Four Ways to Remove Creative Barriers

I just read a blog post at Happenstance, "Removing Physical Barriers to Creating Amazing Things", that did a great job of suggesting four ways to maximize your creative motivations. In some cases the suggestions seem so minimal that it's hard to think of them as barriers.

From personal experience they all stand true. If I have to re-setup my AppleTV link with iTunes every so often because for SOME reason, an update to either breaks that linkup... I more likely to skip my video podcast fix for another day... or week.

If I have to get up to write down an idea, I tend to tell myself I'll remember it and will write it down later. I don't remember it. This is a lesson to keep a notepad around in each room. Sounds goofy, but it'll change the way you capture ideas and ultimately CREATE!

Here's a summary of the five suggestions given on the Happenstance blog:

1. Eliminate Setup & Startup Time: Think about how many steps you have to go through to get started on a creative project. If you have to drag your materials out of a closet, plug things in, sharpen your tools, or bribe someone, you have a physical barrier.
2. Use Quality Tools: You can’t turn a screw with a plastic screwdriver, and you can’t make a decent screwdriver without quality vodka. Quality goods are cheaper than they’ve ever been, but there’s a lot of shoddy stuff out there. While sometimes using junk can yield interesting results, using the right tools helps ensure the best results.
3. Use Your Time Well: Time, like plutonium, is a limited resource, and like plutonium, you can use it for the purpose of world domination. Unlike plutonium, it is not a tangible, physical thing, but as long we exist in space, we exist in time. So…for our purposes time is physical.
4. Have a Good Space: Having a good, dedicated place to create is like putting a houseplant into a bigger pot with better soil. The plant can stretch out its roots and have room to grow. Working in a shared space is like having a pot that’s too small. Yes, the plant may grow a little bit, but eventually it reaches the edges of its confines.

To read the "Problem" and "Solutions" to each of these entries, please hop on over to Happenstance and see if you can implement some of these ideas starting today!