I’m not the creative type. Have you uttered these words? Guess what, we are all the creative type and need to let that little light shine. Maybe you don’t wish to spend several hours of your day in creation mode. That’s okay. A little dab may do ya. Here’s why being creative leads to a happier, more meaningful existence.

You know when a new book by one of your favorite author’s is about to come out and it feels like Christmas is approaching? That is how I felt about the upcoming arrival of Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book, “Big Magic.” Well, me and anyone else who loves to write.

This book was going to tell us all about moving through writer’s block and willing up some inspiration. Right? “Big Magic,” which hit the stands last month, is actually more a handbook on living a fulfilled existence. For all of us.

We know that Gilbert can get philosophical. “Eat, Pray, Love” was a pretty deep journey of self discovery, no? So it should come as no surprise that she views inspiration, idea generation, and being creative on a rather cosmic level.

Those who steer clear of anything leaning toward woo-woo may be turned off by the thought of ideas as energy beings. In “Big Magic,” Gilbert shares her take on ideas as having a will of their own and desire to be made manifest in the world. And that if your idea is not brought to fruition in a reasonably timely manner, it will leave you and go to someone else who will make it happen.

Are you having a moment? Or maybe you are ready to quit reading now. Consider this…

All of those times you’ve seen a product or idea working in the world and said to yourself ‘That was my idea!’ you were probably right. It was your idea. Until you didn’t do it and the poor little idea was left no choice but to take up residency somewhere it would receive more attention and better care. You not only missed the opportunity to possibly see success with your idea, you missed out on the creation part.

So what is so important about being creative? Gilbert calls it courage. Taking the leap to do something you really want to do, big or small, is more interesting, fulfilling, and creates more meaning in life than letting fear get the best of you.

Who says we are living in fear? Back to those ideas that didn’t see the light of day. All of the notions let go of and desires tossed aside. What else was holding you back other than fear? As Gilbert maintains, fear and creativity go hand in hand.

You don’t have to create the next big best seller or become a famous artist or anything else so public or celeb status-y. It can be as simple as learning to bird watch or rock collect, taking a karate or piano class, whatever it is that trips your trigger or fires up your curiosity.

Taking these little leaps in life leads to learning, meeting new people, connecting with those you already know in a new way, and offering something up to the world.

The next time one of those ideas makes its way onto your radar, give in and see where it takes you. Take the leap and feel the magic.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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Image of woman taking picture in field of flowers via Shutterstock.com

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Column Ever thought about illustrating food instead of photographing it? Here are a few essential tips from illustrator Jessie Kanelos Weiner. 

In a world where we are regularly inundated with food porn, I find food illustrations refreshing. Particularly when it comes to recipes, food illustrations allow a way of guiding the reader as to what the food should look like, but without any judgment attached to the end product. Follow a recipe in a cookbook with a photograph, and you might be disappointed by the end result, which is normal, given that you didn’t spend 18 hours styling and shooting it. Follow a recipe with an illustration on the other hand, and the comparison of your culinary creation and the image is easier to digest.

While I am no food illustrator, I do love sketching food, and it’s something I would like to be better at, so I figured there was no better way of doing just that than by talking to a professional. My friend Jessie Kanelos Weiner is a talented illustrator and stylist, and while she doesn’t just work with food, her food illustration portfolio list is long. Her new book “Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables“ is out next February.

I caught up with her to learn her essential tips for people who want to get into food illustration, not only for some useful insight, but more importantly, for some inspiration.

Invest in the best materials within your means. 

“It is the same « you are what you eat » mentality . Good work isn’t a reflection of expensive supplies, but it can take the quality to the next level.  I use a set of 30 or so Windsor & Newton pot watercolors.  I replenish only once or twice a year so it isn’t a huge hit on the wallet.  However, good quality watercolor paper adds up.  I stock up on 100-page blocks of Canson Montval 300 g/m2 watercolor paper which clears up my mind from ever worrying about running out.”

