10 Ways Creativity Can Completely Change Your Life

“Life is a great big canvas. Throw all the paint you can on it.” ~Danny Kaye

I’ve had those days when I felt like my life was in the doldrums. When I felt stuck in the same-old, same-old and wondered how to get a pick me up. When I wished I had more passion or purpose or maybe just a jolt of joy to shake things up.

Sometimes there were things I thought might make me happy, but I couldn’t have them just because I wanted them. Like, I couldn’t just snap my fingers and meet the man who sweeps me off my feet or become a kazillionaire.

But there is something that’s always at my (and your) fingertips. Something we always have that will instantaneously make us happy, right now in this moment.

And that is (drum roll please…) our creativity.

Creativity is not just for artists or making art. Creativity is life making. It’s anything we do that turns us on, invigorates us, or offers a simple moment of pure merriment.

For me, I love to paint and write. I knit while watching my favorite movies. I have a blast cooking and sharing my recipes. I let myself go wild in dance class.

All of us have something we enjoy doing. Or something we think we would enjoy but don’t do because the bigger, more major things in our daily lives take priority. We just don’t make the time for it.

Or we judge it as “a little hobby” (like crafting, kickball, or learning magic tricks).

Or we think it will never become something significant or important (like changing the world.)

Or we deem it as just plain silly. (Why pick up singing when we don’t even know how to stay in harmony?)

But the things we enjoy are far more important than we could ever realize and can make a significant impact on our lives.

Here are ten reasons why (and there are so many more):

1. Creativity makes us present.

Because we’re doing something we like to do, we’re engaged in the moment. Time passes in an instant ‘cause we’re just having some good ol’ fun.

When I paint, write, knit, dance, or cook it’s like active meditation. Being present with myself dials up my knob of attention and wakes me up.

Creativity stimulates us to be more mindfully in tune with our overall lives. It also calms our nervous system, decreases anxiety, and helps restore balance.

2. We better our relationships.

Simply because we enjoy doing something we love, we connect to ourselves more intimately. We develop a profound relationship with our inner selves.

The more we connect to ourselves, the more we’re able to connect to others and deepen all of our relationships. This secures healthier bonds.

And because we’re more fulfilled, the less we need others to fulfill us and the more we have to share. Our happiness expands and others feel it too and want to spend more time with us.

3. We’re playing again.

As kids we could create anything and have fun with it without worrying about what other people thought.

We could sing out loud in the car, turn a mud-pie into a monster, or let our stuffed animals have conversations. We were all free in one-way or another.

Creativity returns us to the innocence of our childhoods. And giving ourselves a break from the pressures of adult responsibility, we become lighter and increase our sense of humor as we delight in the pleasure of our amusements.

4. We’re led to new wonderful opportunities.

The current of creativity is like a river finding its sea. It always leads us to bigger waters. So even a small creative project might open us to whole new possibilities. We never know where it might lead.

On a whim I got this idea to make a board game. My friends loved to play it and soon, I was hosting game parties once a month at my house for up to thirty people. It became such a wonderful way to bring people together, a publisher picked it up and today everyone can play it.

But we don’t do it for product. We do it for pure joy and interest.

For sure with any kind of project, as our creative juices get flowing, there’s an infinite pool to draw from to keep our inventiveness growing.

5. Depression is lifted.

While doing the things we enjoy, even if it seems small or easy, the self-judgments we make (like we’re not enough, or bad, or we don’t matter) are suspended. We do it just because of the sheer delight of doing it.

It’s the permission we give to ourselves to do what we love that makes us forget we’re in the slumps. The more we engage, the more our spirits fly.

Doing something that is not demanding or to win is the antidote to any dreariness or blahs. My mood always uplifts when I’m creating something just for my own gratification.

6. It’s always new.

Every time we make stuff we’re embarking on fresh, unknown territory. Each time we begin and as we continue, we’re traversing on a new adventure.

Creativity has this awesome way of always changing things up. Even if it seems “mundane” like stirring a soup, or knitting a loop, or moving my body, it always brings a different experience.

A plus is it also initiates new perspectives.

7. We get out of our own way.

When doing something we enjoy, we’re focused on the act of doing it rather than self-ruminating. It immediately gets us out of our head.

So much of our unhappiness is bred from being fixed and consumed by our thoughts and behaviors. We tend to observe our feelings, words, and actions far too often.

