201 provocative ways to arouse your creativity (part 1)

Now, lie back, relax and take pleasure in these 201 provocative ways to arouse your creativity.

1. Talk to a monkey. Explain what you’re really trying to say to a stuffed animal.
2. Do something important that’s very easy.
3. Try free writing.
4. Take a shower; change clothes. Give yourself a truly clean start.
5. Write from a persona. Lend your voice to a writing personality who isn’t you.
6. Get away from the computer. Take pen and notebook, and go somewhere new.
7. Quit beating yourself up. You can’t create when you feel ass-whipped.
8. Stop visualizing catastrophes, and focus on positive outcomes.
9. Stretch. Maybe try vacuuming your lungs.
10. Add one ritual behavior. Get a glass of water exactly every 20 minutes. Do push-ups. Eat a Tootsie Roll every paragraph. Add physical structure.
11. Listen to new music. Try something instrumental and rhythmic that you’ve never heard before.
12. Write crap.
13. Finish something.
14. Write the middle. Stop whining over a perfect lead, and write the next part or the part after that.
15. Do one chore. Sweep the floor or take out the recycling. Try something lightly physical to remind you that you know how to do things.
16. Make a pointless rule. You can’t end sentences with words that begin with a vowel. Limits create focus and change your perspective.
17. Work on the title. Quickly make up five distinctly different titles. Meditate on them. What bugs you about the one you like least?
18. Write five words. Literally. Put five completely random words on a piece of paper. Write five more. Try a sentence. Could be about anything. A block ends when you start making words on a page. 
19. Surround yourself with creative people.
20. Develop a morning ritual.
21. Do an info-dump so your head is clear enough to create instead of worry.
22. If you’re a crime writer, read fantasy. If you’re a productivity writer, read something about slacking off.
23. Imitate the real world.
24. Drink too much coffee.
25. Play chess. Go outside. Sing in the shower.
26. Don’t be too precious about your work. If the doctor and the garbage man can do their jobs every day, then those in a creative line of work can too.
27. Consume information by the bucket load. The more you know, the more you can create from that knowledge.
28. Meet new people from different walks of life. Strike up a conversation on the bus.
29. Shut out the world. Instead of sucking in new information, sit quietly.
30. Creativity is a muscle. Exercise it daily.
31. Carry a notebook everywhere.
32. Write down a list of ideas and draw random arrows between them.
33. If you’re not on a tight deadline, walk away and do something completely unrelated.
34. Create a framework. Instead of trying to rely on pure inspiration, think within the box you create for yourself.
35. Remove obstacles to creativity. That friend who calls to complain about their life can wait until you can afford to get stressed about their problems.
36. Don’t judge your ideas until you have plenty to judge.
37. Keep a journal. It can get your mind working.
38. Stop telling yourself you’re not creative.
39. Don’t be a workaholic. Take breaks.
40. Experiment randomly.
41. If one thing isn’t working, try a new strategy.
42. Choose a topic and write about it as wonderfully or badly as you possibly can.
43. Trash what you’re working on. Start again.
44. Exercise every day, before you sit down to be creative.
45. Spend time with your children. Or someone else’s. 
46. Experience sights, sounds and smells. Sitting still won’t bring new ideas in; experimenting and trying new things will.
47. Maintain a certain pattern to the day. A morning bath can start your work with a fresh mind and spirit.
48. Jot down notes every night before bed and actively place worries onto paper.
49. Keep a box labeled for each project. Toss everything in the box, and don’t worry about misplacing things or ideas.
50. Keep a different sketchbook for different topics and ideas.
51. Try and find the pattern between things, and connect the dots between random things just for fun
52. Practice, practice, practice. 
53. Let your mind wander and come up with whatever it wants to.
54. Wake up ten minutes early, then go back to sleep and dream.
55. Focusing entirely on one sense. Creative stimulation comes through our senses.
56. Imagine waking up somewhere distant and exotic.
57. Recall your creative triumphs. It means you can create something equally wonderful, if not more so, again. In fact you can go out and create it today.
58. Count your blessings. As well as feeling happier, it will inevitably help you be more creative too.
59. Choose just one creative aim for the day. What one creative project can you begin/continue/finish today? 
60. Define a clear purpose. Vague intentions don’t trigger the flow state.
61. Identify a compelling motive. You need a reason to be creative.
