Creativity doesn't just happen - you make it happen. Changing daily routines is one way to access creativity.

To tap into that natural creative spirit, recapture your childlike enthusiasm for everything around you. Work with the reckless delight of a child.

Get in touch with yourself. The fountain of creativity begins with the stream of conscious thought flowing inside you. Open the floodgate and creative ideas come rushing out.

Smash creative blocks. Change the problem or sneak up on it from a different direction. Try something fresh - a new way with an old theme, a different point of view, unusual tool.

Gather knowledge... Visit galleries, museums, art and craft fairs... Read books and magazines. Take workshops. Use your senses. Experience stimulates your memory and imagination.

Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work by exercising to stimulate circulation; others meditate to quiet the chatter of the outer world.

Listening to music as preparation or background for your work brings you into a creative mood... choose one type of music to calm down, another to reach a higher energy level, depending on the artwork you are doing.