But when we’re engaged creatively, we’re freed from any internal traps that say something about us, especially because it doesn’t have to be so serious.

It’s also the #1 best replacement for any addictions.

8. We become amazed by our intuition.

We may wonder what gives us pleasure when we feel stuck. But there’s always something whispering to us.

That’s the beauty of creativity. It might be telling us to take a pottery class, or sign up for a book club, or learn a new spiritual practice because it knows this will add some sparkle and enliven us.

When we listen, we realize that we’re being led by something much greater than us. The more we listen, the more astounded we are by what lives inside us.

9. We build character.

As we attend to our creativity, we feel better about ourselves. This simple act of showing up serves our self-respect and confidence.

The more we make pleasurable, creative acts a priority, the more we rejuvenate, strengthen, and grow.

Each time I sit down to write and my fingers get moving, I feel proud of myself for meeting the blank page head on.

The overall gain is a greater sense of gratitude.

10. Love begets love.

The more we cultivate what we love, the more love we accumulate. Our cup flows over.

Clearly there are days we may show up to do something we enjoy and it isn’t always enjoyable. Sometimes the cake doesn’t rise, the paint spills, or my muscles are sore. But finding creative ways to solve the problems can be fun if we continue.

When we don’t worry about how it turns out and we do it simply for the wonder of exploration, our heart expands and love abounds. And this spreads out into our entire life.

So, what’s compelling you to create? What might creativity be telling you to do because it’s sure you’ll gain from it? What if you just said yes to your freedom, fun, and happiness?

Source : http://bit.ly/1lEbxnz

5 Ways to Find More Time for Content Marketing

Let’s face it. You’re busy. You have a real estate business to run. The last thing on your mind is sitting in front of a computer and writing another blog post or article for your website.

Yet at the same time, you know you need to do it. You know how important it is to produce content on a regular basis, especially if you’re putting any effort at all into social media marketing.

In face, a recent study shows that 69% of home shoppers who take action on a real estate website begin by typing a local term into a search engine. Read that again and note that these folks take action!

Essentailly, some of your best, most active leads can find out about you through a Google search. And if you want to get found on Google, you need to product content. Lots and lots of content.

That's what content marketing is all about. It's as simple as it sounds; marketing to your specific target audiance using original, relevant,a nd audthentic content. And it's all the rage right now among some of the top producers in real estate.

So, at one end of the spectrum, there’s an ever-present need to publish more, write more, engage more, comment more, share more. And at the other end of the spectrum, there’s the fact that your day is already jammed packed as it is. Something has to give in order for you to move forward with your content marketing goals.

If that situation sounds like something you can relate to, keep reading, because I just might have your solution.

The bottom line is that you get out of content marketing exactly what you put into it. If you give it the necessary time and effort, then you’re going to end up with quality content that others will truly take interest in and share. If you slack on it, well, then don’t expect much.

In the worst case scenario, if you don’t do it at all, you’re just giving the competition a shot at stealing your customers by proving value and staying relevant.

But if you're willing to give it a shot, or you already are, in this artile, I'll share some tips and tricks that can make your content marketing activites even more productive.

Essentially, here are 5 tactics that I use to produce quality content on a routine basis, without having it take away from the other parts of running my business:

1. Start by blocking out time

There are 168 hours in a week. Can you find three of those hours for blogging? It really doesn’t look like much when you lay it out in that manner, but three hours is more than enough time to keep your blog current.

If it takes you an hour to write one blog post, you can knock out three in three hours. That’s pretty much every other day of the week. Not bad at all! We’re talking about less than 2% of your week. You know you have that.

Once you’ve found the time, make it sacred. Mark it in your calendar. Make sure you won’t be interrupted. That time is yours and yours alone.

2. Share what you're passionate about

Regardless of the type of real estate business you’re in, there’s always a fun, interesting, and relevant way to share it with the world.

Do you primarily focus on waterfront properties? Don’t blog about your listings; blog about luxury living. Blog about the latest home design trends for waterfront homes.

You have to think one or two degrees out from your product or service in order to come up with content that is relevant to a wider audience.

Nobody wants to read a blog about property listings, but many people want to read a blog about home design ideas, trends, events, and more.

Once you’ve discovered what you can talk about, keep a list of ideas with you at all times. I use Evernote for this. Anytime I have an idea for a blog post, I write it down. That’s where the idea for this post came from.

