7 habits for creatives to develop

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1. Be a reader
John Maxwell’s famous axiom Leaders are Readers is true.  If creatives are to consider themselves leaders by the art they produce that hopefully influences others, than they must have a deep well in which to draw from. Read books on aesthetics, on beauty, on screenwriting, design and then read books on culture, religion and fiction if you have the patience for it.

2. Exercise
Studies show that exercise reduces stress and tension.  On A personal note, I have found that while exercising I often come up with creative ideas because I am allowing my mind to relax.

3. Get up early
Getting up early will give you more time in the day to be more productive rather than staying up late and watching tv. Some creatives were known for writing an entire screenplay just by getting up early every morning and taking advantage of the two hours before their real day job. Check out this post on how to get up early.

4. Collaborate
Have people in your life that can help you to brainstorm, bounce ideas off of or look at your current works in progress. Having people in your life to sharpen you will push your creativity to the next level.

5. Invest in others
If you spend time investing in others, you will be able to accomplish far more than you could by yourself and if you are lucky you will find others who do the work you don’t like to do so you can focus on what you are really good at.

6. Brainstorm
The hardest part of being creative is often coming up with a semi-original idea.  Using mind mapping tools like xmind will help you to think through more possibilities before you begin with the first idea that comes to mind.

7. Pray
Ask God for ideas. Ask God to inspire you. Ask God the creator of the universe the ultimate “creative” to help you create.

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