Think about what makes food appetizing to the eye and try to recreate the same qualities.

“Color, reflection, contrast, depth and texture are all qualities that go into the creation of a successful dish.  And they are all vital to recreating it 2–dimensionally, too.”

Learn the basics of Photoshop. 

“Because a huge component of creating and sharing work now is digital, learn the basics in Photoshop to clean up images before posting them to the internet.”

Look look look draw. 

“A few years ago, in a grueling interview for an MFA program at NYU (which unfortunately didn’t come to be), the distinguished professor interviewing my portfolio told me  « you don’t look enough when you draw. You draw what you think something is, but you don’t back it up with enough  firsthand information ».  She was right. Really look at the subjet at hand.  How do the elements interact ?  Study the positive and negative spaces.  What are the darkest and lightest areas ? Drawing what you « think » an eggplant looks like is mental block when you can actually look at it firsthand.”

Start a blog, an Instagram or a Tumblr. 

“I started a food blog about my life in France in 2011.  Knowing my embarrassing photographic abilities, I added illustrations instead.  It gave me the confidence and the platform to start considering pursuing illustration professionally.  When I finally did, I had a body of work and plenty of feedback from readers to give me a boost of confidence to do so.”

Find inspiration. 

“I love Instagram for following illustrators’ processes, techniques and new projects.  For example, I was recently inspired by Clym Everden (@clymdraws) who has started creating short illustrated GIFS, inspiring me to think about simple animation.  Now I just have to figure out how to do it.”

You can follow Jessie on Instagram for more illustration inspiration.

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This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Illustrations: Jessie Kanelos Weiner

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Incorporate more creative practices into your everyday and you’ll end up with more creative ideas. 

For some, the idea of taking more time to be creative can be daunting. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to have 8 hours every day to devote to creating a masterpiece to bring more creativity into your life. Creative ideas don’t just come to you, they take cultivation, which is why it’s important to make time for artistic and creative practices in your everyday.

Here are 7 things you can do to ensure that you’re doing all you can to get the creative juices flowing.

1. Sketch

Plan time, 5 or 10 minutes, for a daily sketch. Capture what’s happening around you. Put pen (or pencil) to paper and let your mind and hand work simultaneously. Planning small amounts of drawing or sketching every day is good for anyone, whether or not you’re an artist.

2. Use a creative prompt

Whether you’re writing, drawing, sculpting or thinking, sometimes you need to kickstart the creative flow. A creative prompt can be good for that and breaking through a moment when you feel blocked.

3. Write a haiku

5-7-5, go.

4. Do something new

This one may sound simple, but it’s all a part of having new experiences, something that is essential to being more creative. Take a new route to work for example. A new route to work forces your brain to think a little more than usual as it’s out of its usual routine. It may lead you to see something different. Because insight can come from any experience, so you want to make sure you have a lot of them.

5. Write a six word story

Inspired by Hemingway, six word stories force you to think creatively, yet succinctly, and it’s an easy enough task to do in a matter of minutes if you need to get the wheels turning for other creative ideas.

6. Allow yourself to be messy

A study published in Psychological Science found that while a clean working space is good for some things, a messy working space may actually help promote creativity. Being in a clean room made people tend towards behaving in a way that was expected of them. In a messy room, they had an easier time breaking out of the box. So, if you want more creative ideas then allow for a little mess on your desk.

7. Get outside

In need of a creative idea for work or for a project? Go on a walk. A new study by researchers at Stanford linked walking with creativity, much needed scientific evidence that backs up what many creatives have known for a long time: if you need to come up with a new idea, get outside and get some exercise.

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Image: mark sebastian

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Creativity isn’t something that just happens – it needs fostering. In fact, everyone has a well of creativity, it’s just about doing the things that help that creative side really develop.

Even the most creative people will tell you that they have moments when they freeze up, and when they do they work hard at pushing through and getting their creativity back.

Wanting to foster more creativity in your own life? Try these 11 ideas for getting your creative side going.

1. Put. Down. The. Phone.

Want to be more creative? Start taking in your surroundings. That of course means putting down your phone. Waiting for the bus? Don’t text, look around you instead. See who’s standing next to you. Think about what color they’re wearing. Look at the trees. Do they have leaves? What shape are they? Being open to the world around you will bring plenty of inspiration.

2. Get off your computer.

Nothing kills creativity like sitting in front of a computer, so if you’re feeling like you’re drained in terms of creativity, step away from the screen. If you need to write or draw, pick up a real pen and paper.

3. Pick a specific moment in your life and write about it.

It doesn’t need to turn into a specific story or essay – just let yourself write the thoughts and memories that come to mind. You want to make your brain work. The other benefit? This practice can actually make you feel happier with your life.

4. Play.

This goes back to #1 and #2, but it also relates to work in general: if you don’t allow yourself time off from working, you don’t give your time to wander. So play.

5. Set aside a specific time every day to write.

Set aside 30 minutes that are solely devoted to free-writing. Julia Cameron in “The Artist’s Way” calls these “morning pages.” They’re not really writing, they’re simply a way to document everything that comes across your mind.

6. Do something just for you.

If you work in a creative industry, there often becomes a certain pressure to only produce when it’s for work. But in order to stay creative, you have to encourage yourself to produce even when it’s not for anyone but yourself. Draw a picture. Paint a landscape. Write a story. And keep it just for yourself.

7. Get active.

Some studies show that exercise helps boost creativity. What better reason do you need to go out for a run or a bike ride?

8. Get rid of distractions.

If you’re wanting to create a space that’s conducive to creativity, make sure it’s one where you’re not bothered. That means phone calls, emails, even visitors. You want to devote time and energy to your creative space, physically and mentally, and that means focusing on what you’re doing 100 percent.

9. Embrace your morning time.

That time before the entire day starts rolling? The golden hour. Don’t check your email right away. Don’t start reading the news. Use that time wisely. Write. Read. Dance. Think.

10. Use your hands.

We so rarely use our hands to do things anymore, and actively using your hands to do something engages your brain in a very different way than our usual tasks. Dig in the garden. Build something. Bake something.

11. Find an accountability partner.

Need to make sure you’re making time to be creative? Have a friend to do it with. Nothing makes us do something like being held accountable. So find someone else that needs to devote a few more hours a week to creative time and make sure you both do it. Better yet: set aside that time to do something creative together.

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The post 11 Tips to Kickstart Your Creativity appeared first on EcoSalon.

37 inspirational quotes on creativity to feel your soul.

1. We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down. -Kurt Vonnegut

2. You don’t have to be “a creative” to be creative. –Drory Ben-Menachem

3. Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found. -James Russell Lowell

4. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better. -John Updike

5. Creativity always dies a quick death in rooms that house conference tables. -Bruce Hershensohm

6. The deepest experience of the creator is feminine, for it is experience of receiving and bearing. -Rainer Maria Rilke

7. Creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. -Albert Einstein 

8. Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. -Jonh Steinbeck

9. True creativity often starts where language ends. -Arthur Koestler 

10. The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.  -Carl Jung

11. The chief enemy of creativity is good sense. -Pablo Picasso

12. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it. –Dee Hock

13. Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, the just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. -Steve Jobs

14. Dance first, think later. -Samuel Beckett

15. Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. -Scott Adams

16. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. -Marianne Williamson

17. Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard. -Anne Sexton

18. Nothing is impossible. The world itself says “I’m Possible”! -Audrey Hepburn

19. Minimalism is not a lack of something. It’s simply the perfect amount of something. -Nicholas Burroughs

20. Creativity is intelligence having fun. -Albert Einstein

21. If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing. -Marc Chagall

22. The creative person wants to be a know-it-all. He wants to know about all kinds of things-ancient history, nineteenth century mathematics, current manufacturing techniques, hog futures. Because he never knows when these ideas might come together to form a new idea. It may happen six minutes later, or six months, or six years. But he has faith that it will happen. -Carl Ally

