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This episode of MarketLife switches gears a bit, and looks at creativity. How can we cultivate creativity? How can we find creative possibilities that others might miss? How do we nurture that creative spark and integrate the lessons into modern life? I have some ideas and answers to these questions:

• What does it mean to be creative?
  • The ability to both imagine something that doesn’t exist and then to make it exist
  • How do we imagine something new?
    • Much of the “spark” of creativity is here
    • Understand tradition and draw from everything that has been done before us
  • Make
    • Craft aspect
    • Technique matters, but creativity also means leaving the bounds of what has been done before, at times.
• Nurturing creativity
  • Decide to do it–just decide you will be creative!
  • Create a lifestyle that supports creativity
  • How to kill it (things to avoid):
    • Fear–the enemy of any creative work
    • Logical analysis–there is a time for this, but creativity often has a hard time flourishing with rational analysis.
  • Creative problem solving
    • Cram the problem; work as hard as you can for a period of time, and then step away
      • Sleep
      • Do something fun, maybe involving physical activity?
      • cook? When the hands are busy, the mind often is not.
    • Do something that engages non-rational part of brain.
      • Doodling
      • Koans
      • Visual puzzles
      • Chess
    • Continue to develop domain-specific skills
      • Skills matter. Creativity is build on a foundation of the skills you have.
      • Avoid the “head in the clouds” attitude that says creativity is all that matters. You must have a foundation.
  • Being more creative
    • Do it
    • Daily idea book–spend 5 minutes twice a day and just write down new ideas.

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Also, if you like the music for this podcast, then be sure to check out Brian Ashley Jones, my friend, and a fantastic singer-songwriter. He has a new CD out, Out of the City (or here, on iTunes) that you might enjoy!

Enjoy the show: