Creativity News Picks of the Week

Since tomorrow I’ll be blogging about my Friday giveaway, I thought I’d end the “blog week” early by reviewing what’s been in the media this week about creativity. What follows is a totally subjective list of articles—both serious and quirky—that sparked my interest.  My comments are in italics:

Doodling in School Opens Doors to Creativity, Learning
PR Newswire (press release)
According to Brown, doodling elevates creative thinking and is often used to achieve breakthrough ideas. In fact, many of the world’s leading innovations …

Remember those old school marms who slapped our hands if they caught us doodling?  No? Well maybe you’re a lot younger than me.  I feel vindicated about  all those months as a high school freshman in General Science doodling the name of my latest crush.

Housewert always exploring his creative side
Marco Eagle
Then there’s Mike Housewert, who applies his creativity and work ethic to two very different skills. A 10-year resident of Marco Island, Housewert is a …

I love stories of people who take advantage of the serendipitous opportunities life presents to explore a new outlet for creative self-expression!  Or maybe it’s just that I fell in love with birds when I lived in Florida.  (Those 3 foot great egrets are so easy to spot—and photograph!)

Crowne Plaza Lays Fresh ‘Grass Carpets’ In Meeting Rooms To Promote Creativity

Hospitality Net (press release)
In a bid to inject some creativity into traditional and often mundane business meetings, Crowne Plaza is laying fresh green grass in conference rooms at a …

What do you think?  Would you rather sit in those uncomfortable meeting room chairs, or sit on a nice soft plot of grass while you brainstorm ways to outsmart your competition?  Of course, it might help to lose the business suits and don some comfortable casual wear.

Twilight Lexicon » Fan Art and Creativity

By Twilight_News
See below. You can see the entire gallery here. Now if all of this is sparking your creativity, Twilight Axiom has a weekly fanart contest. Check out the details on their site and see if you’d like to apply! …
Twilight Lexicon – http://www.twilightlexicon.com/

If you’re a fan of Twilight—or any other movie, TV show, or celebrity, don’t stalk’m, use your creativity to make “fan art.”  Hadn’t heard of this new art form before, but it really tickles my fancy.

Dreams Make You Smarter, More Creative, Studies Suggest
National Geographic
Dreaming may improve memory, boost creativity, and help you better plan for the future, new research suggests. In a recent study, people who took naps …

I love it:  Not only does napping make you more creative, but you have to sleep long enough to start dreaming. Goodbye power nap.  Hello snoozefest!

Creativity Is on the Decline — And Why It Matters

Wall Street Journal (blog)
By John J. Edwards III AP The Newsweek article, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, focuses on the results of creativity tests designed by E. Paul Torrance …

This one’s a little scary.  Turns out U. S. children’s creativity scores have been tanking since 1990. What do we need to do to reverse that trend?

Is Inspiration Killing Creativity? | Chase Jarvis Blog
By Chase
Is your steady diet of the creativity of others inspiring you or is it actually an excuse to avoid creating your own?

Ending on a thoughtful note, this blog asks a provocative question:  Are we spending too much time looking at the creative work of others, and not enough time making something ourselves?

So what have I missed this week?  What interesting creativity news or factoids have you learned this week?  Please share them with us!