23. That’s the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you. -Ray Bradbury

24. Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything. -George Lois

25. Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it. -Salvador Dali

26. If you hear a voice within you say, ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. -Vincent van Gogh

27. A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. –Ayn Rand

28. There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns. -Edward de Bono

29. You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club. -Jack London

30. Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected. -William Plomer

31. To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it. -Osho

32. I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones. -John Cage

33. To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. -Joseph Chilton Pierce

34. You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. -Maya Angelou

35. A truly creative person rids him or herself of all self-imposed limitations. –Gerald G. Jampolsky

36. When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, our work takes on the quality of play and it is play that stimulates creativity. -Linda Naiman

37. Find something only you can say. -James Dickey

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Image: Parker Mojo Flying

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VideoThe energy of dance.

A beautiful and creative artistic journey by way of dance.

EMBRACE from Ashley Rae Pearsall on Vimeo.

The post Video: Embrace appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tired of whiny status updates and thinly veiled bragging? Forget Facebook – do these 20 things instead.

Be honest: How many times do you check Facebook throughout the day? Whenever you’re bored, you log in, scrolling through the news feed to see your friend complaining about work for the thousandth time this week, your cousin bragging about her glorious Caribbean vacation and a high school classmate’s cheerful, disgustingly detailed potty training updates. You leave an inane comment on a photo, roll your eyes at your uncle’s misguided Tea Party political posts and log out feeling irritable and annoyed. Why do we do this to ourselves? Facebook can be great for keeping up with friends and family, but there are so many ways that we could use that time that would actually be beneficial to our well-being.

Think Facebook isn’t a big time-sink in your life? Try adding it up. The average U.S. Facebook user logged a rather horrifying seven hours and 46 minutes per month as of August 2011, and that figure has probably risen since then. Imagine if you spent all of that time on something that makes you feel genuinely happy, grounded and relaxed. Here are 20 suggestions, from letter-writing to exploring your neighborhood.

Read a Book

Preferably something that doesn’t involve politics or potty training. There are few things better than getting lost in a good book, and the drama in the storyline will be infinitely more satisfying than the drama of your Facebook friends.

Write a Letter

The internet and ever-increasing postage rates have made letter-writing a lost art. Even those of us who consider ourselves writers are relying far too much on the computer, when writing a personal note in our own hand and sending it by mail would feel so much more authentic.

Take a Walk

Perhaps the fetid air and dim fluorescent lighting of your office have dulled your senses, or you’ve been sitting in front of that computer so long you’ve forgotten, but there’s a whole world out there, and it’s awfully beautiful. Stretch your legs and get some sunlight on your skin and you’ll return feeling energetic and inspired.

Talk to a Stranger

On Facebook we tend to be stuck in our limited social circles, and it’s true that it’s really not a great idea to “friend” any random stranger that sends you a request. But in the real world, there are dozens of opportunities every day for you to meet someone new and interesting. Compliment someone on their outfit, laugh about the long line at the coffee shop or stop that woman who smiles at you every morning when you cross each other on the street.

Cook a Good Meal

“But I don’t have time to cook anything other than microwave soup,” you protest, as you sit down in front of your laptop with that nasty mug of MSG mess. Liar. Not every meal takes a lot of time to prepare. You can whip yourself up a simple meal made of whole, fresh ingredients in the amount of time that you’d normally be staring listlessly at your computer screen.

Pet An Animal

There’s a reason why animals are often used for therapeutic purposes. Just petting an animal can lower your blood pressure and make you feel less stressed. Call your cat over for a cuddle, spend a few minutes playing with your dog or make a visit to the animal shelter just to brighten a homeless pet’s day.

