I was reading an old copy of reader’s digest today. I came across the following article written by Scott Mc Keen. So I decided to share some parts of it with everyone else on English-test.net. I hope you like reading it.
TAP YOUR INNER GENIUS:-
You’ll never know what you’ve got until you try!
What qualification did Kathy Holubitsky have when she sat down to write a novel 12 years ago? In the strictest terms, none at all. Granted, she loved to read, and the 32 year old secondary school library technician was always surrounded by books. But she had no formal training, not even a night class in creative writing.
Holubitsky and her husband, Jeff, were raising two young boys, so she began to write by stealing, an hour here and there after work. Soon the words were pouring out of her. She completed one novel, then another, then another. “I started to write to give myself a creative challenge,” says Holubitsky, “not with any intention to publish.”
Yet two years ago, her young adult novel ‘Alone at Ninety Foot’ became her first published work. Not bad for an untrained writer with no particular ambition for fame. “I still write for myself,” she concludes, “but now I also feel responsible to kids I am writing for.”
Being creative is not only natural, it’s good for you. Creative expression enriches free time, reduces stress and brings better mental and physical health. Creativity can even make you smarter. Neurobiology professor Lawrence Katz, in his book ‘Keep your brain alive’, says routine living dulls our minds. Creative expression gives our brains a workout, activating new circuits in our grey matter.
It demands but one thing of those who reach for its gifts: courage- the courage to be childlike in attempting new things, shrugging off routine and trying something we’re not already good at.
“It’s an act of faith,” says Julia Cameron, author of bestselling book on creativity, The artist’s way. “It takes courage to put paragraphs on a blank page.”
Could you write a novel, paint something suitable for framing or interpret Bach on the hand me down accordion? Here is how to tap into your hidden genius:-
Let it flow:-
Creativity does not necessarily require an act of will or sweat on the brow. “Its just about getting logic,” says Julia Ellis, a university of Alberta education professor.
Start something…anything
One school of thought says you already know, deep down, what you’d like to try: water colours, perhaps, or pottery, poetry, gardening, classic car restoration or choral singing.
Another strategy is to just begin trying things. So take an art class and decide if it’s for you. If it isn’t try something else. The hunt can be half the fun.
Cameron suggests writing a list of wishes or dreams in quick succession. Inner censor will come up with countless reasons why you can’t do something new and creative: I have no talent; I’m not smart enough; I’m not gifted.
“The way I look at it, ability or intelligence doesn’t limit people’s creativity,” says Stanford University professor Jim Adams, he continues “If you want to be more creative, you have to take more risks. That’s what inhibits most people.”
Get out of box:-
Siler says the simplest way to kindle our creative fire is to take everyday tasks and make them more exciting or meaningful. Look for alternatives, maybe a new routine change.
Cameron prescription for sparkling creativity is to get up earlier and use a writing technique called morning pages: You write three long hand pages about anything. What does writing meditation do for the creative wanna-be? It clears the mind and opens up possibilities and wishes that we hold inside. The beauty of it is that there’s no right way to do them, so you inner critic has no standing.
Go to different places, browse in a n art shop, listen to music or take in sights.
Be prepared for a change
“I always advise people to take a chance on something they’ve always wanted to do,” says Adams. “Often that something is consistent with your talents and abilities. Unfortunately, a lot of people live and die with that one wish unfulfilled.”
Be spontaneous
Tod Siler says that cynicism, which he describes as feeling like nothing is worth doing, is often the nemesis of creativity. “Cynicism sucks life out of you,” says Siler. “Creativity puts life into you.”
End.