Tip: Making Time for Creative Thoughts

This morning I was sitting in my car behind my husbands car on a side street in Syracuse. He had had a flat tire this morning, so I ended up taking him to work in order for him to get to a meeting. After dropping him off, I called AAA and drove back to wait by his car. As I was sitting in my car waiting for AAA to arrive, I notice how beautiful the clouds were over Antelope Island. I said to myself, I should have a sketchbook or camera to capture the lofty clouds, wet fields, crisp clear air and cerulean blue sky. I could feel a creative moment coming on. Instead I finished my V8 juice and waited for the AAA truck. Connie Hayden

"Try getting in the habit of not going anywhere - and I mean anywhere - without your notebook. Take it with you in the car, in the bathtub, lay it on the kitchen counter while you're cooking. Sure, it will get dirty, but so what? This doesn't have to be pretty; this is a tool. It can be any size or shape, from a tiny, cheap, lined spiral tablet to something more elaborate. Those with large spiral bindings work well because you can keep a pen in the binding. You might want to make a habit of writing down every creative idea, no matter how mundane or unformed. It's not what you're writing down; it's the act of doing it. Writing down ideas reinforces the value of creative thinking and encourages your brain to spend more time in creative mode. It's also a great way to take small creative breaks through out the day." (From "Creative Time and Space - Making Room for Making Art" by Rice Freeman-Zachery)