Diary of a creative person: day 11

Using a diverse mixture of things to trigger inspiration

Photos, sketches, videos, graffiti, poems, boat yards, patterns of currents and eddies, objects found along the way: Marc uses all these things and more to trigger his inspiration. The more diverse the mixture of things Marc experiences, the greater the chances they will trigger inspiration and nudge him towards new ideas. 

We all have our favourite things: things we enjoy and respond to the most; things we surround ourselves with. We have favourite books, favourite music, favourite films, favourite photos, favourite whatever. It is good for us to luxuriate in these things; they make us happy and they help us relax. They may even, because they put us in a good frame of mind, spur the occasional creative idea. To significantly enhance our creativity, however, we need to move beyond our favourite things towards experiencing a more diverse mixture of things: things that will stimulate, challenge and inspire us in new and unexpected ways.

Those things that you do not give a second glance: give them a second glance; take a photo of them. That music you do not listen to: listen to it; download it to your smart phone. That newspaper you would not be seen dead reading: read it; subscribe to it for a month. That TV series you never watch: watch it; buy the box set. Those meetings you never attend: attend them; offer to contribute to the next one. Make it easier for you to introduce freshness to your thinking by allowing a diverse mixture of things to inspire you.


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