The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all,
and then stands back to see if we can find them.

The hunt to uncover those jewels—that’s creative living.”

—Liz Gilbert

What Is Creativity, Really?

Some say it is magic. The universe knocking. Genius visiting.

Others say it is a state of flow.

Still others define it more strictly, noting that creativity involves making something novel that others find valuable.

We’re not sure we agree that creativity must always mean novelty. Or externally-approved value. Also, this definition of creativity assumes a rather linear connection between the creative act and its outcomes, while the truth may be more nuanced. A creative act becomes part of a creative life, which then has influence in myriad ways, across time and place.

Creativity, no matter how you define it, often results in a sense of joy, centeredness, accomplishment, satisfaction—even connection. A creative life is one that understands the power of attention and intention, and does not easily hand that over to forces that would diminish us. To live creatively is to find yourself more able to solve problems, be resourceful, and strengthen relationships and your life as a whole.

That’s a way of life worth encouraging.

[The creative pursuit] is primarily an experience of wholeness, rightness, and power.

Insight in and of itself is an intellectual comfort. Power in and of itself is a blind force that can destroy as easily as build. It is only when we consciously learn to link power and light that we begin to feel our rightful identities as creative beings.”

—Julia Cameron

Are There Simple Ways to Encourage “Creative Living?”

You don’t need to be an artist, musician, dancer, or any other kind of “creative” in order to live a creative life. Really.

Psychology researchers have identified eight ways to encourage creativity. We believe that these can help you live a creative life—especially if you find ways to engage in practices, which ensure consistency of experience.

Research Shows 8 Ways to Encourage Your Creativity

1. Create in Quantity. Creative insights and products happen in small sparks rather than in eureka moments. The absolute best thing you can do to take advantage of this is to work hard and often on the areas you’re most interested in developing. Those who produce more work overall, regardless of how good any given attempt is, end up producing more creative work than others. (That said, skill improvement is also tied to “practicing in a direction.”)

2. Add Knowledge. Domain knowledge gained over years is critical for creativity. New ideas and products are always a combination of prior experiences and learning. So, follow your curiosity in any domains you have an interest in. Ignore anyone who doubts your diligence in digging deeper! And try to remember what you’ve learned. (Tip for remembering, from Joshua Foer: “The brain best remembers things that are repeated, rhythmic, rhyming, structured, and above all easily visualized”).

3. Stir Divergent Thinking. It’s a key characteristic of creativity!

4. Learn to See Patterns. Creativity involves looking for patterns and underlying principles.

5. Reach across disciplines and industries. The most creative people engage in learning across a variety of disciplines and industries. While it’s important to develop solid domain knowledge in the areas you have a special interest in, it’s also important to keep reaching across other areas.

6. Collaborate. People who collaborate with other people are far more likely to develop truly creative insights and products than those who “keep to themselves.” The idea of the “solitary genius” is a myth and an outlier.

7. Network. Networking increases your chances of being a more creative person, even when that networking is not about collaborating together.

8. Dedicate Time. Creativity takes time, not genes. Find ways to encourage taking time, over time.

How T. S. Poetry Press Helps

Wouldn’t it be great if you could easily encourage your creativity in those 8 ways?

That’s where we delight to help. We’re always creating new ideas, interviews, and books to help to stir those 8 ways, and we’ve got some “regulars” you can count on.

The regulars are essentially practices. All you need to do is begin—and then choose to engage with them either daily, weekly, or monthly…

Every Day Poems

✨ Every Day Poems is a carefully curated inbox delivery of poetry.

We spend time looking for the good stuff, so you can spend time enjoying poems as part of your poetry practice.

Key ways the publication encourages your creativity…

✅ Gets you reading poems in quantity

✅ Stirs divergent thinking

✅ Works with language patterns

✅ Offers variety within a knowledge domain (poetry!)

✅ Time (delivered daily five days a week, all year long)

The Write to Poetry + “The Creativity Coach”
🍵 The Write to Poetry, along with its extra section The Creativity Coach, focuses on providing prompts, tips, thought pieces, book excerpts and more—mainly on the topics of poetry, writing, and creativity.

Key ways they encourage your creativity…

✅ Get you writing in quantity

✅ Add knowledge (in the domains of poetry, writing, creativity, and special topics)

✅ Stir divergent thinking

✅ Encourage pattern making

✅ Time (delivered weekly, all year long)

The Creativity Café

Offered to patrons of T. S. Poetry, The Creativity Café is a cozy sanctuary that meets on the second Tuesday of each month, via Zoom. It’s a casual place to gather with people who care about the art of creative living. Participants bring creative projects to work on or explore the evening’s prompt, hear thoughts on creativity from leader Bethany Rohde, share ideas, and just relax or read. Snacks and a hot drink encouraged.

Key ways the café encourages your creativity:

✅ Gets you creating

✅ Stirs divergent thinking

✅ Offers chances to collaborate

✅ Networking

✅ Time (meets monthly)

On the Whole

When your practices fold in what T. S. Poetry Press offers on the whole, you’ve got a simple way to stir and sustain your creative life.

We spend the effort putting together the resources, so that you can spend your effort on building your creative life. Let’s keep engaging in the art of creative living, together!

***

Sources

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Liz Gilbert

Curious, by Ian Leslie

Explaining Creativity, by R. Keith Sawyer

How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci, by Michael Gelb

Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer

The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron

The Geography of Genius, by Eric Weiner

Photo by Mark Harpur, Creative Commons, via Unsplash.