The Key to Constant Creativity

Something my graphic design class teacher said that has hit home was that you can't be creative without being curious about life and the world around you.  You have to want to explore and play.

He also said that you have to break free of your routine.  You have to force your brain to think in a new way.  Your brain isn't wired to make new connections if you eat the same thing at the same time and walk the same way to the same class or business every day. It's good to break routine every so often.

It also helps to ask "what if...."  What would happen if the ice cracked? What would happen if I added color to my project?  What would happen if it was all made out of wax.

I tried this out, and it made my projects more fun.  They're not about meeting a requirement and turning something, anything, in.  They're about learning and growing as an artist and as a person.

I decided to move this principle into other areas I wanted to be more creative in as well.  I tried using it in my singing.  I started trying different things with my voice as I walked home, not caring if it sounded good, just trying things and seeing if the result was good.  As I sang someone stopped me and said I sounded amazing.  I stopped to say thank you and they said, "Don't stop, I want to hear it."  So apparently something was working.

I also tried singing into a tube but waving it in front of my face, and it created a sort of vibrato effect.  My next step is to try it with a friend to see if I hear the same thing or if what I hear is dependent upon which side of the tube I'm on.

In short, I've resolved to be more curious, and hopefully more creative.