Hello, all!
So, let’s talk. It’s easy to get creatively stuck from time to time – you don’t know where to go with a project or you’re having trouble coming up with an idea for the project in the first place. And it’s not fun when you have the desire to bring something to the world, and especially not when there are deadlines involved.
This is where I can be of service.
You see, as a creative community I think we need to support each other because we all have different strengths to bring to the table. And idea generation just happens to be one of mine. đ In my e-book and now audiobook, Idea Factory: 20 Tantalizing Tips to Turbocharge Your Creativity, I joke about how I can’t tell you how to market or promote your art since I haven’t sold more than a handful of anything I’ve ever done but I’ve got project ideas coming out the wazoo and I always have. I will literally be working on one song and suddenly be struck with lyrics for another.
So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to share another tip from the book to help you get through a dry spell. You can check out my last post for another tool to put in your creative arsenal, if you haven’t already read it.
Tip #7 is called “Everybody Has A Story”. It’s about looking at someone you’ve never met – in a grocery store, while you’re out for a walk – and creating a backstory for them. Look at where they are, how they’re dressed, what they’re doing, and try to imagine their life – where they came from, where they are now, where they might be going.
You can be as sensational as you like about it. Maybe that woman in the trench coat is a spy heading to a meeting with her handler to learn about her next mission. Maybe that man running past you on the sidewalk is training for a marathon because his father died before he ever had a chance to complete one and he wants to honour his memory. Get into the details – establish a real sense of knowing that person inside and out.
This exercise will not only help you to boost your creativity, since you’re making up a bunch of stuff, but it will help you feel more connected to the world around you. So often, we go through our lives just zooming past everything and everybody. We don’t even notice the person we pass on the street, yet alone contemplate where they came from and what brought them to that moment in time. You might be surprised at the amount of empathy you’ll develop in the process.
So why not take your people watching to the next level and have some fun? And feel free to comment and let us know what you’ve observed!
For more information on Idea Factory you can learn more on the website , and you can find it on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible, depending on your format preference.
Have a great day and happy creating!
Tiffany