Call Someone You Love

Oh, look at that, your cousin Sarah just announced her pregnancy on Facebook. Instead of just “liking” her post, why not give her a call? Sure, Facebook makes it easy and convenient to keep up with everyone, and can actually save time and foster more interaction with your friends and family. But it’s not a total replacement for phone calls and face time (whether we’re talking in person or FaceTime, copyright Apple Inc.)

Read Something Smart

The internet is chock full of gossip sites, bad news and trolls who would just love to ruin your day. But there are plenty of blogs and websites that offer inspiring, intelligent and thought-provoking articles. Take fifteen minutes to read something that will make you say “wow” in a good way. A few notable ideas include The Atlantic, This is Colossal, GOOD, and, of course, EcoSalon. (You knew that was coming, right?)

Make Yourself Laugh

Then again, if reading celebrity gossip makes you smile, go for it. Indulge in some low-brow humor. Laugh at other people’s horrifying AutoCorrects, snarky takes on bad fashion or semi-literate cat photo captions. And if you end up at The Onion, Funny or Die or Cracked, make sure your boss isn’t around, because you aren’t going to be able to control yourself.

Write Down Your Thoughts

When’s the last time you took a moment to write in a journal, or even just scrawl a few thoughts on a paper napkin? It doesn’t have to be something that you dedicate yourself to every day; just writing out what’s on your mind can sometimes provide clarity and perspective that can help you solve problems and move forward.

Catch Some Culture

We’re all more interesting and well-rounded when we’re exposed to arts and culture on a regular basis. Get out and see a play, go to an art opening, join a book club, enjoy an improv group or sample your region’s local specialties. Isn’t that more fun than staring at a computer screen?

Do Yoga

Even if you’re at work. Just a few minutes a day can make you feel more limber and relaxed. Yoga Journal has six stretches you can do at your desk, and none of them are the sort of thing that will have your co-workers raising their eyebrows. If you’re at home, get yourself a beginner’s yoga DVD and give yourself some quiet time to focus on your own well-being.

Organize Your Desk

If you instinctively avoid the right side of your top desk drawer because you know you left an orange in there about six months ago and never retrieved it, it’s about time to tackle that. It’ll make you feel so much better. Even if you’re not quite at the five-year-old candy bar and moldy fruit level, simply organizing your papers and making everything look nice and tidy can be a relief.

Take a Class

If you’re like the average person and really spend eight hours a month on Facebook, you could easily take that time to learn something new for two hours a week. Check out the continuing education courses at your local community college or other learning opportunities in your area. You could be learning how to knit, play an instrument, salsa dance or write poetry.

Volunteer

That same eight hours would be a huge boon to any number of organizations in your community that are hurting for help. Wildlife rehabilitation centers, animal shelters, litter clean-up groups, homeless shelters and activists for causes of all kinds would love to have you dedicate four hours of your time, every other week.

Have a Picnic

Even if you aren’t going any farther than the little park down the street, getting out for a picnic feels like a mini vacation. Make yourself something fun, like a bento box or a romantic meal for one. Hey. You deserve it.

Catch Up on Email

Chances are, your inbox is practically overflowing with unread or unanswered messages, whether they’re from friends and family members, or just junk. Take a few minutes to go through it and respond to those that deserve attention, drop all of those newsletters you want to save into a separate folder and unsubscribe from the unwanted junk mail. You’ll feel less stressed within minutes.

Do Something Creative

Don’t say you aren’t the creative type – you have it in you, whether you let yourself believe it or not. Even if you’re just doodling, scrapbooking or adding some pretty garnishes to a meal, it’s good for the brain and the soul.

Explore Your Neighborhood

You drive through it every day, and you think you know it, but unless you’ve taken a nice, slow walk through it with your eyes wide open, you haven’t really discovered it yet. There could be a nature trail you don’t know about, a perfect bench for reading or some berry bushes just begging to be harvested (and urban foraging is fun!)

Meditate

Put on some noise-canceling headphones, play relaxing, repetitive music, close your eyes and relax your body. Focus on your breath until the chatter in your mind fades away. If it helps, visualize a calming place, like a mountaintop, a secret garden or the sea. Once you learn to clear your mind, meditation can be your best defense against the irritations of everyday life.