After a while, the question of “what should I blog about?” becomes trivial. You’ll have ideas for weeks worth of content.

3. Choose a medium that fits your style

Blogging is not for everyone. Some people hate writing. In that case, give video a try. Maybe you love being in front of a camera, where you can let your personality shine.

On the other hand, if you’re a very visual person, you might have better luck producing infographics, or slides. Believe it or not, you can very easily produce and share PowerPoint presentations that get more attention than some blog posts.

Whatever style you choose, you need to stick with it. And if you’re really feeling brave, give them all a try to see what sticks.

You see, choosing the right medium for your content is not entirely up to you. It’s up to your audience too. For example, many fans of video games would prefer to see a video review of a new game over a written review. You need to understand what your audience wants, and always give that to them.

Hopefully, once you start thinking about these things, you can find a common ground that both fits your style and the needs of your audience.

4. Repurpose your content as often as possible

What I mean by repurposing is simply taking your original ideas and generating many different forms of media from them. For instance, I love to take quotes from my blog posts and turn them into tweets. From one blog post, I can get at least five or six unique tweets that I can use throughout the week.

I could just as easily turn a written blog post into a slide deck to publish on SlideShare. Or, if you have a great video that you’ve just created, why not transcribe it into a blog post?

There are many ways to get the most out of a single piece of content. The more variety you have in your approach, the more traction it can have, since it’ll attract different crowds of people.

Lastly, by doing this, you’re truly maximizing your time, since you’re essentially producing multiple pieces of content all from a single idea. Talk about productivity!

5. Have fun with it

If you see content marketing as a chore, you’re never going to stick with it.

I look at each blog post I write as an opportunity to learn more about a specific topic that I may not be well versed in. I also look at it as a way to practice teaching a topic to others, and in that sense, I solidify my own understanding of the topic.

So, look for ways to have fun with content marketing. Challenge yourself to speak about things that you’re not an expert in, but that you know you need to get a grasp on. In that sense, content marketing does as much for you as it does for your business or your audience.

Is it working for you?

In conclusion, these are just a few ideas to get you thinking about content marketing in a different light. At the end of the day, you know you need to be producing content, so why not make the most of it?

Source :http://bit.ly/1ZvTdwH

The dos and don'ts of content marketing from the experts

How do you attract new customers, and what makes a video fly or fail? 

Would you like to boost your business blog or experiment with online video? Content marketing – from online tutorials to an active Twitter feed – is an effective tool for building awareness of your company. In our live Q&A, our expert panel discussed the trends, mistakes and tried-and-tested approaches that small businesses should consider when developing a content marketing strategy. 

Defining your target market

Our first question came in from reader Jonathan Paxton, who was looking for advice on attracting a global audience through content. Karen Webber, marketing director at content marketing agency Axonn Media, said: “My top tip would be to not expect the same content to engage people in each territory.” However, she added that all content should promote one brand message, while being sensitive to cultural differences.

Sammy Todd, marketing manager at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), said: “Talking about things that matter to each of your target markets is key. But this doesn’t always mean creating new content from scratch each time – just knowing what local angle to exploit.”

Social media is vital for growing awareness in new markets, and making sure your content reaches your target audience. Vicky Stewart, head of business development at content marketing agency Seven, added that social networks are a great way of seeing which types of content are most popular, then using that insight to tweak your content strategy.

How to make your business stand out from the crowd

With many big brands using content marketing, how do small businesses cut through the noise? Webber said the first step was deciding what you want your content to achieve. “Who are you trying to engage and spur to action? How will you measure success?” she asked.

Todd suggested finding a niche, “an area that isn’t being exploited elsewhere”. She advised business owners to establish their company as an industry expert. She also pointed out that effective use of SEO is vital for making sure your content is read.

Walsh added that content should tell a business’s story, both the good and bad. “Share insights that you may be a little uncomfortable sharing.” While you might want to promote all the good things about your business, content that reveals your startup mistakes and how you have overcome them can give your brand authenticity.

How about video, one reader asked – if it’s the future of content marketing, how do small businesses with a limited budget make it work?

Anna Cusden, communications director of Look Fabulous Forever – which has used YouTube videos and blog posts to build a solid customer base – said: “Video is something that’s been central to the success of our business. Our makeup tutorials are made on a very small budget – small studio, real women as models, one cameraman and one makeup artist,” she said. “I suppose it’s about working as creatively as possible and maybe finding people who will be sympathetic to your business aims and not charge you a fortune.”

