Nurture Your Creativity #18: Row a Metaphoric Boat

Terri Conrad Designs® Product Giveaway!
Terri Conrad is a commercial artist who licenses her playful and sophisticated artwork and designs. Respond to her question, "What inspires you, surprises you, and makes your toes wiggle with delight?" by September 8, 2010, for a chance to win some fun creative products! Details »

By Chris Dunmire

I love metaphors and the way you can take an idea and parallel its likeness to another in order to understand a concept more fully. Metaphors are like dressing room mirrors in the mind that, with good lighting, reflect back multiple angles of perspective — often ones overlooked — revealing the tucked-away details hidden from a straight-on pose.

Embedded within our own lives are rich metaphoric nuggets. If you pay attention to the deeper layers of your experiences, you can see metaphors at work all the time. Use them to your advantage to learn more about yourself and grow in discernment. They will enrich your creative life. More »

P.S. Creative Use, Reuse Of An Experience
Oh no, that solitary row I took on the lake last month isn't over yet. Well, what I mean is that the brainstorm which came out of it still drags behind me like a net full of squiggling fish needing release. Creative release, that is. ...

101 Ways to Delight and Inspire Yourself (Part 2)
By Molly J. Anderson-Childers
67. Write a short-short story, in 100 words or less. Flash fairy-tales are fun; they really spark my imagination. Get from “Once upon a time…” to “The End” in as few words as possible. Send me your best short stories, and get published on my Addictive Fiction blog!

90. Listen to jazz or classical music, and write or draw something in response to it. Even some abstract doodling with a paintbrush in hand can free your mind, opening you up to inspiration.

93. Break out of your grown-up mentality and play with words again. Challenge a friend to a game of Boggle, Scrabble, or Balderdash. Do a word-search, or a crossword puzzle.

Welcome to the Creative Renaissance
'20-20 Creativity Solution' Excerpt by John Dillon
When you integrate the three phases of creativity — inspiration, action, and analysis — into your life and apply them to your passion (that which you love to do), then you become unstoppable! In her Art of the Song interview, singer/songwriter Jonatha Brooke said, “Creativity is just a matter of what you’re passionate about. It could be business, it could be law, it could be a doctor. Creativity is, I think, about passion.” Passion is the power that drives the engine of creativity. Doing what you love gives you energy. Find what it is that you love doing. Study it. Practice it. Learn all you can about the subject. Excel at your passion and make your unique contribution to the world. When you integrate creativity into your life and apply yourself to your passion, you will accomplish great things and create a successful and happy life.

How To Make Your Own Mosaic Tables
By Scarlett Lovitt
One of the great things about mosaics is the wide variety of materials that can be used. There are ready-made kits containing mosaic tiles, but one of the creative satisfactions that comes from making mosaics is choosing unusual materials to make simple designs or patterns. Items that have been used for mosaics include river stones, seashells, pottery shards, pieces of broken dishes and tiles and more. The key to these mixed media is to choose flat items that have the same approximate depth so that the surface of the table will be flat.

Under the Same Moon
By Kristi Tencarre
Printable story workbook with writing prompts for children with military deployed parents. I wrote this story in 2007 for my friend's daughter Kendra before her Dad deployed to Afghanistan. Kendra was very angry; it wasn't her Dad's first deployment and she knew she was going to miss him. Her mom wanted something to read to her daughter to let her know it was okay to feel angry. She couldn't find a story that showed an angry child working through his/her feelings so she called me up and asked me to write a story for Kendra.

Mind Mapping for Innovation
By ThinkBuzan
We have all experienced the strain of working through the recession. The market is ruthless and for your business to stay ahead of the competition you must constantly develop and evolve. Innovation is a prerequisite not a bonus and so the ability to generate new ideas and find a fresh perspective is more valuable than ever. Find out how Mind Maps can stimulate innovation — whatever your business.