Mosaic Patterns

Hi everyone,

I have to apologise for those receiving this mail twice - but I realised that more than half of the newsgroup have not been getting the mails. For those of you who did not receive this, enjoy and for those of you who have received this, my sincere apologies, it won't happen again.

4 Ways to Improve Your Creativity

A lot of people have asked me where I get my ideas from for mosaic projects, so I decided to write about it.

I’ve always taken the fact that I’m creative for granted and it was only when I became an adult and started working that I realised many people see it as a talent, something that not everyone possesses. This is simply not true. Everyone is creative; the difference lies in whether you have developed the appropriate skills to tap into your creativity.

1 – Still your mind: The first point in being creative is that your mind needs to be still. Practising meditation in any of its forms which could be yoga, running or gardening (something you can do where you don’t have endless chatter in your brain).

You could also find a place (such as the bed, bath or bus) where you’re physically still or forced to be inactive and start daydreaming. My most creative moments are when I’m just about to fall asleep; I ask myself “What will be my next project?” My brain then kindly provides me with a whole multitude of mosaic ideas that I can make. I’ve trained myself to remember these images and to draw them the next day. This is the key element of creativity. Note down your ideas. They often spawn a host of other ideas, some of which you will make immediately and others that will be shelved for another time.

2 - Make lateral connections: When you’re sitting still, ask yourself a question that you don’t know the answer to. E.g. “How do you stop all the accidents related to speeding?

We were driving on a highway toll road and as I was daydreaming and watching the signs go by, I realised that there was an easy way to stop people speeding on the highways. You simply place a camera on the on-ramp and it takes a photograph with a time-stamp of the car as it goes onto the highway. The next camera is placed by the toll booth or off-ramp and if the car has been speeding, the difference in time-stamps will prove it. Ironically, this concept is now being implemented, so someone had the same idea. But the concept is to let your mind idle and occasionally ask it odd questions where you don’t necessarily have the answer to. You will be surprised how your brain will suddenly provide you with an answer when you least expect it. (This is the basis of Zen Koans, questions that have no right or wrong answer, but make you think differently)

3 – Make a change to your life: Change is good; it forces you to grow, think and be creative. Learn to step out of your comfort zone and do something new. You will learn new skills and your brain will integrate this into your creativity. Two of my best mosaics last year were inspired by fabric design. This came about when I stepped out of my comfort zone, attended a talk organised by a magazine, where a fabric company displayed their new wallpaper and fabrics for the season. I was so blown away by the beauty of the fabrics that it immediately gave me a ton of ideas for mosaic projects.

4 - Learn how to doodle. If you always approach a drawing or piece of paper with the expectation that it has to amount to something, you stop having fun with it. Doodling while you’re on the phone is a great way to release ideas without the pressure of having to produce an award winning piece of work; the fact that you’re on the phone and not concentrating that hard on the doodle allows your brain to express your creativity and great concepts will arise.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

0 Comments:

About Me

Previous Posts