Creativity is a cycle. It involves being open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. Creativity is a cycle because it begets more creativity. In other words, the more you develop creativity, the more creative you will be. For instance, once you decide to become creative, you will see things in unique ways. Once the cycle starts, your mind will be on a roll in letting your imagination run freely. Now you will no longer see things in a strict or narrow way. Now, a metaphor for clouds can be silky balls of wool or cotton. A grasshopper becomes a green Japanese pajama clad Ninja; an ice cream cone becomes a frothing, foaming volcano and on and on.
The following are some ways to foster creative thinking:
1. Take an object and think of many names for that one object. For example, how many names can you come up with for a ball? Could it be a sphere or a goat's eye, a precious jewel that fell out of the sky from another planet? Could it be a tooth from some exotic animal that lived years ago?
2. Take different routes when traveling to work or to go to the mall , the library, etc. This breaks the monotony of routines and loosens the imagination.
3. Increase your vocabulary. Learn a new word a day. The more words that you have at your disposal, the more you have at your command to describe the world around you in new , original ways.
4. Doodle with different color pens. Let your imagination run wild. Draw curvy lines, circles, squares, strange creatures, stick people, anything! Just let your pen take you where your mind wants to go!
Make collages with different items, such as pieces of foil, wood, string, cardboard, bottle tops, thread, pieces of cloth or scraps of anything that you find around the house or outside.
5. Take walks in nature. What do you hear? What do you see? Try to look at the sights with "new" eyes. Look at the different cloud formations. Try to guess what the messages are on license plates.
The key to developing a creative cycle of thinking is to take the brakes off. Let your mind be free. Stop censoring you good thoughts and new ways of looking at things. Let your pent up creative juices flow and allow the creative cycle to begin. Have fun!
Dr. Emily DeCarlo is a fascinating woman with a very strong belief in God. Her faith leads her to know that nothing that God does is insignificant and therefore, we do not have to live limited, mediocre lives. She espouses to the belief that God is great and therefore greatness lies within all of us. She is the author of several books of poetry, one of which was used as a supplemental text for English 211 at Virginia State University. She also has written a manual entitled "Using Poetry to Promote Linguistics and Language Acquisition" which was used in the graduate Special Education Department at Virginia State University. Another manual that Dr. DeCarlo has penned is entitled " The Crab Effect". It is a manual based on the story of Joseph in the Bible. The subtitle is "How to Handle the Haters in Your Life". Dr. DeCarlo is an evangelist, author, poet, researcher and entrepreneur. She is in the process of developing the DeCarlo Institute for the Healing Arts, a center for research relative to the promotion of wellness and the maintenance of healthy lifestyles. The center also addresses different approaches to maintaining and promoting health such as Thai bodywork, meditation, natural healing, faith healing, relaxation therapy and Ayurveda medicine. Dr. DeCarlo also uses poetry therapy to assist others in facing and resolving life's tests and trials. Her book entitled "Poetry for Healing" is soon to be released. She is a licensed and ordained minister and has served as an associate minister and head of the Daughters of Esther Women's Ministry for the past ten years at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church at 925 Arlington Road in Hopewell, Virginia. She also has a poem " Epiphany" which was published in Essence magazine in 2008 (January edition). Her CD of anointed poetry made its debut in 2009 and is still available today.She was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta Literary Society for outstanding contributions to literature. She performs her original poetry for various occasions and events around the country. She has traveled to China to view the education system and learned some of their Ancient Chinese Medicine practices during her approximately two weeks tenure there