A ton of research suggests that the right half of our brain supplies the more creative aspects of our thinking. So it goes that more creative people use that side of their brain more predominately.

Creativity is an essential part of building a business, but day to day many small business owners rely so heavily on the more logical, rational, and practical that the creative can go dormant. Now, creativity isn’t so much about being artistic as it is a way of thinking or viewing what’s going on around you. I think the most creative business thinkers I know are simply naturally curious about everything they encounter.

If, as a marketer, the creative side of your thinking gets shut down you can find it difficult to create engaging blog posts, elegant customer service solutions and innovative product enhancements. In fact, there is an element of creativity in connecting with your customer’s true needs. You may not even know it’s happening to you because it’s a subtle thing like when you drive home from your office and you don’t even remember actually driving.

I have a few things that I make sure I do every now and then in an effort to keep my creative side in shape and contributing as much as possible. (I wonder if true right brain thinkers do anything to be more boring?)

My top 10 creative kick starters:
1 Go camping – the bank of stream is a creative haven
2 Stop, close my eyes and feel nothing but my breath
3 Go into a business I’ve never entered and use all my senses
4 Listen to Nirvana (mostly the live acoustic stuff)
5 Run – I can’t tell you how many blog posts I’ve written this way
6 Get olfactory – smells, odd and pungent stir something
7 Hang out in a public library
8 Read Emerson or Angelou
9 Watch cartoons (bonus: watch with 6 yr old)
10 Play my honey blond Guild D-35 – I don’t do that enough!

I would love to hear what you do to get more creative.

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