by Ada M. Palles

 It happens every single time.

Whenever I pursue a creative idea of any kind, I am suddenly bombarded with one interesting idea after another — sometimes so fast and compelling, that it is hard to keep up with them all.

This phenomenon happens every single time I truly devote myself to a creative endeavor of any kind. It is why I have at least 5 books started in my “Back-Burner" file, lists of random ideas jotted down on notepads all over the place. I am always juggling several projects at once at any given time.

But sometimes people say to me, "I'm just not creative ... I never get any good ideas." My advice to people who believe they are not creative is this: Start with one.

One is all it takes. It doesn't have to be original, clever or anything even resembling genius. Just start with the one idea you do get, and run with it! You'll see the same phenomenon begin in you, and suddenly you will have no shortage of ideas — some of them quite original, or clever, or — who knows? — perhaps even sheer genius!

How can I be so sure? Because I know you've already experienced this and didn't even realize it.

For example, let's say that you decide to redecorate a room. You think about it, you develop a vision of what you'd like to see, and you start playing with ideas in your head. You hold this vision in your mind as you skim through magazines, go shopping, browse catalogs, or watch decorating shows. You are so intent on this goal that you start seeing things that you never considered before in a brand new light. "That lamp I have in another room would go perfectly with this decor," or "This material — which I never would have even considered buying before — is just the perfect thing."

Pretty soon, you start thinking, "Well, this item wouldn't go with this room, but it would be just perfect for the den if we re-did the whole thing ..." Before you know it, you're on a re-decorating streak, with ideas coming at you from every direction.

Another example: When you are speaking, how many times do you go off on a tangent? You were talking about one topic, but suddenly that reminds you of something else that deserves some air-time. That, too, is the creative process at work within you.

It works the same way with writers. Sometimes writers feel that they're on a roll. They become inspired by a particular topic, and the next thing they know, ideas are coming at them so fast and furiously, that they can barely keep up.

What happens is that once you open up your creativity with one idea, you start seeing all kinds of possibilities before you that you once ignored. Once you put energy behind an idea — devote some thought to it and express it in some way — you light the fire of creativity within you and suddenly this creative force takes over. Your creativity literally catches fire!

But it isn't that the muse of creative inspiration has suddenly smiled down upon you after all these years — it is that you have opened up and allowed the muse an opportunity to come in and play. She was there all along, waiting for you.

One idea — that's all it takes!

So, if you've suddenly developed writer's block or you haven't flexed your creativity in ages, here's the secret! 

• Start with one idea, any idea, and run with it. Don't judge it. Just think about it. Develop it. Keep it uppermost in your mind. Remember this from manifestation 101?
• Express it — in whatever manner you need to express it. If you're a writer, then write it. If you're a painter, then paint it. If you're a musician, then play it. Create it.
• Watch other ideas come flocking, even as you are in the process of creating. Write down your ideas. Keep them on the "back-burner" to work on later. One of those may turn out to be a gem in the rough.
• Repeat.

Now, actually carrying through on all your brilliant ideas — well that's a topic for another day. The fire is lit, it’s creation time!