Creativity… how do we get more?

Many people say they are happiest when they are creating.  Maybe it’s because we are made in the likeness of our creator and are doing what comes naturally.  Just like an artist or musician, entrepreneurs are creating and bringing things to life, out into the world and the marketplace to solve problems.

I’ve spent the last few days in Asheville, NC on an EO Forum retreat with my long time Knoxville Forum.  Asheville is known for its community of artistic people, and like artists and musicians, we like to be in places that stimulate us to create.  Many of us know that being in environments like the islands or the mountains stimulate us to create, but do we know why?

One of the reasons is negative ions.  These are invisible molecules that are generated in abundance around beaches, waterfalls, and mountain environments.  What they do is stimulate the brain with higher oxygen and blood flow, which in turn can provide that boost that we may be looking to generate.

Our Forum went on a zip line tour called Navitat high up in the mountains.  Over a 3 hour period we climbed, harnessed, zipped and repelled through the most picturesque mountain environment.  Why do we do this? One reason is to get us out and experiencing new things that allow us to connect and bond, which opens us up to sharing at a deeper level.  Another reason is that new experiences create new awareness.   New awareness can open the way for more synapse connections in the brain, once more stimulating new ideas and new ways of thinking. 

EO events and gatherings are about exposing people to places and thought processes that they have not experienced before.  What we like to call once in a lifetime experiences.  These past few days have been a creative stimulant for me.

I am constantly trying to open myself up to new things, experiences and environments that will encourage my own creativity.  What are you doing that will open you up to discovering that next brak through solution or idea?