Lately I haven't felt all that creative. In fact, with the crushing responsibilities brought on by returning to work after the birth of a new baby (#3) I have felt as pressed as a flower in a dictionary.
One way to break out of a creative slump is to visualize a project or a plan. I like to map out my speeches, and sometimes even my blog posts, in my notebook. Recently, I also downloaded FreeMind, a (free) tool that allows you to make and share mindmaps.
This weekend I was unexpectedly confronted with my own slump when I attended a class for my son's upcoming baptism. I was handed a drawing book and told that I would have to illustrate the ceremony in the book. I realized it was a long time since I had participated in an art project, though I do help my 5-year-old from time to time.
It got me to thinking about how I could bring some life and creativity back to my work and break out of my linear "to do" list. It also made me think of the role this blog could play in helping to do that.
With those thoughts swirling, I ran across the following presentation by Kelsey Ruger of the Moleskin (and also a fellow Houstonian). What was new to me in this presentation was the idea of developing a language of creative symbols (see pp. 35, 36, 41), and use them in your mindmapping exercises.
How do you get your creative mind working? Let's share and make the world a more creative place. I am off to pick up some watercolors for my project.
