Just Creative Design

Do you use your Left or Right Brain more?

Do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa. Most of us would see the dancer turning counter-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

So do you know the whole deal between the left and right brain? The left brain is more math based and the right brain is more creative.

The first time I did this test I saw it go anti clockwise and then the second time I saw it clockwise - whatever that means I do not know. I’m an even brained individual.

To compare and see what each side of the brain does visit right brain VS the left brain.

15 Ways to Recharge Your Brain

Do you ever feel like you just arn’t thinking right? Got writers block? Feeling uncreative?

A quote from Harold Kushener says “Think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.” We can adapt this to our creativity; the further we get into our brains, the more it begins to make sense, and thus comes our creativity.

So if you are not just thinking right, here are 15 great ways to recharge your brain as posted on LifeClever.

1. Go for a brisk walk
2. Take a nap
3. Lie in a nearby park or on a bench and watch the clouds go by
4. Listen to music or even podcast novels
5. Browse a local bookstore
6. Stroll through a nearby art gallery
7. Get a coffee in a cafe and read the paper or, even better, a gossip magazine
8. Hit the gym
9. Meditate or do yoga
10. Hang out at the local dog run and get in touch with your animal nature
11. Window shop
12. Sit on the corner and sketch buildings
13. Memorize poetry
14. Get a massage
15. Do math problems or crosswords

What other methods do you use to be creative or recharge your brain?

2 Interactive Creative Websites

These are two great interactive and creative websites which are inspiring and great for a bit of time out…

1. Monoface randomly generates different faces and you can choose which area of the face you want to change. It is a great laugh and is extremely creative.
2. If you enjoyed Monoface, you will also like Simpsonize Me where you can turn yourself into a simpson’s character. You can see my Simponized self above.

Be warned, both websites are seriously addictive.
You can check my other bookmarks out on Del.icio.us.

Humans Turn Into Pixels: Animation

This is one truely inspirational video clip where dancers turn into human pixels to create a 7 minute animated piece at a football stadium. Most definitely worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X76ZIGQgBWg

These Samsung-sponsored dancers take football-stadium card flipping to the next level with this inspired routine. They combine computer-generated choreography, perfect synchronization, custom-designed costumes that can instantly reveal a variety of colors and a level of cooperation that’s probably not even possible in Australia.

How To Be Creative

Do you ever get asked ‘Where did you get that idea from?’ in any of your projects or pieces of work and you couldn’t answer the question? Well, I have actually had that problem a few times (not all times but a few) and it made me think to myself, where do I get my creativity? How do I get my creative juices flowing? How do I boost my creativity?

I made a short list of where I usually got my ideas from in some of my projects and came down to two things I always did to get my creative juices flowing, that being mindmapping and finding inspiration. I then compared my ways to other creative individuals on the net but we will get to that in a bit.

Mindmapping

So what? Everyone has heard of mindmapping but are you doing it in the best possible way - the way that suits you best? The key to perfecting mind-mapping is creating your own personal style.

• Do you use keywords? Images? Both?
• Do you use a variety of colours?
• Do you use a hierarchy system? A number system? Outlines? Circles?
• Do you use random words for inspiration or do you relate words? Both?
• Are all lines & thoughts connected? Or do you loiter off into new mind maps?

You must find the best method that suits you, as the key to getting great ideas and getting your creative juices flowing is by perfecting your own personal style, as not everyone has the same way of doing things.

Finding Inspiration

If you are really stuck for ideas (even after mindmapping), I have always found that by getting an idea of what other people have done and what has succeded (or failed) is a great way to get your feet off the ground again.

Try looking in books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, journals, and any where else you can think of! I personally, love DeviantArt for inspiration.

Although mindmapping and inspiration are two great ways of getting creative, there is many other ways to help you out. For example, a creative blog by the name of Think Simple Now outlines in an article how to get to your inner creativity. See below.

Other Methods

Have you ever tried practicing any of the methods below? Give it a try, you’ll be surprised.

• Being Relaxed - Take a moment to do something that makes you happy; that brings you joy; that you love; that centers you. Meditate, take a walk, go for a swim, read something that puts you in a good mood, write a diary - writing down your thoughts (this can be so rewarding!).
• Gratitude- Thinking about all things you are grateful for produces a positive energy flow and vibration. As you feel the love in your heart for all the wonderful blessings and gifts in your life, you will instantly relax and feel all warm-and-fuzzy inside. In that moment of warmth and love, you are open to creative energy.
• Tickling Your Imagination - Imagination is highly visual. Try closing your eyes, and imagine that you are in a scene, any scene. Okay - pick your ideal scene, practice seeing the details of your environment in this scene. See the colours, the textures, touch something. What does it feel like? What do you hear? What do you smell? What is the temperature like? Etc.
• Being In the Moment - Every outstanding musician or artist will tell you that when they are creating great music or art, there are no thoughts, they are completely in the moment, and experiencing flow. Athletes call this ‘being in the zone‘. You can practice present moment awareness by giving full attention to whatever you are doing: eating, washing dishes, making your bed, etc. Meditation helps tremendously. The book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle is also highly recommended.
• Being Inspired - Practice seeing beautiful things that moves you emotionally. Flip through a book containing thought provoking images, go to an art gallery, read something inspirational, talk to someone who calms you.
• Drawing - This may sounds funny, but one of the effective ways to practice getting in touch with your creative side is to start drawing. Drawing forces you to see things differently.
• Seeing Alternatives - Be curious. Practice asking yourself how to do something differently. When seeing the solution to a problem, ask yourself, “What are some alternative ways to doing this?“. Develop the mental attitude that “there is always another way” even when alternatives seem ‘impossible’.
• Being Open - Never shut down any idea that comes your way, do not make judgments about it. Appreciate any idea that comes to you, even ones that seem “stupid” or “obvious”. This way, you encourage more creative ideas to surface from your being.
• Thinking on Paper - With a bunch of loose paper, start jotting ideas down. Write everything down that comes to your head: random words, phrases, ideas, thoughts… sometimes you might want to circle things and draw lines to connect ideas. When an inspiration hits, follow it. If you suddenly have a different idea, jot it down somewhere on the page or in a new page.

What other methods do you use to be creative?