::10 ways to enhance creativity::

take time to be creative.

you may like to write or sew or scrapbook or take photographs. you can be creative in a lot of different ways. you just have to take time for it. be creative with your kiddos' lunch today. make happy pancakes or a sandwich face. look for ways to be creative and teach your children to do the same. read this post :10 ways to make art in less than an hour.

try something new.

back in the day i spent many many hours scrapbooking. i have numerous scrapbooks from my college days and early days of marriage. none of the children....geez...isn't that normally why people scrapbook? ahem. anyway, i now love to sew and recently fell in love with the whole hoop art/embroidery craft. i hope to learn to knit someday....someday. so try something new today. bust out your kiddos' paint and do your best van gogh impression.

read

read. read. and read some more. read everything you can get your hands on - books, magazines, blogs, even childrens books can inspire a new piece of art. look for the latest trends and this season colors to inspire your creativity.


make a new friend

the internet has provided a lovely avenue for building relationships- especially in the creative world. there are tons of people out there that love to create. their creations are different than yours. inspire and be inspired. ask questions. put yourself out there. approach and be approachable.

carry your camera

you never know when you will find inspiration so carry your camera everywhere....everywhere! always be ready to capture whatever catches your eye. just a snapshot of something lovely that you can reference. a landmark. a restaurant. a garden. it doesn't matter if you are a novice or a pro - just take  pictures.

take advantage of social media

pinterest is amazing! it allows you to bookmark and categorize inspirational sites, photographs, projects, etc. i love pinterest. there are other sites such as tumblr and stumble upon as well as facebook and twitter that may inspire you. so go crazy! see what's out there.

write

i keep a little notebook or my iphone with me at all times to write down inspirations as they come to me. so be prepared to jot down ideas that come to mind at a moments notice.  if you don't already have one- start a blog to chronicle your creative side.

 create an inspiration book

load it full of colors and pictures and pages from magazines and books. fill it with quotes that inspire. make one that is expandable so you can continue to add as your taste and style changes. make it you.

take an online course

i took the indie business 3.0 course hosted by leigh-ann and it was super inpirational. just reading others stories and the things that worked for them as well as all the lovely photos on flickr gave me tons of ideas!

have fun

do what you love and love what you do.


what are some ways encourage your creativity to take shape?