polka dot suitcase

As a writer and homeschooling parent, I think a lot about how to “capture” creativity. How can I tap into a well of creativity and apply it to my writing and teaching? How can I teach it to my kids? Better put, how can I teach them to tap into creativity themselves?

And then, once you’ve caught it…what do you do with it? The irony is you’ve gotta turn around and release it. Only then can you be its master, grasshopper. So then the question becomes, “Okay, exactly how do I perform this capture-and-release program?” Well, today’s your lucky day, my friend. I’ll tell you how:

TOOLS TO CAPTURE IT

Paper with power. You know you always get ideas in the shower, right? It’s something about being in someplace hot, steamy, and wet that relaxes your brain and suddenly all kinds of crazy stuff is popping out. You could try writing it with your finger in the steam on the shower door, but that would be just as fleeting as trying to remember it. You could get out of the shower and write it down, but then you wouldn’t get clean. Or, you could write it down on this waterproof paper. Problem solved! You’re clean, idea’s captured.

Pen with vision. Here’s the other popular scenario. You’re all snuggled up in your bed, teddy bear tucked under your arm, welcoming the sleep fairies as you drift off into slumber bliss. And then The Idea pops into your head. I think it’s because you’re releasing all your brain muscles from the burden of Very Serious Stuff, and your imagination gets to come out and play, if only for a fleeting second before it’s relegated to dream creation. But you don’t want to get out of bed to write it down. You’ll remember it. But of course you don’t. So, here’s what you do. You get a pen with a light on the end. You keep a pad of paper near your bed. You write down your idea. Then you drift off to sleep, confident that your great idea will be waiting in the morning. Sweet dreams!

Voice capture. The other time ideas suddenly appear is while you’re driving. Not the best time to start scrawling on the back of the grocery receipt as you’re careening in and out of traffic. (Well, you shouldn’t be careening anyway, but we’ll save that reprimand for the professionals.) What to do? You push the button on a digital voice recorder and say what’s on your mind. When you get home, playback your genius. And keep your eyes on the road!

TOOLS TO SET IT FREE

Childhood. Okay, so this one will make you roll your eyes, but do you want me to help you or not? Yes? Then stop rolling your eyes. To release your creativity, the key component is play. You’ve got to get back into that zone of the flow — just let it out, baby! And when were you last so free to do/say/think whatever you wanted? That’s right. When there was a pack of nice, fat Crayola crayons in your hand. Take your idea, a big piece of paper, and a brand-new box of crayons. Don’t worry how you look — you look great. Like a mad scientist-meets-Barney. Draw your idea. Write your idea. Color your idea. Just get the smell of those crayons in your brain, the feel of them in your hand…and let your creativity flow in multi-color grandeur. Or paint. Or sculpt. Or play with Silly Putty. You get the picture.

Tunes. I read that the author of the Twilight series has a “soundtrack” that went with each of her novels — music she listened to that inspired her work. Personally, I prefer to work without any music on. However — and this is the however that is relevant — I do listen to music before I start writing. The right music sets the tone, gets me in the mood, and opens the floodgates. Play around with different types of music — don’t just flip on whatever you’ve got on your playlist that you listen to a hundred times a day. Go to Amazon.com and check out some of the music samples. Maybe you’ll find inspiration for your next big project.

Love and laughter. Sorry, I don’t have a store to send you to for this one. But this remains one of my secret weapons to releasing creativity. If I’m feeling mucky and urgie and all squidgy with the world…I can barely crank out a sentence. But when my cup’s overflowing with love and laughter, I burn through my projects. My suggestion: Seek out the peeps who make you feel this way. Hang with them, and then dive into your project. Or rent some funny movies. Read humor. Shoot, Friend new people on Facebook…whatever makes you feel good.

Morning fitness. Yes, working out does release the endorphins and that inspires my creativity, anyway. (I call my treadmill my “brainstorming machine.”) But check out Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST’S WAY if you haven’t already. And start doing her “morning pages.” Three hand-written pages every morning. About anything. Everything. Whatever pops into your head. I did this for years, then stopped. Blocked right back up. Started again, and things started moving. I guess when you put it that way, morning pages are a little like prunes. But in a good way.

Okay, there you have it. My secrets to capturing and releasing your creativity.

And then the final step? Buy this stuff by the gallon, apply it to your chair, and Do. The. Work.