The Art of Creativity

August 25, 2009 in Inspiration, People, Work with 15 Comments

Being creative takes energy.  It takes time.  It definitely takes money.   There’s an art to it. 

Jennifer's painting

I realized last week that I live in some phase of creativity pretty much all the time.  I was thinking about the artsy sorts of things I enjoy doing on the weekends…painting (my most recent attempt is shown here), pottery, baking, making cards, and doing craft projects.  And during the week, I’m spending company time and money finding new ways to promote great novels from amazing writers.  

 Surprisingly, having a plan for creativity really helps the ideas bloom.  Here are my thoughts on how to foster the best ideation:

what if

  1.  Buy a field in the land of “What If”- Be Curious.  Challenge “business as usual” thinking.  Ask questions. Dare to be different.
  2. Head to the Farmers’ Market- Make time for networking.  Some of my best ideas have come from a random discussion at Panera where I overheard someone talking about a new artist, website, etc. And I’ve met amazing people who can do parts of my job faster/cheaper/easier than I can through social media like Twitter and Facebook.
  3. Till the soil- Ideas need time to cultivate (time to blossom, not rot in a stack of sticky notes).  They also come to fruition faster when people are talking about them.  Share your ideas with others and open them up to other points of view to make them stronger.  Firmly planted roots bear better fruit. 
  4. Be prepared to pluck some weeds- Some ideas never end up happening.  Some ideas just suck.  But cherish the process and be glad you live in a world of possibilities where tomorrow will bring new ideas.

What has to happen for your ideas to become reality?

Take Action

15 Responses to “The Art of Creativity”

  1. Colleen Coble August 26, 2009 at 6:22 am #

    Jen, you did that fabulous painting? I had NO idea you could paint. I just LOVE that! Great post too but wow, that painting!

    [Reply]

    admin Reply:
    August 26th, 2009 at 4:15 pm

    Hi Colleen,

    Yep, I did that painting. I really enjoy doing it. And guess what-our girl did on too! I’ll email it to you :)

    [Reply]

  2. Margaret Brownley August 26, 2009 at 8:08 am #

    Jen, I loved your painting. It jumped off my screen with such vitality and force, it took my breath away. Wow!
    Also loved your article on creativity. I give creativity workshops for churches and organizations. Would you mind terribly if I quote you? I’ll give you full credit, of course!

    [Reply]

    admin Reply:
    August 26th, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    Hi Margaret,

    Thanks so much! And yes, most welcome to quote me.

    [Reply]

  3. Jenny B. Jones August 26, 2009 at 3:45 pm #

    What an amazing painting! You are so talented. Love buy a field in the land of “what if.” Trying to work on that right now. : )

    [Reply]

    admin Reply:
    August 26th, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    Hi Jen,

    Thanks! I’m not sure why the “garden” theme came to mind, but God was talkin’ me through it the whole time, so there must be a reason.

    Wish all of you were here so we could go paint together!

    [Reply]

  4. Claudia Duncan August 27, 2009 at 7:15 am #

    Jenn – you truly are amazing… love the painting, the design of your blog, and the post… good food for me to ponder today. Have a great day.

    [Reply]

    JenDeshler Reply:
    August 27th, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    Claudia,

    It takes someone amazing to see it in others!

    [Reply]

  5. Molly August 27, 2009 at 7:29 am #

    LOVE the blog! and LOVE the painting! One word ETSY!

    I don’t paint, but I love photography. I joined the creative arts group at our church and have been so inspired by artists of every medium (and with artists of every age and skill level my mind has been opened to a new world). We’re working towards using our creativity with different sermon series and to decorate various areas of the church.

    Keep up the good work and looking forward to reading your blog!
    -m

    [Reply]

  6. Denise Hunter August 27, 2009 at 8:03 am #

    Love, love, LOVE your new design, Jen!

    [Reply]

    JenDeshler Reply:
    August 27th, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    Hi Molly!

    I am so glad you stopped by because now I know about Your great blog!

    Thanks for the kudos. I am inspired daily by the amazing talent around me.

    Looking forward to connecting with you online :)

    [Reply]

    JenDeshler Reply:
    August 27th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Hi Denise,

    Thanks! This is going to be fun :)

    [Reply]

  7. Julie Dowd August 31, 2009 at 5:42 pm #

    Hi Jen,

    I had lunch with Chris Wilcox today and he told me about the new design of your blog. It’s gorgeous! The painting is beautiful. I, too, find myself being creative at work everyday and loving it. My creativity outside of work is found in photography although I don’t do it nearly enough.

    Good to see your doing so well!

    Julie

    [Reply]

    JenDeshler Reply:
    September 1st, 2009 at 8:51 pm

    Hi Julie,

    So glad you and Chris could connect. I’m with you on not doing photography enough…something I love and am trying to get better at. Would love for you to join us for a paint class soon…we have a group going the third weekend of September :)

    [Reply]

    Julie Reply:
    September 2nd, 2009 at 10:24 am

    I don’t think I have a gift for painting. Do you need it for the class?

    [Reply]

Leave a Reply:

Gravatar Image