Get Out A Pen And Draw!

Here is the direct link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41W6rBjXcEc

The Dark Side To Creativity

Sometimes being too creative can cause problems with getting things done.


To further illustrate my point, i'll give you a little history lesson.


Did you know the ceiling of the Michelangelo's sistine chapel contains more artwork then the entire surviving catalogue of Leonardo Da Vinci?

Why is this? 

Leonardo was a serial procrastinator, despite his unworldly talent he actually struggled to complete his works, according to historic writings.

And why is that?

Leonardo was an absolute genius in many, many fields. He made strives in anatomy, writing, engineering, painting and in many more avenues. 

In short, it seems he had so many great ideas on his mind, he could not FOCUS on what he needed to do. 

Michelangelo on the other hand, was focused, passionate, obsessed on sculpting and painting. He is known for being the most best-documented artists of the 16th century due to his cheer volume of sketches, art and writings. 

So, if you want to achieve more results, try focusing on one thing at a time.

Louis Napolitano

Detach To Double Creativity

Unplug yourself from your desired result, saying to yourself “I’m going to do this, this big” or “I’m going to use this certain technique” creates tunnel vision.

Tunnel Vision vs. Creativity = Unproductively

The brain is an amazing thing, when you picture something in you’re mind, it will do everything in its power to get it done.

That sounds good right? Only sometimes. If you don’t have the skills, materials or the mindset, this could lead to BIG failure and a knock in you’re self esteem.

Keep you’re options open. 

Louis Napolitano

3 Crucial Practices To Maintain Creativity

Here are three very important aspects to maintain your creativity.

1.  Love Your Results, Even If Their Bad.

Hey, everybody had to start. I think "creativity" and "results" are only slightly related. For example you can have somebody who has a brilliant script idea, but can’t write. 

Don’t be discouraged, love your results and be proud of you’re current skill levels.

The more you enjoy it, the more you will do it.

And the more you do it, the BETTER you will get. 

Leonardo Di Vinci wasn’t born clutching the Mona Lisa. 

We need to practice, and practice does not need to be a de-motivator!

love your craft.

     2.  Keep It Simple

Don’t over complicate your life.

I know people that focus on too much and never start anything. I personally concentrate on about 3-5 things, if its anymore I find myself getting stressed and burned out.

I focus on my hobbies, my work and social life. This keeps my life really simple and makes things so much easier.

The clearer your mind, the more focused your intentions. Remember to stay present and stop over clouding your mind.

      3.  Creative Energy

Creative energy is finite, you only have so much through your lifetime.

Not many people realize this.

When people have inspiration they usually waste their creative energy, thinking about it too much, arguing with themselves about if it will work or not.

Don’t fall for it.

When you get an urge of creative energy, get it on paper… make it concrete.

Creative energy is the most important emotional energy we have, if it wasn't for Creative energy we would still be living in caves.

Louis Napolitano

Have You're Most Creative Day

So, you want to have the most creative day ever tomorrow? Fantastic, its fulfilling! I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

Before we start, this post is for sketchbook enthusiasts. I might write one about other creative outlets down the line :).

Before we start, try doing this on a day away from work/school. You'll have better results.

How to start our morning?

Begin the night before, pop your sketchbook on you're bedside cabinet. Decide what you want to do tomorrow, get excited (not too excited so you wont sleep) but make sure its in you're minds eye, you're brain will take note of this and will prepare itself for tomorrow.

Wake up, smile, sketch out around 40 quick ideas. Don't spend more then 20 seconds on each sketch, make sure they are very brief.

 Go into the kitchen and drink some water, eat a slow digesting breakfast and drink some coffee (Coffee beans have amazing brain boosting power, and the caffeine should obviously help). Do your daily errands, but don't make them boring. Smile through them, blast out some music and think about the exciting possibilities for the day. Try to block out negative thought patterns.

Just before dinner time, get out your sketchbook. Pick out 5 of the 40 sketches that you prefer, and sketch them out again. This time sketch them out with more detail, maybe add some colour and make sure the composition is correct. Spend only about 10 minutes a piece on each one, then be proud of the process and SMILE!

Eat you're dinner, ring a likeminded friend and tell them what your up to and talk to them about some of you're ideas. Show you're excitement, and ask for some feedback. (I love doing this, because it freaks people out... but also makes you 5% more cool in the process)

I recommend you take a brake and go out for a walk (or take the family dog). Whilst walking, try to "stay in the present" http://bit.ly/aKZNuA < Read my article on "Being Present". This will shut off all thought patterns, let the ideas come to you instead of chasing them.

Go home and finish you're piece, choose you're favourite design. Don't try and think of what to do, let you're brain go on automatic and do it for you, you've already designed the blueprint, let you're emotional brain do the rest.

Once done, pat yourself on the back and reward yourself! Play on a video game, go out with some buddies, watch a film, spend 7 hours on facebook :). Do whatever you want, do what you enjoy.

Here is a few other things you could add into you're day

1. Do something crazy, (go out and purposely talk to 5 strangers, jump into a cold bath ect.) This will propel you out of your comfort zone and will create self esteem, this combined with you're creative energy is so awesome its dangerous. ;)
2. Make a collage or a vision board, cut out things you want to achieve and stick them in you're sketch book. It will get you're visual inputs throbbing, and open up your mind to more possibilities.
3. Take your sketchbook to a different location, sitting in the same room all the time does not stimulate the mind. Go somewhere else, the busier the better. Locations that change quickly keep the mind ticking.

Louis Napolitano

See How Easily You Can Become Creative

Be Present

You may of heard this from time to time, but what does being present actually mean?

Eckhart Tolle wrote in his book “The Power Of Now” that “you are not your mind” and I agree.

The mind is like a broken record, spinning on repeat all day. Have you ever noticed that you think about the same subjects almost daily? Thinking about the same subjects daily might be comfortable and safe, but its destroying your creativity.

Being present turns off that annoying repeat button, and clears all thoughts from your mind. Its only whilst being present that you can boost your creativity, think back to the time when you were most creative... Were you thinking about the sports game last night?, or your waistline? Probably not, you were most likely present.

Heres a few ways you can become more present.

1: Listen to the world, (ie. your footsteps, the wind, ect.)

2: Focus on touch (the warm water while you wash your hands, a cold breeze, ect.)

3: Look at the things you don’t usually take the time to. (Take a walk in the woods and look at the trees, look at the texture of rocks ect.)

You can also use taste and smell, you could even combine two or more senses to create a deeper feeling of the present. Try stepping into the bath and feeling its dry surface, then turning on the tap and hearing the roaring sound of crashing water. Smell the soapsuds and look at the bubbles. (Don’t giggle)

Control that broken record. If you want to read more about the present check out Eckhart Tolle’s work, it’s fascinating.

Louis Napolitano