Jennifer Bezoza Coaching

Just as I enjoy water infused with a little pomegranate juice or lemonade, I think life with creativity adds that extra satisfying flavor and zest.  Typically, when you think about  ”being creative,” artistic pursuits like creative writing, painting and photography come to mind. When challenged, however, to view our daily moments, habits and interactions as our unique art, creativity becomes much more expansive.  

SO, what does it mean to live life artistically or creatively, moment to moment?  Of course, each of us will need to carve our own “masterpiece” in that regard, but here are a few ideas to get your started:

Add new color, spice or dimension to your routine.  Whether your getting dressed for work, crunching numbers in excel, or cooking Monday night dinner, try adding new ingredients and/or combining things in a new way.  You might not add fuschia to your excel headings, but you can certainly find simple and creative ways to spice up what feels mundane. 

Turn your ideas on their heads. Edward DeBono, the famed creativity expert, suggests that we create provocative statements to help our brains get out of patterned way of thought, and invent fresh approaches and ideas.   So whatever it is you take for granted to be the “right order or “right way” to do something, turn it around and look at the possibilities in what seems absolutely ridiculous. For example, the idea that the “passenger directs the driver,” led to a discount cab company in London where local passengers tell new cab drivers the route to go.  Pick up the book, Serious Creativity, by Edward DeBono to learn more.

Play like a child.  The more time I spend with my 1-year old, the more I find myself playing like a kid again.  You may not  balance a milk bottle on your head and walk an imaginary tight rope or rock out to Music Together tunes for toddlers as I do these days, but I encourage you to incorporate your own version of play in your life.  Maybe you take a salsa class; maybe you buy some watercolors and make a birthday card; or maybe you play (or make up) a board or card game.

Observe like Jane Goodall.  Whether you’re commuting to work, analyzing your office environment, or traveling in a foreign land, an anthropologist’s lens can be a healthy way to stay present, positive and curious.   Finally, and most important, it is sure to bring you lots of material to write about when you finally sit down to write that book of yours.