Fostering Creativity

[lexiphanic]

How is it done?

Shortly, I am going to try getting more exercise (got some nice portable cans), more socializing with attractive females, and some other stuff.

Things that I think worked really well in the past: School, emotional turmoil, free-time, and doing things that were truly enjoyable.

Things that are definitely not helping foster my creativity: WOW, full time job, lack of anything in my life that can put my Ne or Fe on stage. No real stress in my life that gets even close to the perimeter fences of what I really care about.

Things that I thought would really help, but don't seem to be helping as much as I thought they might: Big speakers, turntables+mixer, home-made mastering studio.

Any insights, or similar difficulties; similarities or differences, I want to hear them.

[Oculus Sinister]

*adderrall *sketchup *autocadd *CS2 *Mac Powerbook Pro *Corel Painter *architecture books on drawing *drawing for the right side of the brain, betty edwards *how to write fiction *the list continues

[Leftfield]

How is it done?

Shortly, I am going to try getting more exercise (got some nice portable cans), more socializing with attractive females, and some other stuff.

Things that I think worked really well in the past: School, emotional turmoil, free-time, and doing things that were truly enjoyable.

Things that are definitely not helping foster my creativity: WOW, full time job, lack of anything in my life that can put my Ne or Fe on stage. No real stress in my life that gets even close to the perimeter fences of what I really care about.

Things that I thought would really help, but don't seem to be helping as much as I thought they might: Big speakers, turntables+mixer, home-made mastering studio.

Any insights, or similar difficulties; similarities or differences, I want to hear them.

Honestly, get away from the computer/internet and away from this place for about a week. Better yet and before you do that, log what you do in an entire day, you may feel more or less like a waste.

I like getting out, photography is the best; because you run into random people at random places, you use your "Ne" and "Se" a lot with this as well, and its bascially free, if you have a digital cam.

I do a lot of creative/memoir/philosophical writing as well, but that isn't for everybody... honestly, the feedback here is pretty much shit for posting writing (unless you are a girl/woman/person with tits), unless you catch a good day or people that find you interesting.

What were the signs? People noticing my abilities and commending me on them. Letting yourself essentially waste your NT function is a crime... figure it out but still spend a lot of time in the process...

The easiest thing to do is get out there, go to random places, meet new people and some of them will see something in you (then it should click), and maybe one of the hot one's will want a little something extra... that is what we call extra credit my friend... reasons why I admire and am growing more to become an ENTP.

You cant force it, but you will naturally get drawn to it. Ill stop rambling, may be doing more harm than good.

Edit: Shit, my fault, you're the DJ... take your time and develop the right methodology then :)

[Stoic]

Simply put, I imagine creativity as equating to ones ability to carry out 'abstract reasoning' or 'remote association.'

[fripping]

nothing makes great art like suffering and genius

the more you have of one the less you need of the other

so in other words find a way to hit emotional rock bottom or live on the border of starvation or something

[Dirty-American-Devil]

Can't say I'm exactly a genius, but the suffering thing I've got down. As long as you can remember the suffering without it harming you, as an outsider observer looking in with empathy.

Stop trying so hard, and just live life, that should help a lot.

[Mr.Miagi]

I personally believe that creativity gets fostered through doing a lot of 'nothing.' By this I means being on your own for lengthy periods, doing absolutely nothing, just grappling with your own thoughts. Sooner or later those thoughts needs expression. Then, later, either you go out and be creative socially, or you either start typing.

[Faust06]

Inspiration. Abstract art and thinking will get you going.

[cynic]

Lexiphanic, if by WOW you mean World of Warcraft, thats a big drain, try to take a break from it. I notice when I get hooked on an MMO my creativity takes a huge tumble. Not enough time to stew in my own thoughts I think.

If you meant something else by WOW (wily old women perhaps?) I apologize for showing my geek hand too early.

Now go to a museum and get amped!

[airjaw]

The most creative periods of my life are when I have experienced great emotional turmoil or stress of some sort.

The least creative periods of my life are when i'm lazy, lethargic, and engaged in some mindless activity in which I just coast on my extroverted intuition (like playing computer games or taking really really easy classes). If you never challenge or stimulate yourself I'm afraid you won't be very creative.

