1. Look to nature .. many inventions are just a copy of nature.
2. Ask a child .. children are more adept at playing with ideas.
3. Doodle .. it's amazing what comes out of the subconscious when you just sit down and doodle.
4. Daydream .. it's the subconscious again!
5. Use a 'Creative Whack Pack' .. a bit of a cheat, but it works

Want to be creative.. try out the tools here!

So how do we get more creative?

One trick I have seen work time after time is to limit the amount of time for you to create. It is amazing how the creative juices flow.

This trick works well with small groups (2-6 people).

So why does limiting time work? The answer is simple; if you give yourself plenty of time, generally all your filters are in place that limit your creativity. If you limit time, the filters don't have the time to work, so you become spontaneously creative for a short period of time.

This takes a great deal of energy. This is good; you feel a huge sense of achievement at the end.

Try it. Limit time. Change the world!

Edward de Bono is the granddaddy of creative thinking. He was the first to coin the phrase 'lateral thinking', to describe a mode of thinking outside the normal framework.
He describes (in several books) his theories on lateral and creative thinking (and he has gotten very rich in the process).
Some of his books are listed below. I recommend '6 thinking hats'. This method is very useful in groups..actually using hats is a fun way of getting a seroius message out.

'Six Thinking Hats' is a powerful technique that helps you look at important decisions from a number of different perspectives. It helps you make better decisions by forcing you to move outside your habitual ways of thinking. As such, it helps you understand the full complexity of the decision, and spot issues and opportunities to which you might otherwise be blind.

This tool was created by Edward de Bono in his book '6 Thinking Hats'.

How to Use the Tool:
You can use the Six Thinking Hats technique in meetings or on your own. In meetings it has the benefit of blocking the confrontations that happen when people with different thinking styles discuss the same problem.

Each 'Thinking Hat' is a different style of thinking. These are explained below:

* White Hat:
With this thinking hat you focus on the data available. This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data.

* Red Hat:
'Wearing' the red hat, you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion.

* Black Hat:
Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively.

Yellow Hat:
The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it.

* Green Hat:
The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. A whole range of creativity tools can help you here.

* Blue Hat:
The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings.

Each of us who create have our own unique ways of expressing our creativity, and a number of different forms and media in which we create. But despite this individuality, there are elements common to all of us, each of them essential to have in place for a life of abundant creativity.

Here are 5 of the most important of these elements. Which do you have in place already in your creative life? Which can you add today to help you be more creative?

1. Creating everyday. The only surefire way to a life of consistent and prolific creativity is to create for a minimum amount each and every day. Because we all structure our lives round a daily calendar, this is the most natural and easy way to also fit in our creative time.

Don't make the mistake of creating only "when you have a bit of free time", it never comes! Instead, commit to creating at the same time for at least 15 minutes each day. This habit is the backbone of a life of creativity, and the key to discovering the true depths of your creative potential.

2. Keep yourself inspired and stimulated. If you only ever go to the same few places all the time - maybe even only from your bed to your creative workspace for days on end - you'll soon dry up on inspiration.

Creative people more than anyone need constant new stimulation. Visit different places that will delight your senses, and be sure to fully focus on each sense. You have five senses for a reason, make full use of them!

3. Gathering your ideas. Ideas flow to us constantly, our creative minds are permanently active, even when we sleep. Find a way to channel this and you'll have all the creative ideas you'll ever need.

A fantastic tool for capturing your ideas is an ideas journal. This is simply a notebook you carry with you at all times and jot down your ideas as and when they come to you. No more forgotten ideas, no more frustration at not having any new ideas to develop. And the beauty is, the more ideas you have and capture, the more ideas arrive to replace them.

4. A support network. Though much creative work is done alone, having a network of support around you is key to getting the most from your creativity. Too many artists create in what feels like a void or a vacuum, not knowing if any one even KNOWS they create, let alone have people to offer encouragement.

You can either look locally for a group that meets in person, or find a creative community online. Investigate a few possibilities and see how you feel about the people involved and the nature of the group. At the very least, get yourself a creative "buddy" - someone you can check in with regularly to encourage and support each other's creative developments.

5. Acknowledge your progress. Keeping track of how you develop as a creative artist is crucial to staying motivated and realising just how much you do create. Because you're with yourself day in, day out, it can be difficult to measure this and it often feels like you're getting nowhere, stuck in a creative rut.

A great way of keeping up with how much you're creating is to have a mini creative review every 2 or 3 months. Look at what you're creating now compared to a few months ago, and you'll be impressed not only at how you've developed, but also at how much you've created. This then motivates you to create even more.

These are 5 of the most important elements needed for a creative life.

Which do you have in place already? Which could you pick to improve so you create more deeply and more often, and explore more of that limitless creative potential within you waiting to be discovered?

From Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin