Harnessing Your Characteristics for Creativity

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Natalia

A little while ago, I wrote a blog called Discover the Magic Formula to Creativity about finding a key to filter which creative tips and tools are right for you.

It all boils down to one thing: YOU.

For example:

Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Do you like to work in big blocks of time or in short bursts?
Do you like to get ‘hands on’ when you’re thinking?
Or do you need to see things written up first?

The more you understand yourself, your nature, work patterns, priorities, and habits, the easier it is to harness these qualities to bring more creativity into your work and life.

We’re also more likely to be creative when we’re relaxed and being ourselves.

Great! You might say. I understand that I’m a morning person who likes to get hands on in my projects and prefer to work in short bursts of activity. How’s that going to help me be more creative?

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Mandala Inspiration – Chrysalis

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Natalia

Welcome to the Mandala Inspiration series at Inner Creative!

This week’s mandala is called Chrysalis.

It is about beginnings- the dreams and idea seeds that lie within us waiting to be realised. And while it can be exciting, it can also be a place of doubt and uncertainty. All it takes is a little faith and patience – simple yet not so easy :-).

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Creativity tips – 10 tips to make your dream happen

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Natalia

Go for it – Dream big! No dream or aspiration is too crazy, as long as it rings true to you. However, you need to take some action to make it happen.

So here are 10 tips that you can use to start moving towards your dream, or when you need to pick yourself up if your motivation’s running a bit low. Once you get a little traction and begin to make some progress, then it’s easier to keep up the momentum.

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Is colouring in really being creative?

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Natalia

Unless you’ve been living in an internet-free cave during the last year, you might have noticed the growing popularity of colouring books for adults – yes, for adults, that’s right :-). And I’m not talking about cartoon or franchise inspired designs, but intricate, detailed and complex illustrations created by artists.

I’ve been happily watching this space with interest over the last year. There has been increasingly more press about the benefits of colouring. And I am still blown away that my Colouring For Grown Ups board on Pinterest is my most popular board, with around 4 times as many followers as most of my other boards. But I really knew that it was a “thing”, when I walked into my local bookstore to see their front display table full of adult colouring books! And then again, when I saw a big display at a large department retailer.

Colouring book display featured in Inner Creative blog on "Is colouring in really creative?" innercreative.com.au

Colouring books on display at Jeffreys Books

Colouring in has become associated with the growing interest in mindfulness and seeking ways to destress and unwind in our increasingly high paced 24/7 lives. It’s even being used by companies to support staff in relation to workplace stress. And while colouring in can create some beautifully stunning results, is it really being creative?
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Creativity tips – Making time for creativity

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Natalia

We all want to be more creative. The tricky part is making it happen by making the time for it.

You may have noticed that I didn’t say find the time. This is not about waiting around for that perfect chunk of spare time to do your creative project. Because, like most people out there, you don’t have a whole lot of spare of idle time where you have absolutely nothing to do on your ‘to do’ list. So this is why I say make and not find the time.

You need to commit. You need to honour yourself. Say ‘yes to doing what brings you joy and lets you express your creativity. You need to set aside a chunk of time for your creative project.

Now before you start telling me all about the hundreds of things that you have to get done by yesterday and about the multitudes of family, work and other commitments you already have on your plate (and I so know where you are coming from 🙂 ), I’m going to re-assure you that this can be done. You can make time for that creative project you love.

You just need to find the right-sized container (or quota) for the job. Continue reading →