27 10, 2023

Trash or Treasure

By judythemorgan|2023-10-25T16:58:23-05:00October 27th, 2023|Uncategorized|2 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

I have a friend who is an art teacher. We worked together at a small private school for many years. When the school closed abruptly, we started to meet with other teachers every week at the local Dairy Queen to grieve together. Over time, we each moved on but we continued to meet and talk about life.

I’ve learned much from my friend. She has a unique way of looking at things and I find myself seeing the things around me with new eyes. She sees potential in many things, students included which is what makes her a great teacher. It also makes her a great friend.

An ordinary leaf becomes a dancer or a bottle cap becomes an earring. I started taking her things to use in her creations. Most recently, I took a piece of cardboard that had been part of the packaging for something.

It was too interesting to simply recycle. I thought it looked like a spine – perhaps because we have been learning the rhythms of the poem Skeleton Parade by Jack Prelutsky.

I took it to our Dairy Queen meeting and we set it on the table. We sat and discussed the cardboard, turning it in all directions, for 15 minutes or more.

My friend saw a building and the other friend saw a set of jaws.

At one point, the manager, who we know from our regular visits, came out to see what we were looking at.

He thought we were playing a game like Jenga.

This is what I love about my friend. She has taught me to be inspired by a piece of cardboard.

My friend and her husband recently bought a house in a nearby town. It turns out to be the house she grew up in. But that’s another story for another time.

Eventually, they will move. I will miss our weekly meetings. I may have to take road trips periodically to see her.

And, of course, take her interesting treasures to sit and discuss.

7 09, 2017

11 Surprising Ways to Boost Creativity

By judythemorgan|2017-06-04T15:40:52-05:00September 7th, 2017|Guest blogger, writer, writing|1 Comment

Welcome returning guest blogger Jack Milgram. Jack blogs at Top-notch study tips for A+ students. Today he shares some ideas with us about how to boost your creativity. You can read his July blog for View from the Front Porch here.

11 Surprising Ways to Boost Creativity

For those who are engaged in creative professions, there’s no time to wait for inspiration. You should be able to turn your creative thinking on every time you start working.

To attract great ideas when they’re needed most, it’s essential to know some quick tips on how to boost creativity any time.

Solve puzzles.

Imagination always relates to your brain’s productivity, and that’s why it’s essential to train it every day. Highly developed problem-solving skills will help you find new ways to approach different situations.

Go for a walk.

We often forget to look around, while there are so many things there to inspire! Have you ever heard of biomimicry? It’s when designers or scientists find ideas in biological processes. Take a breath of fresh air and try to do the same thing.

Read different genres.

What does it mean to be creative? It means being able to produce new ideas and apply them to various tasks. And where can you find more great ideas than in books? Be interested in all genres—fantasy, classics, romance, detectives, horror, and more.

Turn off the lights.

Research shows that dimmed lighting helps people feel more free. In one experiment, this sense of freedom let the participants perform more creatively. The tip is—don’t try to work when the lights are too bright.

If you’re stuck and can’t start thinking outside the box, try some physical activity. A session of yoga or 20 minutes of jogging can enhance your imagination. This is a universal way to get inspired in a short time.

Follow talented people online.

Almost every artist subscribes to blogs and galleries of other talented people. Just scrolling through your newsfeed on Instagram or Pinterest can inspire you to develop something entirely new. Keep up with those who share your hobby.

Play music or doodle.

If you’re a writer, try painting. If you’re a musician, try to write a novel. Creativity is the ability to broaden your horizons, and you can do so by trying new activities.

Try out some writing prompts.

There’s no opportunity to come up with new ideas when you’re stuck in the same old work routine. For example, if you write about motorcycles every day for half of the year, it’s no surprise that you’ve run out of ideas. What can you do? Try some prompts to boost creativity when writing.

Spend time with friends.

Communication, especially with those who share our interests, is what makes us happy. And happiness increases our chances of thinking creatively. So, go to your friend’s place and watch a movie.

List all your ideas.

Why does brainstorming help us with being creative? Because we don’t judge ourselves or set limitations. We just develop as many ideas as possible. The key thing here is to write all these ideas down. Such an approach helps you find the best solution to any problem.

Sometimes thinking too much can lead you to a dead end. Try to relax and demand nothing from yourself—and you’ll see just how many ideas come to mind when you aren’t concentrating on the topic.

