Spur Your Creativity

Ideas.

When was the last time you had a great idea.

Not the sarcastic, “that was a great idea …”

I mean a good one.

In the past, many people, including me, have said, “writing comedy is a skill.”

You have to work at it constantly.

It is like a muscle, you either use it and strengthen it, or you lose it.

So is your idea generator.

Our brains are thinking about so many things.

The bills we have to pay, the things we have to do, work, the family, yada, yada, yada …

Experts have said our brain is powerful enough to work on problems in our subconscious.

I believe it.

If I have a problem, I’ll walk away and do something else.

I may go for days and then suddenly a solution will pop into my head.

But imagine harnessing that power and controlling it.

I’m no expert at this, but I have found there are certain things I can do to spur my creativity.

I will share them here – but if you follow any of this advice, you do so at your own risk …

Movement:

Putting my body in motion is always a good start.

Taking a walk, getting some fresh air, exercising (I don’t do that as often as I should) or doing things around the house.

I hate exercise and household chores so much my brain goes: “Hey Tom, I’ve got an idea! Let’s go do this …”

Water:

Maybe it is the water beating down on me. Or relaxing feeling inspiring me.

I’m not completely sure why, but I can’t tell you how many ideas come to me when I am in the shower.

I write some of my best material in the shower.

Quick story – one day in the shower, I came up with a line for Dangerous Duck. I was to be angry with him and the bit went like this:

Dangerous: “Don’t get mad at me …”

Me: Why?

Dangerous: Because I’m imaginary … just like your love life.

(I used a different type of life, but this is open to the public and kids may read it.)

So while in the shower, I started practicing delivery of that line.

I was using different emphasis and timing. Saying the bit again and again and again.

What I didn’t realize is, it was a beautiful summer day and my wife had opened the bathroom window.

I live in a small neighborhood and the houses are close together. It was summertime, about mid-day.

And my neighbor was a single school teacher who was at home.

About a week later, she saw me and asked me if I used my new joke yet.

Then she moved away.

Oh, and drinking water can help hydrate and get your brain moving too …

Music:

Ever turn on your favorite music and just dance?

I seldom dance in public but I move like Michael Jackson in the privacy of my home.

Of course, M.J. has passed, so that basically means I can’t dance.

But it doesn’t stop me from trying.

This goes with the movement I mentioned above, but the music adds an element of mental stimulation.

After my body is pumping with energy from the music and the dance, I find I’m in high gear for creative endeavors.

Company:

Hanging out with other people can spur your creativity too.

My friends often spur me to think about things I would never have considered. They will say something, I will bounce off of it and the next thing you know: ideas.

Drink:

I wasn’t going to add this, but in moderation, I find a few drinks can make me a lot cleverer.

Or maybe I just think I am.

I don’t encourage anyone to drink alcohol. But I want to be honest on this blog and I do.

I consider myself a social drinker, and for an introvert, I am pretty social. So this is usually done with friends – which can accompany several of the topics mentioned before.

Except the showering part.

So these are the things I do to get my mind turning. And maybe some of them will help you.

(If you drink – be of age and drink responsibly. Plus if you are out, please have a designated driver or call a taxi, Uber or Lyft.)