Basically you just gotta get out and experience life, as someone else suggested.

[brakedown]

i feel most creative when i am out exploring new things. an ideal day would be to have the day open, throw my camera in my backpack, possibly a book, a lil bit of bud, and ride my bike around the city. watching people, finding things that are cool. there is a lot of new stuff that i find every time i go out.

[Oculus Sinister]

bring an idea pad around and derive inspiration from obscure places. It can be anywhere and if you start just jotting down ideas everywhere, the brain becomes programmed to see things in things unseen before. Just launch, do whatever the hell you do but keep improvising. Besides, for an introvert in a social place, an idea pad can be a great escape.

[iksikaksi]

OK, I have an obsession with geometrc figures. When I draw I make weird spirals and tesselations. Anybody here shares this idiosincracy?

[zalt]

My creativity is just random. I'm sometimes very creative and sometimes not at all. Also psychedelics are THE thing to make you creative.

[Arachne]

Music. I just turn on music and click over.

I have read a few articles recently that connect creativity to low latent inhibition... latent inhibition being that part of your brain that allows you to ignore irrelevant information to focus on the task at hand. My guess would be that work and other focus-demanding activities raise latent inhibition and therefore work against creativity. To be more creative you have to be more like child or a crazy person and start noticing all the things that you are normally ignoring. Tune into your senses and just observe. They maybe try to strip things of their symbolic meaning. I am highly visual-spatial so I like to mentally rotate objects which creates new associations. I realize this is not everyone's gift so you may have to find the way that works for you to discover new associations.

Also, play tabletop D&D instead of WOW.

[Ptah]

I suspect there is no inherent dichotomy here, but I find that I am the most creative after being "technical" for some period of time.

I suppose by "technical" I mean: thinking analytically and/or linearly, procedurally, etc? The point is, afterwards I find I am most able and needing to be "creative", as in: imaginative, non-linear, etc?

Often I experience difficulty in directing the "creative" state of mind. I find listening to music (before and/or during) facilitates productive creative activity. But then, only forms of music that "match" the state of mind I'm in; trying to listen to music that doesn't fit my "mood" in an attempt to provoke and/or direct my creative state of mind otherwise (such as through conscious contrivance, incidental background noise, etc) is jarring and very counter-productive; in fact, preclusive to "creativity". A few forms of music are out automatically (due to otherwise unrelated, awful synesthetic feedback), others (the vast majority) are context-sensitive; few if any are "golden" for any occasion.

[Faust06]

I find that I am the most creative after being "technical" for some period of time.

Same here, along with just extensive practical work.. it gets out of my system, I can go through a more intuitive/creative phase.

[zago]

Relaxation, a clear mind, and a sense of purpose.

[fripping]

what i said two years before is only half true. the other half? a boatload of drugs.

[aen]

I think everyone is born with a certain intellectual capacity that determines one's level of innate creativity. I would say, rather than ways to "foster" creativity which many is trying to but almost always fail, we should look for ways to prevent the erosion of any creative capacity we already have.

We always had our creative child but our boring adult minds are in constant conflict with it.

[bethanygm]

I do "morning pages" to get myself into a creative mode. I need to get back to them actually. I just write 3 pages, front and back, as soon as I get up every morning. I write whatever I happen to be thinking and don't re-read it. It like dumping all your crap on a page and thereby de-clogging your system.
I do "artist dates" where I go do something fun and I guess, childish, like blow bubbles, swing on some swings, or pick out a pretty new journal and flower pen, or whatever. I basically allow myself to indulge in all the little things that make me happy. (make a list of those, too!)

I got some of these ideas from a book called "The Artist's Way".

The stuff I do might sound silly and undignified, but I think its the kid in us that does the creative thing the best. Feed her and she'll start sending you all kinds of crazy awesome ideas. ;)

[Bumble Bee]

What were the signs? People noticing my abilities and commending me on them. Letting yourself essentially waste your NT function is a crime... figure it out but still spend a lot of time in the process...


How do you not waste the NT function?