Taking care of ourselves, doing all we can to maintain our creative environments and abilities, is often the key to greater creativity. This means enabling you to increase creativity in terms of quality as well quantity.

Much like an old run-down house with poor central heating, rattling windows and a leaky roof, if you don't take care of yourself creatively - and look after your Creative Home - then slowly and steadily your creative energy will be wasted and you'll be frustrated and struggling to produce the kind of work you want to.

So here are five of the potential danger areas where your creative energy may be trickling, or gushing, away from your Creative Home, and how to combat them:

1. Too many windows open!

Problem- Having too many windows open - literally if you're working on a computer - can mean a dilution of your creative energy and focus. By spreading yourself out too much and not concentrating on one or two projects, you run the risk of being overwhelmed by how much there seems to be for you to get on with. Essentially, you'll experience the paralysis of the "blank canvas effect” multiplied many times over.

Solution- Narrow your focus. Pick a maximum of three projects to work on at any time, put any others you have away somewhere in a file or a different room, somewhere not visible to you where you normally work. Then pick the ONE creative project that means most to you right now, and set yourself some goals in what you wish to achieve and a set time period. Start small and build as you gain momentum.

For example if you're writing a novel, you might set yourself the goal of writing the opening two chapters within the next month. Or you may wish to break it down further and set the goal of writing a page a day for the next 5 days. You know yourself how you work best so tailor your goals to suit you.

2. Not enough radiators!

Problem- People we mix with can be radiators - they radiate positive energy and support you - or they can be drains - they literally drain your positive energy with their negativity and criticism. Think about the five people you spend most time with. How many of them are radiators, who give out support and nurture your creativity, and how many are drains, who relentlessly draw your creative energy from you?

Solution- Eliminate the drains, invest in more radiators. Once you've identified how supportive or otherwise the people around you are, you can take action. If you found that you even have one or two who are draining your energy, replace them with radiators. Sometimes simply explaining calmly and confidently to someone that you appreciate their (negative) comments but are quite happy with the direction your heading in, can stop their negativity.

If it doesn't, cut out, or at least reduce, the time you spend with them. Also, seek out additional people who will be supportive and positive and who you can support too. Join or start a group in your area or on the internet for people who are similarly want to increase creativity and share your aspirations and ideas.

3. Depressing or uninspiring décor!

Problem- The area you do most of your creative work in is uninspiring or worse is just plain depressing. The room is cold or draughty, your chair's uncomfortable, and the wallpaper you've had for the last 12 years is peeling away at the edges…

Solution- Have an interior makeover. Surround yourself and your creative work area with décor that will energise and inspire. For you this may mean calm neutral colours with a few well placed pictures or quotes around you, or it might mean a glorious riot of colours, images and textures.

Again, you know what works best for you, try different things and notice how you respond in terms of how you increase creativity. Taking a few hours to make your creative study or workspace more inspiring and motivating will repay you many times over in greater creativity.

4. Poor security!

Problem- You have a poor "defence system” in place so when someone does make a disparaging or negative comment about your work, you take it badly and instantly doubt yourself and your creativity. You begin to wonder why you're bothering with this creative project at all and whether you've got what it takes to be creative and produce significant and interesting work.

Solution- Toughen up your defence system. This begins with developing an awareness of when negativity creeps in, from others around you, as well as from yourself. In addition to becoming more aware and stopping negative thought cycles before they escalate, it makes sense to built in some preventative measures to strengthen yourself too.

One of the most effect and widely used ways of building confidence and self-belief is to use affirmations. These are simple statements that you repeat to yourself many times over until they becoming imprinted in your thoughts and replace and repel negative beliefs.

For example - "I am a highly creative.”, "My creative projects are stimulating and worthwhile.”, "I am developing each day as a creative artist.”. Use these and add more of your own. Remember though with affirmations the key is to use them as often as possible, many times a day at least.

5. Weak foundations or subsidence!

Problem- The very foundations of your Creative Home are in need of some serious attention. Anything you attempt to build (create) is undermined by a poor underlying structure. You stop and start creative projects erratically and never really get going with anything.

Solution- Put solid foundations into place. There is still amongst many creative people a belief that creativity comes in short hot bursts and then disappears again, that they're at the beck and call of some mysterious and elusive muse.

In reality, the only way to produce consistently satisfying work is to develop regular creative routines and habits. By doing a little each day, over time we can all achieve amazing works creatively, rather than spending days or even months on end simply waiting for the inspiration to strike us again.

As well as setting aside time to create a little each day, even if only for 15 minutes each morning, go out and actively seek new ideas and inspiration from the world around you. And this inspiration can of course take many forms. If you're a painter it doesn't mean you can only be motivated to create by seeing other paintings. Seek out all kinds of art and creative endeavours and build the strongest foundations possible for your Creative Home.

© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin.