Creativity Tip #11: Cloud Your Creative Judgment

By Chris Dunmire

People talk about doing "it" all the time. But do they really take advantage of doing it when the opportunity floats itself in front their eyes day after day?

I'm talking about sitting in a comfy chair or laying in the grass on a warm sunny day when the sky is blissfully blue and filled with poofy white clouds — and simply "cloud-gazing" with one's imagination.

"What a waste of time!"

Hey, who just said that? C'mere and let me tell you a thing or two...

Studies show that engaging in such relaxing, yet creatively-stimulating activities like cloud-gazing for a mere 10 minutes twice a week not only improves mental clarity but provides a meditative, mind-altering state of poofy bliss for those who become "one with the floating clouds." Bonus creativity points go to those who "see" elephants eating flying saucers in the white masses of manifested imagination.

Okay, if it sounds like I just made all that up, I did, but based upon my own experiences with cloud-gazing, creativity, and imagination, I know it's true. And until you try it, don't knock it!

5 Steps to Cloud-Gazing with Your Imagination:

1. Get comfortable.
   
   
2. Find the sky.
   
   
3. Look for clouds.
   
   
4. Gaze. Meditate. Free associate. Breathe. Laugh. Love. Rediscover gratitude.
   
   
5. Find the flying saucer-eating elephant (or other oddly-shaped mind manifestations).

Now, if you're really up for a good thrill, take up Cynthia Staples' challenge to Embark on a Cloud Chasing Expedition and snap photos of your beauteous cloud masses. But be forewarned, this is for the true enthusiast and not for the partly sunny/partly cloudy crowd. Trust me, you'll never look at those poofy white precious cotton-puffs the same again. And yes, your creative brain will have stretched to a new shape because you thunk new thoughts!

Oh, and say you really, really, want to do some cloud gazing but the weather is not cooperating? I've invented just the thing for you. It's my Popcorn Art project, inspired by the neat-o popcorn creations of Harry Kalenberg, whose work has been featured on Ripley's Believe it or Not!, and it follows the same kind of cloud-gazing principles outlined here. Yes, I'm serious! Popcorn, clouds... it's all starchy white fun. •

© 2007 Chris Dunmire www.chrisdunmire.com. All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce this article without my permission. (09/08/07)