurie McLaughlin is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and editor who channels her creativity into designing and stitching hand-embroidered purses.