Photos: photosteve101, jumpinjimmyjava, herrylawford, gamene

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Your hands are capable of creating more than just tweets and emails. Here are 7 ways to use them.

Shake hands with a craftsman, sculptor or chef and chances are you’ll feel something distinct in their grasp. Defined calluses, miniscule cuts, dexterous fingers, a firm yet gentle grip – these are all proud badges of individuals who spend a lot of time using their hands.

Regardless of whether you make a living sewing dresses or designing websites that sell them, few things are more satisfying than an honest day’s work. However, in our digitized world, the products of a lot of people’s “work” are increasingly intangible.

It’s not that a lot of labor and effort doesn’t go into digital endeavors; building a website can be just as frustrating as building a house. However, if you dig a ditch, you can stand in it to gauge its depth. If you catch a fish, you can weigh it before filleting it for dinner. Close your laptop after a day of Google searches and sending emails and what do you have? There is seemingly a different level of satisfaction, albeit a more exhausting one, when you come home from a day’s work and can hold, taste, see, or smell the proverbial fruits of your labor.

The technology that so many people rely on to do their jobs has undoubtedly made us more efficient and, for that reason, it’s likely not going anywhere. That means many people will never have jobs that require using their hands for much more than typing and clicking. But that doesn’t change the fact that human beings were designed to create more than just tweets and word documents.

There’s no shortage of lifestyle blogs and Pinterest or Tumblr accounts to showcase creativity online, many of which served as inspiration for the ideas below. However, following, posting and linking shouldn’t be our only creative outlets. Closing the screen, putting down the phone and making something can’t be re-blogged is good for us, even if we don’t do it for a living.

Here are seven things to make, mould, prepare, craft, and create with your hands.

• Printmaking– Printmaking is an age-old practice which dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. But thanks in part to the popularity of sites like Etsy, which displays thousands of quirky and creative prints to purchase, this ancient art form is having a bit of a renaissance. Eager first-timers can get started by seeing if a there is a community printmaking studio in their area that teaches the basics of monoprinting, intaglio, collography, or screenprinting methods. Printmaking can also be done easily at home with at simple materials such as cardboard, rolling pins, mesh, and sponges. We love this so-easy-a-kindergartner-could-do-it method.

• Herb Garden– Who wouldn’t love to have the time to maintain a bountiful and delicious vegetable garden? But in the real world, climates, apartment buildings, and work schedules don’t always allow for such endeavors. A herb garden, which can be maintained indoors or out, is a manageable alternative that can be started in an afternoon. All you need is a place that will get about five hours of daylight each day. We love this Mason jar version, just make sure you place it near a window with southern or western light exposure.

• Jewelry making– Remember those friendship bracelets you made hundreds of as a kid? Try making a grown-up version using one of these crafty techniques – we bet it will make you feel like you’re at summer camp again. You can also head to the hardware store for some industrial grade jewelry making supplies. Nuts, bolts, washers, and copper wire paired with more delicate materials like twine or ribbon can look seriously chic.

• Food Preservation– Food preservation, depending on the method, is not as daunting as it sounds. If you already buy seasonal and locally sourced goods from the farmer’s market, why not double up and preserve some for the colder part of the year. Making your own sun-dried tomatoes can actually be as easy as putting tomatoes in the hot sun or in the oven, and then sealing them in plastic bags or jars of olive oil. Another method that doesn’t require any special equipment is blanching and freezing vegetables, fruit or prepared sauces like pesto (made with basil from your fresh herb garden, of course) for later use. A little handiwork and preparation now can mean a more delicious diet all year round.

• Volunteering– Getting one’s hands dirty feels good, and doing it for the benefit of someone who needs a little help will feel even better. Habitat for Humanity, which works to provide a decent place for people all over the world to live, has a searchable database to help you find affiliate projects in your area. Or, if you feel like getting really local, offer to help a neighbor with home improvement projects or handiwork.