How to establish trust

One reader asked how small businesses can use content marketing to inspire consumer trust. Mike Hollingbery, founder of BozBoz, a creative digital agency in Brighton, suggested bringing customers into your content strategy by including user-generated content (tweets, comments and reviews from customers and potential customers) in your marketing. “If customers feel invested in what you do and share your ethos for why you do it, they will become emotionally invested.”

Mark Hopkins, marketing director at Kia Motors (UK) LTD, echoed this sentiment. He said: “Put people at the heart of your [online marketing] conversations – consumers relate much better to discussions based on human insight and emotion, so bring that to the foreground.”

Seven’s Vicky Stewart added that companies should admit their mistakes in order to build trust. “Saying sorry is always a good starting point for any brand that hasn’t put their customers first,” she said.

Finding strong content topics

Nick Taimitarha asked: “How can you find the best topics [for content] that prospective customers will want to read?” Kim Willis, strategy director at content marketing agency Cedar, suggested two questions to get started: “What are they [the customer] interested in and passionate about?, and what does your business have authority in? If a topic ticks both those boxes, it’s a good start.”

Cusden shared her approach: “We often ask our customers directly what they would like to see in our content. Not only does it make them feel included, it also helps us come up with ideas.”

How to compete with big businesses (and their budgets)

This Q&A sparked an interesting discussion on Twitter. One of a number of questions that came in from our followers was: “In a world where large organisations are spending millions on their content marketing, how can small businesses compete?”

Carla Bradman, marketing manager at Paramount Properties, pointed out where SMEs have an edge. “One advantage a small business has is the speed in which they can react. Those managing content marketing at a small business can usually get access to the directors for approval (if even needed at all) and comment at the drop of a hat.”

Todd had some good tips for organising your content creation in a small team: “One thing that really helped me to start from scratch with a small budget was to create a content roadmap ... a forward view of all the content we plan to create and curate over the next few months, which is organised by overarching themes that are relevant to our audience.” 

Source : http://bit.ly/1Ol08n9

How to Make Time for Your Creative Work

3 tips to help you focus on what matters most.

One of the best episodes of the original Twilight Zone series is “Time Enough at Last.” Burgess Meredith plays Henry Bemis, a man who is obsessed with reading. One day at his job as a bank teller, he goes to the bank vault to read during lunch. Suddenly there is a violent explosion that knocks him out. He later wakes up to find that an atomic bomb has destroyed the world. Being in the bank vault saved his life, and he is the only person left on earth.

He wanders the ruined city in despair and comes to the town library, where he finds all the books still intact. He suddenly realizes that he has all the time in the world to read, and no one to bother him. In one of the greatest plot twists in television, he reaches down for the first book and drops his glasses, shattering the lenses.

Henry Bemis had all the time in the world, but lost the one tool he needed to make use of it.

You and I have the opposite problem. We have all the creative tools we could ever want but not enough time. But when we begin to implement the three strategies I’ll share here, we can begin to recapture more time to do the creative work we love

1. Eliminate distractions from technology

When you try to make good use of your time, you will face of multitude of distractions that threaten to derail your progress. It’s important to eliminate as many of these as possible so you can focus while you are working.

When you’re working on a computer, some of the biggest sources of distraction are notifications from social media, email, and other apps. You can shut these off in your settings. Very few of these messages need an instant response. (Plus, if you always respond to social media notifications instantly, it gives the impression that you don’t do anything except play around on social media.)

I will often turn my phone on silent and place it face down on my desk so I literally don’t see or hear anything. Sometimes you have to take drastic measures!

If you do a lot of your work on computer and have trouble staying focused, use the Stay Focused extension (available for Chrome), which blocks access to websites for specified periods of time.

2. Take advantage of “spare” moments.

If you take a look at how you spend the minutes in your days, you will probably find that you have lots of “spare” moments. Spare moments are small chunks of time between other events. Five minutes here, or ten or fifteen minutes there, can be very useful if we use them purposefully.

