By Dawn Allcot

Are you stuck in a dead-end day job that provides no inspiration, with a boss who fails to offer positive reinforcement, and co-workers who act like drones, discussing the latest reality T.V. show as they nibble their Weight Watchers frozen lunches?

You may be stuck in the grind, sneaking moments to write your novel during coffee breaks and wishing you had more freedom. But you can still live creatively everyday. Creativity is more than a talent or a skill. It's a state of mind.

Maybe you're a full-time freelancer who feels uninspired lately. Maybe every article feels as if it's written by rote. Parts of the job you used to love now provide no challenge.

Even full-time freelancers fill parts of their days with "wood-chopping" tasks-- invoicing, tracking manuscripts, checking facts. Writing is a creative profession; how do we remain inspired when the sparks seem to have faded into soft, glowing embers?

Successful writers know creativity doesn't begin when we turn on the computer or end when we hit "save" on that Word document. It's something we live everyday. But we all need a boost every now and then.

Look to this column for tips and tricks to stay inspired everyday-- whatever you write!

I'll spotlight new resources, websites and books designed to encourage creativity, discuss my personal experiences related to living creatively, and share tips to help you maintain the creative spark.

The Law of Attraction popularized in Rhonda Byrne's bestseller, The Secret, says that what we put out to the Universe is what we get back. If you live creatively, you will attract more creativity into your life.

Ever notice how once you make the commitment to write everyday-- perhaps even at the same time and in the same place-- it becomes easier to write everyday?

How do we make that commitment to living creatively? Here are a few steps you can take today to make that first move out of that creative rut (or to lift yourself to the next level of creative thought). Join me on this journey.

Try Something New

When you try something new, you activate new pathways in your brain. Try taking a cooking course, learning a foreign language on your way to work, taking up a new sport or even studying a topic you've always been curious about.

Several writers' blogs recently launched showcase this philosophy. Over at In the New (http://www.jen365.blogspot.com/) Jen is trying something new every day during her 29^th year of life. Jen's new experiences are mostly small, but significant, in that she is stretching her boundaries and doing something she has never done before, whether it's making a YouTube video or watching a movie originally intended to be in color, in black and white. What's important is that she is widening her realm of experience.

Similarly, Karen L. Alaniz over at Be the Change, http://www.bethechange2008.blogspot.com/, is trying something new in hopes of impacting the world. Many of her changes are environmentally focused. Trying to find ways to conserve and recycle can stretch a person's creativity!

Fitness experts recommend changing your workout routine every few weeks for maximum results. The brain is a muscle, too; exercise it in new ways. Even simple changes can help make you more aware of your actions: order something different off the lunch menu or take a new route to work.

When you try a new activity, you may discover a new topic to write about. But even if your experience doesn't provide article fodder, you've pushed yourself out of your comfort zone, which is a giant step to living creatively every day!

Live Consciously

How often do we stroll through life like zombies, performing rote actions with no thought? Switch it up by living in the "now." Ekhart Tolle describes this state-- and how to achieve it-- in his former bestseller, The Power of Now.

Pay attention to your surroundings, observe your scenery, ponder the meaning and importance of objects around you. Slow down to become aware of the feel of the sun on your face, the sweet taste of your morning cereal, the sound of the trucks on the highway.   

Awareness of these details in your life may help you create a new descriptive passage in your novel, spark a new story idea, or help you create a poignant poem. Do everything with a sense of purpose and awareness, and you won't get bored with the mundane.

Make the Most of Wood-Chopping

Let's face it: some actions just don't lend themselves to "staying in the moment." Take advantage of repetitive tasks like washing dishes, hanging clothes, sorting mail or data entry to let your mind wander.

Start conversations with the characters in your novel. Imagine your dream vacation in intimate detail. Visualize your success. Use your imagination! Don't just re-hash your usual daydreams; push the boundaries to explore your most off-the-wall fantasies. Visualize, creatively and down to every small detail, the life you want, what you'd rather be doing, or a scene in your book.

Balance this creative visualization with living "in the moment" and you'll find inspiration around every corner.

Seek Creativity around You

Does your workplace feel like a real-world version of "The Office," replete with crazy characters and stereotypes? Does a trip to the grocery store invite adventure in the produce aisle? If they don't, you may not be trying hard enough.

Characters surround us-- at work, in the home, in the shopping mall parking lot (especially, it seems, at the shopping mall parking lot!). Writers, by nature, are people-watchers, but sometimes, we get so wrapped up in rushing around to achieve our goals as the clock ticks toward day's end, we forget to take the time to appreciate the wealth of personalities around us!

Remember: no detail, situation or individual is sacred. Steal mercilessly from everyday life: for personal essays, short story plots, character descriptions. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you're a writer first.

Find Inspiration in the Other Arts

When I'm scrapbooking, hours pass like minutes. I work with words for a living, but when I cut photos, choose embellishments, and balance elements on a page, I'm being creative in a way that is different from what I usually do. It doesn't feel like work, because it's not. But I come back to the computer inspired to continue being creative.

Scrapbooking not for you? Try sketching, digital scrapbooking with a program such as Photoshop, or creating a graphically-oriented website.

If hands-on projects don't inspire you, read a book of poetry or visit a museum and study the fine art. Don't just stare passively; think about what emotions the paintings evoke. Remember to bring your pen and notebook, because you may just feel the urge to begin writing right there in the museum lobby!

Keep Learning!

One creativity expert I spoke with says nothing revives him more than taking a course or attending a professional conference.

For a reasonably-priced, close-to-home experience, explore community college courses in cooking, digital photography, martial arts-- whatever appeals to you. If your schedule doesn't permit you to leave the house, sign up for an Internet course, such as those offered here on AW.

Completing assignments and learning new skills will spark your creativity and lift you out of a rut. There's nothing like looking at a topic with new eyes-- in this case, through the teacher's eyes-- to kickstart your creative mind.

If you have a bit more time and money, you can invest in a writer's retreat, attend a conference for writers, such as the Romance Writers of America 28th Annual National Conference, or spend a few days at a conference or expo related to one of your specialty fields. The Consumer Electronics Expo, the MAC Expo, the SHOT Show, and the New York International Auto Show are just a few examples in a variety of industries.  

Professional conferences offer a new locale, new people, and new experiences all in one shot. If you want to broaden your realm of experience and professional contacts, there's no better way. If you find a conference taking place in a city you've always wanted to visit, you've hit the jackpot.

The universe has given us the gift of creativity and a fount of resources to keep our imaginations active. Use them everyday!  

Dawn Allcot is a full-time freelance writer who employs her creativity as a regular contributor to magazines such as TheWAHMMagazine.com and Club Business International, and as Editor-in-Chief of RECON, the Magazine of Woods Paintball. She blogs regularly at It Had to Be Said and Anything that Pays.

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