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Visit Jack’s blog: custom-writing.org/blog

Connect with Jack:

Twitter: @Jack__Milgram

Facebook: Jack.Milgram

29 06, 2017

Creativity Innate or Learned

By judythemorgan|2017-06-04T15:19:10-05:00June 29th, 2017|Guest blogger, writing|2 Comments

Help me welcome guest blogger Jack Milgram. Jack is a blogger at Top-notch study tips for A+ students. Today he shares his ideas about creativity.

Creativity Innate or Learned

Creativity is a popular characteristic that you can spot on almost every resume. But what is it exactly? And are we born with this trait, or do we develop it?

From a young age, we’re assured that creativity is a talent you either have or don’t. What does creativity mean? It’s easy—if children can draw or play music, they’re creative; if not, well, they’re good at something else.

Kind of rough, isn’t it?

Now, as adults, we can see that almost everything depends on the effort and time we spend to learn a skill. And the same is true about creativity!

Creative thinking is a combination of effort, genetics, and social environment. But the point is this—if you haven’t found success with the last two, you can always still start developing creativity.

Firstly, let’s talk about the creativity definition. Creativity is the ability to develop new ideas and solutions. But is it true that we are ever able to come up with fresh ideas?

Many specialists visualize creativity not as some chaotic, magical ritual but rather as a number of links between actual experiences.

What does that mean exactly?

It means that to develop something new, all you need to do is combine two or more existing ideas. This leads us to an important fact: the more experience you have, the more creative your ideas will be.

Just think about it—creative thinking isn’t applied to artistic activities only. It’s a significant skill for many professions. Every profession that is friendly to optimization demands that its employees be creative.

Imagine that you’re completing a PR task. This is definitely a creative profession—developing strategies, communicating with the media, organizing events, and so on. To develop a good advertisement, it isn’t enough to be a talented person.

So what do you think? Who has a better chance of success: an experienced specialist or just a creative person? For sure, it will be the specialist. And one of the reasons for this is simple—specialists know so many examples of beneficial strategies that they can combine ideas almost automatically.

So, if we can train creativity, how are we supposed to do it? There aren’t any muscles for creativeness.

Don’t worry—here are some easy tips you can use:

Don’t set limitations.

People can be creative only when there is enough freedom for it. Brainstorm without judging yourself or setting boundaries.

Start a notebook.

Every idea should be written down. This will help you remember them later and find ways for improvement.

Do what you love.

Research has shown that creativity increases with dopamine, the organic chemical responsible for the rewards center of the human brain. That means that the more motivation you have, the more ideas you can develop.

Fix your bad mood.

Creativity in business is a great thing. But you can only achieve it by being in a good mood. Don’t let yourself be pessimistic, and find enjoyment in the simple things.

Look around.

The outside world is full of interesting examples that you can use in your work. Meet friends, go for a walk, find some new hobbies, and so on. The most creative things you can find are already around you.

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Visit Jack’s blog: custom-writing.org/blog

Connect with Jack

Twitter: @Jack__Milgram

Facebook: Jack.Milgram

9 10, 2013

CREATIVITY – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2017-04-08T18:36:39-05:00October 9th, 2013|one word Wednesday|3 Comments

What is creativity?

Being creative or artistic doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to draw or play an instrument.

Creativity is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world.

Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas and produce something original.

Dan Draper of the AMC television series Mad Men portrays a creative.

Writers exist in a world of creativity.

Consider Steven Jobs-highly creative. He changed our world.

David B. Goldstein, co-author of “Creative You: Using Your Personality Type to Thrive,” maintains every person is creative.

“Contrary to popular belief, no one is born without a creative bone in his or her body, and not all creative types are starving artists. In other words, we’ve all got it, but our personalities play a role in the kind of creative we are, and how we best feed into it.”

Creativity is a function of how your brain works. Creative types use the RIGHT side of their brains more than the LEFT.

Click HERE for fun tests to find out if your brain is wired for creativity. (Special thanks to Jack Milgram for the tip on this great infographic.)

One caution though, according to Barbara O’Neal, being a creative person is not easy. From her blog, The Creative Personality:

“The mental and personality traits that make it possible to be creative can also be annoying and irritating to the rest of society. Aside from the crime of introversion, creative people are often non-conforming, haughty, brilliant, intense, restless, prickly, with a sense of destiny (see the whole list here).”

If your test results show you do operate in the creative right brain…

or you exhibit any of The Traits of Highly Creative Adults, this quote from artist Henri Matisse is for you: