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What Prompts Your Creativity?

By Chris Dunmire, CoachingYourCreativity.com

Each year when the onset of autumn arrives in the Midwest I experience a profound shift in my creative life. I am infused with a new surge of energy and inspiration as I spend more time outdoors with nature enveloped in the changing season in all of its vibrant glory. I am infatuated with the beautiful earth tone colors produced by the harvest season: the reds, oranges, yellows, golds, and browns. I am comforted by the endless rows of tall corn stalks in the farmer’s fields near my home and the fruition of ripe juicy apples in the orchards.

From mid-September through November I am in love with living. These annual gifts from the earth, though symbolizing a dying off, ironically infuse me with new life. Springtime is the next season that excites me for similar reasons, but autumn will always be my favorite creativity prompt. This dynamic season inspires me to write more, take more photographs, and express myself more through art. I am in my creative comfort zone.

What about you? What prompts your creativity? Is it the onset of a new season? Brand new paints or pastels? A new woodworking tool? A trip to the fabric store? A book on creative writing?

Last week I attended my first session ever in a formal writers’ group. During our two hours together we listened to our facilitator discuss the theme “We start where we are and discover where we are going. But always, we start again.” She explained that we start again every time we face our blank canvas, whatever form that may be. Having a “beginner’s mind” was emphasized in every new project we undertake, as it is a valuable part of the creative process to renew our vision with our work each time we come back to it. Our group then engaged in several timed writing exercises with our beginner’s mind and allowed the writing prompts to set us free.

Besides the onset of autumn, here are five more things that prompt my creativity:

1. Found object projects.
   
   
2. Compelling artwork.
   
   
3. Witty humor.
   
   
4. Candid people and animals.
   
   
5. Non-fiction books.

Right now, name five things that prompt your creativity. What sets YOU free? •

© 2006 Chris Dunmire, CoachingYourCreativity.com. All rights reserved. (10/10/06). Please do not duplicate this article elsewhere without my permission.

About the Author
Chris Dunmire is the author of the Dollar Bill Origami Money Plant and driving force behind the popular Creativity Portal Web site. She finds meaning as an artist, humorist, and creativity coach and channels her overactive imagination into multiple containers on display at ChrisDunmire.com.