More Lightening Bolts, Please

By Patricia Belyea / Guest Columnist
Media, Inc /September 2003

Ever wonder where the word "brainstorm" comes from? Can you imagine looking into a brain full of thunder and lightning? Just like Franklin's kite, does the brain get fired up with electricity when we think creatively?

Graphically a light bulb is used to connote an idea. When someone is creative, we often say they are "bright" or "brilliant." So how do we plug in and get all charged up?

A start to being more creative is to live more creatively - consciously choosing to act in new ways. The following suggestions are not very risky yet are a great start. If you normally drink coffee, order something else. Listen to AM instead of FM radio. Drive home another way. Go to an unfamiliar restaurant. It is all very simple. Breaking your daily patterns can make you feel more alive.

Folks who have held a job for more than a few years recognize how calcified they have become in their day-to-day routines. Like going on a diet or quitting cigarettes, you are the only person who can make yourself act more creatively.

In fact, creativity is like love and hope-one of the great things in life. It is free. It is there for you, if you choose.

One of the biggest blocks of creative energy is clutter. If you think about your home or office, you can visualize some random piles of stuff. Just like your mother, I recommend that you sort through and clean up the messes.

It is remarkable what a difference it makes to clear out clutter. You not only begin to feel more freedom, ease, and self confidence, you create space for possibilities.

I challenge you to organize 20 things in the coming week. Once you set yourself to the task, you'll see that all it takes is focus. The results are instant and definitely lead to a high level of contentment.

Last spring I attacked my dumping ground of a basement. It was the biggest place of clutter in my home. The cleaning project led to other exciting changes around my home that amazed me.

Don't get me wrong here. I am also a believer in messes. In fact to create new and wonderful things, it almost always requires a big mess. It is just that the pile on your desk needs to be a recent accumulation, not leftovers from an old project.

Negativity is another creativity killer. Whenever a newly minted idea is measured, judged or criticized, it can not grow. Laughable, irrelevant, foolish, or even idiotic ideas have great value. They are starting points for leaping to better ideas.

If you are shamed for a stupid suggestion, you will stop offering your thoughts. The more confident we feel in contributing ideas, the more we will participate in a creative process.

I am the queen of bad ideas in my office. Yet my loser concepts are often transformed into winners. By not limiting my thinking to intelligent and safe ideas, I can get "outside the box." Then it is so much easier to edit down to workable ideas with a twist.

Creativity is an important part of a healthy and fulfilling life. It is venturesome and full of risk. Yet the rewards are high.

Patricia Belyea is founding principal and Creative Director of Belyea, a graphic design firm specializing in branding and marketing programs. She can be reached at patricia@belyea.com or 206-682-4895.