• Bread-making– We love bread. But honestly, who doesn’t? Real estate agents claim that a house is more likely to sell if there is fresh bread baking in the oven when prospective buyers arrive – it’s easy to understand why. With just three humble ingredients – water, yeast, and flour – it’s a wonder that more of us don’t make this age-old food staple more regularly. There are few recipes that are more tactile or rewarding to master. So don’t be intimidated and dig in with this recipe.

• Analog Photography– Photography has become a high-tech hobby, with Photoshop and megapixels now synonymous with the craft. But way before Instagram made vintage photos a matter of pressing a few buttons, photographers had to master the precise photo-developing process. To master the craft yourself, search your area for darkrooms (high schools and local colleges often have them) or photography studios that might offer classes. Taking away the instant gratification of digital photography will only require you to use your hands a bit more, but also restore the nearly forgotten magic of this analog craft.

Image: BradleyPJohnson

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A list of EcoSalon’s favorite quotes on thinking outside the box.

There has been opposition to every innovation in the history of man, with the possible exception of the sword. -Benjamin Dana

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. -Steve Jobs

I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones. -John Cage 

In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. Management cannot be expected to recognize a good idea unless it is presented to them by a good salesman. -David Ogilvy

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. -John Steinbeck

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. -George Bernard Shaw

Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time. -Bill Gates

All work and no play doesn’t just make Jill and Jack dull, it kills the potential of discovery, mastery, and openness to change and flexibility and it hinders innovation and invention. -Joline Godfrey

You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere. -Lee Iacocca

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. -Alan Kay

Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow. -William Pollard

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. -Wayne Gretzky

If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got. -Albert Einstein

Capital isn’t so important in business. Experience isn’t so important. You can get both these things. What is important is ideas. If you have ideas, you have the main asset you need, and there isn’t any limit to what you can do with your business and your life. -Harvey Firestone

The greater the contrast, the greater the potential. Great energy only comes from a correspondingly great tension of opposites. -Carl Jung

If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative. -Woody Allen

Never innovate to compete, innovate to change the rules of the game. -David O. Adeife

It’s easy to come up with new ideas; the hard part is letting go of what worked for you two years ago, but will soon be out of date. -Roger von Oech

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. -General George Patton

Stay hungry, stay foolish. -Whole Earth Catalog, via Steve Jobs

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. -Thomas Edison

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads. -Erica Jong

The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. -Dr. Linus Pauling

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. -Albert von Szent-Gyorgy

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. -George Bernard Shaw

Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions – if they only had taken the first step and then followed through. -Robert M. Hayes

Anyone can look for fashion in a boutique or history in a museum. The creative explorer looks for history in a hardware store and fashion in an airport. -Robert Wieder

The only thing all successful people have in common is that they’re successful, so don’t waste your time copying “the successful strategies” of others. -Seth Godin

Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats. -Howard Aiken

Some men look at things the way they are and ask why? I dream of things that are not and ask why not? -Robert Kennedy

Ideas won’t keep. Something must be done about them. -Alfred North Whitehead

Just as energy is the basis of life itself, and ideas the source of innovation, so is innovation the vital spark of all human change, improvement and progress. -Ted Levitt

If you can dream it, you can do it. -Walt Disney

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. -Michelangelo

The practice of R&D involves making mistakes, realizations, corrections, and more mistakes. Trial and error is a fundamental part of the process. Too many managers in corporate America learn to avoid invention and new thinking because they have been convinced that their careers depend upon not making mistakes. -Tom Huff

The innovation point is the pivotal moment when talented and motivated people seek the opportunity to act on their ideas and dreams. -W. Arthur Porter

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. -Steve Jobs

It’s not about breaking the rules. It is about abandoning the concept of rules altogether. -Paul Lemberg

Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration. -Thomas Edison

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world! -Joel Arthur Barker

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“Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.”  – Vincent van Gogh

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