Here are some examples of spare moments:

• Waiting at your doctor’s office.
• Waiting to pick up your child from school.
• Waiting for someone to arrive at lunch.
• Waiting for your spouse to finish shopping.
• Waiting in line at the grocery store.
• These spare moments can be a potential gold mine for being productive and working on your art. Although you may not be at your computer, in the recording studio, or at your easel, you can definitely take advantage of these moments.
• Here are a few ways
• Read a great book. You should always have a book with you, whether it’s a print, audio, or e-book. I’m also a big advocate of speed reading. Check out this video for several great tips.
• Listen to a podcast that will enhance your creative life. (Here’s a great list of ten podcasts for creative people.)
• Think about topics, outlines, or other content ideas for blog posts or podcasts.

3. Limit your entertainment

I don’t want to give the impression that I believe you should be working all the time. I enjoy movies, video games, surfing the web, and lots of other diversions. (I still love to break out my original Nintendo system and play Super Mario Bros. once in a while. What can I say? I’m a child of the 80’s.)

I do believe, however, that you should limit how much time you spend on entertainment. It’s easy to lose a couple of hours watching viral videos on Youtube or playing games on your phone. Set a limit on how much time you will spend doing things that don’t give you a return of some kind.

You need to give your mind a break from work. However, don’t give it too much of a break. These three tips will help you be more productive and spend more time doing creative works that makes a difference.

Source : http://bit.ly/1JOo782

How to Reach the Right Audience on Social Media for your book

In her fourth post in a five-part series for Digital Book World on social media marketing, Chris Syme stresses the importance of delivering relevant content in order to drive sales.

“Relevance is not about being cutting edge or participating in the latest fad,” Syme writes. “When it comes to social media, relevance is about delivering the right message to the right person at the right time through the right channel.”

“Attention spans today are shorter,” Syme continues, “and readers are more critical than ever. They are bombarded with so many messages that they quickly move on if you don’t hook them. If your content is relevant enough to make an emotional connection, though, you will have succeeded.”

To get all the ebook and digital publishing news you need every day in your inbox at 8:00 AM, sign up for the DBW Daily today!

Everything You Need to Know About Apple’s New Products (TechCrunch)
TechCrunch has a thorough recap of all the new Apple products—including new iPhones, new iPads and a brand new Apple TV—and features that were revealed at Tuesday’s massive event.

Some Authors Fearful of Reader Analytics (Porter Anderson)
In response to Jellybooks founder Andrew Rhomberg’s recent post on DBW about publishers’ fear of data, Porter Anderson thought that “taking that issue to authors would be a worthwhile exercise.” What were the results? “A lot of readers are fearful of data, just as publishers are.”

How Idea Adoption Works (Seth Godin)
Every important idea starts out on the fringe. It’s not obvious, proven or readily explained. And a tiny group of people—people who like the fringe—engage with it. The mistake idea merchants make is that they bring their fringe ideas to people who don’t like fringe ideas, instead of taking their time and working their way through the progression.

Understanding How Native Advertising Works (Digital Content Next)
Native advertising is a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed. In simple terms, the advertisement looks like the content. There is probably no term getting greater play in the marketing space right now than native advertising, as even some of the largest media brands in the world are trying to figure out how to generate revenues from sponsored content. There could be a great opportunity for you to dip your toe into the sponsored content game, but it’s necessary to understand all the moving parts.

Anatomy of a Kindle Owner (Written Word)
Written Word Media created an infographic about Kindle owners’ consumer behavior: what they’re reading, how they discover books, whom they trust for book recommendations and where they’re talking about the books they’re reading.

Amazon Tests New Farmers Direct Service (Forbes) 
If Amazon and start-up partner Fresh Nation are successful with tests of their new Farmers Market Direct service, consumers across the country may soon be spared the joy of visiting their community-based bazaars. Many say logistics seem to be the biggest hurdle in the way of Amazon building a seamless program, but some are more optimistic. Said one executive quoted: “If Amazon is able to use their data to structure their pricing, merchandising and promotions to align with the value consumers place on local products, their partnership with Fresh Nation should flourish.”

Hachette Livre Partners with Knewton to Develop Adaptive Curricula (DBW)
Hachette Livre, the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world, announced a partnership with adaptive learning company Knewton. The companies will create digital curricula to give students a more personal learning experience. Hachette Livre’s education publishing houses in France—Hachette Education, Hatier, Didier and Foucher—will use Knewton technology to create learning materials that dynamically adjust based on each student’s unique needs. The first Knewton-powered products will be available for the 2016 school year, with more titles to follow.

Source : http://bit.ly/1YbiVGj