Some people are just effortlessly creative, other are not. Ironically, sometimes it takes the effortless creative to come up with an innovative way to draw creativity out of those who aren’t. One of the ways to do this was outlined on the list of 33 ways to stay creative, simply suggesting to “try free writing”.
This particular point caught my eye having studied English Literature for most of my life, only more recently letting this interest fade by becoming so absorbed in Loughborough life and the hard-working design school.
So one afternoon, stuck for design concepts for my course I thought I’d give it a shot. It was only then that I realised I didn’t really have the faintest idea what exactly free writing entailed. The result was, of course, a Google search.
Pages and pages about free writing emerged, unveiling the mystery of free writing and a short while later I realised it wasn’t so much of a mystery. Free writing seems to me more about exploring your mind and your thoughts; free from the constraints of grammar, spelling or even of a particular topic for a mere five minutes or so.
All you have to do is set a time limit, pick up a pen and off you go. But what if you don’t know what to write?
In short, simply write that you don’t know what to write and soon something else will come to mind. Before you know it you’ll be off on a journey to outer space, looking out to the horizon to see fish swimming in the sky or imagining what it would be like to be a traffic light…
The number of weird and wonderful things that will evolve right before your eyes is innumerable yet attainable and tangible.
At the end of your five or ten minutes or however long you choose, there will certainly be a few laughs but you’re sure to find a few gems in there too. Perhaps these gems unveil your innermost thoughts and wishes or maybe they’re the beginning of a story, a piece of art, design concept or a film.
Even better still, is that free writing is a quick, easy, unrestrained way to express your creativity without fear of any onlookers.
Not only is it a chance to be creative but also it’s a great way to relax, forget about everything else and just write whatever crazy things come to mind. With free writing there are no restrictions, simply a chance to express yourself and all the thoughts you ordinarily cannot give time to.
Previous blog entries:
Thirty-three Ways To Be Creative: Part Three Lists
Thirty-three Ways To Be Creative: Part Two Music
Thirty-three Ways To Be Creative
