Comments on: 9 Ways to Change Your Context

By: Essential Prose | Zoë Westhof | How to Make Your Own Creative Mini-Retreat: Exploring a New Medium

Tue, 05 May 2009 16:16:12 +0000

[...] written before about consuming outside your normal medium in order to inspire new ideas. If you’re a photographer, for example, try reading fiction for [...]

By: Zoë

Zoë — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:38:43 +0000

@ Daisy – I agree… I think creativity really just comes down to making new connections.

By: Daisy

Daisy — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 04:12:04 +0000

Making connections is valuable. Reading books, reading other blogs, reading poetry are all good sources of inspiration. Writers' block happens, but doesn't have to continue. Daisy´s last blog post..Reclaiming the den

By: Zoë

Zoë — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:44:10 +0000

@ Relax – Thai massage really does rejuvenate me… relaxes my mind and allows new thought processes to form. And as you point out, changing your work flow can be really effective.

@ Urban Panther – Definitely agree with you there. When I engage in physical activities — be it vacuuming or hiking — I find my mind relaxes and allows itself to form connections that had seemed so difficult before.

@ Ulla – I’m quite loyal to my afternoon coffee trip too

@ Alden – I try to switch between pen/paper and the computer as often as possible, as I find both have many benefits.

It’s interesting that you mention visual arts, because I recently bought a sketchpad and some pencils so that I can start exercising the visual images in my mind… it’s been a little intimidating, but really quite fun so far .

@ Alex – The sibling connection permeates even the blogosphere!

By: Zoë

Zoë — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:37:14 +0000

@ Robyn – The coffee house is a great place — I especially like sitting outdoors at the cafe and watching the other customers as well as passersby.

@ TJ – Wow, that’s a new one for me! Really good physical change.

@ Richard – Absorbing another language’s sounds is a wonderful exercise in expansion… the rhythms, the accompanying body movements, and the interaction are easy to dive into, even if you don’t speak the language.
Never thought of food as a way to change my context, but now that you mention it, I do try to change that one all the time .

By: Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:53:40 +0000

Not surprisingly (being her brother), the Urban Panther said exactly what I was going to add, so all I'll say is "ditto" (why bother repeating the work when someone has already done it so well?). Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..Learning to Ask for Help: Karen Putz Interview

By: Alden Smith

Alden Smith — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:17:03 +0000

"Staring at your computer screen puts you in a certain context with certain expectations..." How very true and how hard that hit me when I read it. It took me a very long time to make the transition from my yellow legal pads and gel pens to the computer, and I question many times if that has been beneficial to me or not. I remember times when I was literally driven to write, and in the past few years it has become more of a "task" for me than enjoyment. The fact that it is how I make my living probably has a lot to do with this. These days, I use 3D modeling and character creation in 3D to remove myself from any hangups or blocks I have. Because it is a visual art, it removes from me the stigma of the written word. I create fantasy creatures for my granddaughters, and have my own little world I can go to when the sledding gets tough. This works for me, and it also gives me the satisfaction of having created something besides imagery for the mind. I find that others who have commented here use a lot of the strategies that I thought were a normal part of life. I come away from this commentary a humbled man... Peace, Alden~ Alden Smith´s last blog post..Conversation

By: Ulla Hennig

Ulla Hennig — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:44:21 +0000

I can also recommend going to a coffee shop to overcome writer's block. I've got a starbuck's round the corner, and there are so many different people there - tourists, people from offices nearby, that I can get some writing ideas by just watching them or staring into my coffee mug. Ulla Hennig´s last blog post..Happy New Year!

By: Urban Panther

Urban Panther — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:37:29 +0000

Washing the dishes, vacumning, running and gardening all help kick start new thought process. They are relatively mindless activities, but relaxing. My thoughts are free to simply wander while part of me focuses on the physical action. I also switch up how I get the creative juices flowing for my short fiction stories. I was using my daughter's photographs. I've switched to something else now. When that gets old, I'll go back to photographs, or come up with something entirely new. Urban Panther´s last blog post..Making a bigger contribution

By: Relax

Relax — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:53:12 +0000

How about a nice session of Thai massage or Qigong?
Maybe a short session of meditation helps clearing away the monkey mind and reset our thinking.

Recently I faced severe writing block
I tried to write a book in bottom up style — one complete article at a time and compile them into a book.
It FAILed.

So I change my way of writing my book to top down style
I write quick summary on each chapters and slowly expand them.
I think it helps greatly
Although it’s not perfect, I can see ideas flowing very well

Relax´s last blog post..Using knowledge resource to maximize exam performance