62. Architect a worthy challenge. If a task is too easy, you don’t need to be particularly creative, so your creative self will simply say, “You can manage this one without me.”
63. Provide a conducive environment. The optimal environment varies from person to person, so you’ll need to experiment to find what works best for you.
64. Allocate a committed block of time.
65. Prevent interruptions and distractions.
66. Master your tools. Creating a tangible piece of creative work requires tools such as a computer, guitar, or pencil. You must achieve basic competency. 
67. Clean up your working space. Even if you are not a cleaning addict, a tidy desk helps to create a fresh start.
68. Go jogging. Running is a great way to refresh your brain. The effort will also bring satisfaction. Self-esteem is good for creativity.
69. Drink a beer (haram ckckckc) --> drink juices with your buddies. Being happy will make you more productive. It will also give you greater enthusiasm. 
70. Mindmap. Whether you use key words, images, colours, a hierarchy system, numbers, outlines, circles or random words, mindmapping gets your creative juices flowing.
71. Finding inspiration in what other people have done and what has succeeded (or failed) is a great way to get your feet off the ground again.
72. Take a moment to do something that makes you happy; that brings you joy; that you love; that centers you.
73. Give gratitude. Thinking about all the things you are grateful for produces a positive energy flow and vibration.
74. Be in the moment. Athletes call this ‘being in the zone‘. Give full attention to whatever you are doing: eating, washing dishes, making your bed.
75. Flip through a book containing thought provoking images.
76. Go to an art gallery.
77. Practice asking yourself how to do something differently.
78. Be Open. Never shut down or judge any idea that comes your way.
79. Think on Paper. With a bunch of loose paper, start jotting ideas down. 
80. Get some crayons and warm-up your creativity. Get a piece of paper and draw a totally useless picture of nothing at all.
81. When you feel done, use a crayon to proudly sign the picture. Now, put your picture in a special frame and hang it on the wall.
82. Name the colors in a box of crayons. Name them with abandon, using words like squashed-pea-green, severed-arm-blood-red, or dancing-fairy-silver.
83. Next time your writing gets stuck, pull out your crayons and look at the colors. Remember the names. Write a few silly sentences. Then keep going. 
84. Take it outdoors. The best inspiration is often free. Go for a hike. Take your laptop to a park. Look all around you. Soak up your surroundings.
85. Head to a café. There’s a reason home-office folks don’t always work from home; they crave other humans. A change in surroundings can recharge your brain.
86. Get some training. Not only could you learn something new, but it’s also an excellent opportunity to network.
87. Volunteer. Getting your hands dirty for a good cause can be the source of more inspiration than you’d ever imagine. 
88. Embrace your inner grouch. Discontent may just be a vast, untapped source of creativity.
89. Let your mind wander. A wandering mind may allow your brain to search more widely for connections that could trigger a “eureka” moment.
90. Play an instrument. It may help you to think with both sides of your brain at once.
91. Colour your world blue. It may be nothing more than an association with big skies and the open seas, but beholding the colour blue makes you more creative.
92. Seek out creative company. The best ideas are forged not in moments of solitary genius, but during exchanges with trusted colleagues.
93. Be more playful. Horsing around may be better in the long run than hunkering down.
94. Raise a glass. Many of the most creative pursuits – jazz, for instance, and poetry – are associated with heavy boozing, but can a dram or two really help? 
95. Aim at being unique, not ordinary. Go right past the dull.
96. Cataloging your ideas is productive because it allows you to go back and take a second gander while viewing your ideas on much larger scale.
97. Use visual structuring. Getting your paper and pencil out not only lets you see your ideas on a physical level, but it will make you feel like a kid again.
98. If all else fails, keep working. Some individuals work better as they reach their breaking point, they excel and take flight in the hardest of times. 
99. Stop being (other people’s) perfect. The expectation of making something perfect uses up emotional energy that you could put to much better use being creative and artistic.
100. Ask yourself if you’re doing it for the right reasons. Even if you are not the best in the world at something, if you are really passionate about it, your passion can be an inspiration and motivation for others.

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