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Archive for creativity


  • How to Come Alive

    Posted on 10.28.12 | 22 Comments


    Photo by Rosie Hardy

    Editor’s Notes: This is such a simple, elegant and inspiring article. Make sure to give this a read. You’ll be glad you did. :)

    By Kate Carpenter

    “Don’t ask what the world needs.
    Ask what makes you come alive and go do it.
    Because what the world needs is
    people who have come alive.”
    ~ Howard Thurman

    No quote has ever had more of an impact on me than this one.

    When I first read it, I was working in the accounting department of a government contractor in Virginia. I was commuting back and forth to the 3-bedroom house on ½ acre that I’d just bought and I was doing it in a sporty little Mazda 626.

    I was making a respectable salary. I had parlayed my college degree into a “successful” career, and I was understandably proud of myself.

    But I was not alive.

    I was just one of hundreds of thousands of bean counters who sat in traffic a couple of hours a day to get to a cubicle in a maze of other cubicles to sit for another 8 to 10 hours a day trying to make numbers add up. (read more…)

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    Filed under: clarity, creativity, happiness, wisdom   

  • Why I Write

    Posted on 01.31.11 | 8 Comments

    why i write
    Photos by the talented Wynona Grey. See more of her work on flickr.

    By Tina Su

    To me, writing is not work. Writing is like dancing with Existence, with Spirit, with God. It’s beautiful and precious. I get more satisfaction and energy from writing than I do from a few extra hours of sleep. Seriously.

    Some days, when absorbed in the moment of writing down a stream of thoughts, I lose track of time, and I skip sleep altogether. And I function fine the next day–only with a bigger smile.

    Sometimes a string of words will hit me so strongly that I will sit in front of the computer bawling. I cry, not because I am sad, but because I’ve experienced such intense joy that it moved me to tears.

    Writing is just one form of creative outlet. I am no more qualified to write than you. And usually, as I relax and flow with my stream of consciousness, and write down whatever comes to mind, the result is surprising to me too. I am just a messenger after all.
    (read more…)

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    Filed under: clarity, creativity, wisdom   

  • How to Wake Up Inspired …

    Posted on 06.09.10 | 34 Comments

    inspired.jpg
    Photo by Simón Pais

    By Jonathan Mead

    Inspiration is typically viewed as something that comes and goes. Some days you “feel it” more than others.

    But what if you could be deeply and unconditionally inspired everyday? I bet it would make a difference in the quality of your life. You would probably wake up excited to start your day. You’d get more done, be more creative and feel more of that elusive “flow.” Being inspired also means enjoying the process more, instead of feeling forced and unnatural.

    The best part of persistent inspiration is that action tends to be effortless. There isn’t so much trying, rather you’re more simply being and allowing whatever action is natural to flow out from you.

    Most of us just wait for inspiration though. We passively anticipate our muse, instead of actively seeking it out.

    “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.“
    ~Jack London

    I’ve been experimenting with something different for a while, purposefully taking responsibility for being inspired. For a while I didn’t know if it would work. Inspiration is kind of an elusive phenomenon after all. And even if you choose to look for inspiration, does that mean it will come?

    (read more…)

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    Filed under: creativity, motivation   

  • Pen Zen: Bring Clarity to Writing

    Posted on 08.05.08 | 85 Comments

    writing-clarity2.jpg
    Photo via g2slp

    By Jesse Hines

    Have you ever read an email from someone that was too wordy, lacked focus, and left you confused? How can we learn from reading such emails to improve our own communication? How do we compose emails and writings that others will actually want to read?

    The ability to write clearly is crucial to getting your message across no matter what you’re writing, whether it’s an email, a blog post, a magazine article, or a letter to a friend. Clear and concise writing is vital to having your words read and understood.

    The whole purpose of most writing is to inform readers of something or to persuade people to do something. The more clear and concise your language, the easier your message will be understood, and the more likely your readers will respond to that message.

    Before you can write clearly, you have to be able to think clearly. A big reason many writers don’t see desired success in conveying their message is that they were not focused on a clear message. Good writing usually stems directly from clear thinking.

    In this post, we’ll first look at some common obstacles to clear thinking and writing, then offer some suggestions to develop the mental state for clear writing, and finally give some specific writing tips that, if implemented, will immediately add that magic touch of clarity to your writing.
    (read more…)

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    Filed under: clarity, creativity   

  • How to Tap Your Nap

    Posted on 07.16.08 | 60 Comments

    nap.jpg
    Photo: stock photo

    By Vic Stachura

    What do you do when you have problems that need creative solutions? Would you like to be more creative? Are you willing to give sleep a try?

    Thomas Edison, Salvador Dali and Stephen King all did it. So did Wagner, Poe and Twain. They all used this technique successfully at one time or another.

    What am I talking about? The ability to use the initial stages of sleep to generate creative ideas or to solve a perplex problem. Sounds a little far-fetched, doesn’t it? I thought so too, until I discovered that many of the great scientists, artists and engineers of our time have used sleep as a means of inspiration and problem solving. It has been described as trolling or mining for ideas in the subconscious of our mind.

    We now know that our minds are just as active while we are sleeping as when we are awake. Portions of the brain do shut down during the midnight hours, while others become active and take us to far-away places where the ‘wild things roam’. Some of the greatest minds of our time have mastered this technique and enhanced their creativity. And with a little help, so can you.

    (read more…)

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    Filed under: creativity   

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