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Want to Up Your Creativity?

No matter what you do for a living, you need to be creative. Innovative and fresh thinking are always in demand, whether you’re a cop, a plumber, or a marketing pro.

Unfortunately, on the job, we can’t wait for the muses to strike. We need to be creative on demand because there are clients, deadlines and projects waiting.

Want to up your creativity?

Having a career that demands creativity every day has forced me to find ways to keep that particular saw sharp. Here are some of my favorites:

Exercise your brain: My goal is to keep my brain cooking at all times, so if I need to call on it, it’s already fired up. I love brain teasers, word games like Scrabble, games of strategy, and even lumosity.com, which is like a brain obstacle course.
Simmering: When I’m stuck or every idea I come up with seems tired and overdone, I tuck the challenge in the back of my mind and let it simmer. I do other things, concentrate on something else entirely and just let my subconscious work out the knots.
Blood, sweat, and tears: Okay, skip the blood and tears part. But sweating really works. When we move our bodies, all kinds of endorphins are released. Those magic chemicals put us in the perfect state to create.
Hang out with creative people: This is not only effective, it’s great fun. Actively look for opportunities to talk to creative people about creative things. Listen to the language they use, the stories they tell, and even how they use their body to enhance their tales. If you live in Central Iowa, you have the perfect opportunity this Thursday.

The Iowa Creativity Summit is Thursday night from 6–8:30. Come hear from David Burkus, the author of The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas. Check out the event here. I promise—you’ll get your creative juices flowing for sure!

If you’re like me, your creativity is a tool you rely on. Like any tool, it’s my job to keep it in tiptop condition so it is ready when I need it.

So how about you—how do you keep your creativity flowing?

This article was originally published by Drew’s Marketing Minute

Published: October 30, 2013
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Drew McLellan

Drew McLellan has owned an advertising agency for almost 20 years, serving local, regional and national businesses. He also coaches hundreds of agencies on business best practices through peer to peer networks, workshops and consulting. Drew is often interviewed/quoted in Entrepreneur Magazine, New York Times, CNN, BusinessWeek, and many others. The Wall Street Journal calls him “one of 10 bloggers every entrepreneur should read.” He blogs at both www.DrewsMarketingMinute.com and www.BuildABetterAgency.com.