A TASTE OF CREATIVE CUISINE

Writing in his book, 'Braindancing: Brain-Blazing Practical Techniques in Creativity for Immediate Application', Dilip Mukerjea has suggested an assortment of activities you can indulge in so as to stimulate your creative aspirations.

They might just start a chain reaction of creative behaviour, which could be a wonderful new direction in your life.

- Use any means you can to create happy laughter around you. Booby-trapping your colleagues is permitted;

- Select random phone numbers from a directory. Call up those parties & wish them a fabulous day!

- Read an article from a magazine or newspaper upside down. The beneficial effect on your brain will amaze you. See if the sight of you reading in this manner amazes any onlookers.

- Use one hand to write down a set of questions you have in your mind, & the other hand to jot down the answers;

- Craft a Mind Map of all your thoughts over a period of one hour;

- Buy a present for someone you dislike intensely;

- Approach a child or a group of children, & seek some advice from them;

- In this day of colour photography, spend a weekend (or a week) taking only black & white photographs;

- Spend a week doodling for 30 minutes a day. Is there a message in the 'mess'?

- Jot down all the things you feel incapable of doing, or have not done due to some reason or another. Now shred them, or set fire to them;

- Have lunch with someone you've never met before. Aim to acquire at least ten new ideas during this encounter;

- Have a serious conversation with your cat, dog, canary or goldfish;

- Design a name card with you as a "Creanovator" (creativity + innovation practitioner);

- Whilst driving to work, smile at anyone you can when stopped at the traffic lights;

- Go to a toy store & buy a toy worth no more than S$10. Use it to provoke possible solutions to a prevailing problem;

- Ask to have the air changed in your car tyres during your next stop at a gas station;

- Learn to play a musical instrument;

- Every day for a week, look up three new words from a dictionary. Use these actively in your conversation;

- Learn at least one new joke a day, for a week. Use these jokes & see if you are able to make people laugh;

- Learn at least five simple, but effective, magic tricks. Use these in your social encounters to stimulate conversation. How could you use them at work?

- Read a book on a topic that you know absolutely nothing about;

- For a week,on every alternate day, assume a perspective of the opposite sex;

- Focus on someone you dislike. Now commit yourself to writing down five things you could like about the person;

Involve yourself in living a life, as opposed to merely earning a living. Commit yourself to new ventures; your spirit will assume new dimensions. The comparison between "involvement" & "commitment" has been characterised by a breakfast of ham & eggs. The chicken was involved - the pic was committed.

This is not the end . . . your journey into Wonderland has just begun. May you always enjoy your infinitely creative genius!

[All images in this post are the intellectual property of Dilip Mukerjea.]