On a scale from 1 to 10, how important is creativity to you?
What gets your creative juices flowing:
56% OPT FOR THE HEALTHIEST OPTION—a walk in nature, while 22% prefer group conversation, and 17% choose meditation. Less than 1% choose a pack of cigarettes and some Tom Waits (though many readers choose Tom Waits without the cigarettes).
STANDOUT ANSWERS:
- Housecleaning
- Sex
- COFFEE
- A little of the finest Herb and good old rock ‘n’ roll
- A hot shower
Clean desk or cluttered desk?
47% CHOOSE A CLEAN DESK. “I can’t do creative work when I know something needs to be tidied.” That’s a lot of organized people. A few of us at Mindful HQ could use your help!
What’s your #1 creative outlet?
43% OF OUR READERS LIKE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH WRITING. Runners-up: Music (18%) and Photography (16%).
STANDOUT ANSWERS:
- Performing a puppet show for my grandkids
- Coding
- Soapmaking
- Storytelling
- Forms & spreadsheets— that or making stuff up to see what people will believe
- Guerrilla street art… largely knitting
- Ineffective processes
- Compiling research notes. Honest.
POPULAR ANSWERS:
• Gardening • Woodworking
• Cooking • Sewing
What time of day are you most creative?
Where are you most creative?
- 52% In nature
- 30% At work
- 11% In the shower
- 5% In the bedroom 😉
- 2% At school
- With horses
- Location doesn’t matter
Who’s your creative role model?
- My dog: always in the moment, curious about all things, wanting to connect.
- My Dad. He taught me how to think my way through projects. Died when I was 12. I am 75 now.
- I don’t like her…but Martha Stewart
What’s your proudest creative achievement?
“I transitioned from combat camera to landscape photographer. It took a long time but eventually the beauty of a stunning scene where I was the only human for miles became as much of an adrenaline rush as ducking bullets.”
- Making a fairy house out of bark, moss, pebbles, beach glass, and feathers
- Learning to play cello at age 50
- A marketing campaign for the Smurfs
- Creating a method to sip tequila
Do you need a predictable routine to be creative?
64% SAY “HECK NO! Creativity only works for me when it’s spontaneous.”
