How to spark your creativity by reading magazines.

I read in Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind--a fascinating book about creativity, happiness, imagination, and the future of work--that a good way to spark creative energy is to pick up magazines that I wouldn’t ordinarily read.

Because I was hoping to find a copy of Art on Paper magazine (see November 24), I wandered into a magazine shop near my gym, and discovered a magazine gold mine—racks lined the room from floor to ceiling, and more piles fanned out across the floor.

Usually I wouldn’t spend money on magazines for a lark, but I reminded myself of my July resolutions to “indulge in a modest splurge” and to “make purchases that will further my goals” (spurring creativity is definitely one of my goals).

So after I located Art on Paper, I walked myself to three different subject sections to pull out a magazine at random. After making sure that I hadn’t accidentally picked up a soft porn magazine—I didn’t know whether the store carried them or not, but I certainly didn’t want to come home with that—I headed for the cash register.

I ended up buying Paper Crafts Gourmet magazine (“easy ideas for food, cards & more!”), Fresh Outlook magazine (“the premier Christian magazine: spirit, body, life, home, business”), and Equus magazine (a special issue on “the Healthy Horse”).

Last night, I looked at each of them from cover to cover. What result?

I have to admit, it was a very interesting exercise. Definitely worth the $13 I spent.

Part of what was interesting was the glimpse provided into other people’s lives and concerns. I’d never thought about the challenges of bringing a horse to the horse hospital or about hoof care.

I loved looking at the homemade cards, invitations, and tags in the craft magazine, and I was also intrigued by the text of a sample invitation for the “Mocktail Party” – “Join us for dinner and mocktails with a Caribbean flair as we celebrate our 13th anniversary.” I understand, of course, that some people don’t drink alcohol. Is it the case that people in social sets where most people don’t drink—people who are observant Mormons, say—have “mocktails”? That was a new thought for me. I guess it shows how strong the tradition of drinking is, and how connected to the idea of celebration.

In Fresh Outlook magazine, a Bible quotation grabbed my attention. All day long, I’d been brooding about how annoyed I was about something someone had done. I really, really, really wanted to complain about it and criticize that person. I knew I shouldn’t. I knew I’d feel remorseful afterwards. Nevertheless, I was itching to pour out my irritation to some sympathetic friend. Then I came to a magazine page that had almost no text on it, so the words stood out in sharp relief: “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.” Proverbs 26:20.

Point taken.

So do I conclude that my magazine purchases sparked my creativity? Yes, I think so. I got some new and unexpected ideas into my brain. And it was a lot of fun—even reading about the life cycle of horse parasites was strangely absorbing.

Comments

[Suzy]

Oh, this is one of my favourite things: buying random magazines! I love your blog, and look forward to the book.

[Alison Chaiken]

Whenever we go on vacation, I always make it a point to buy a local newspaper in the town where we stay. It's fascinating to read what it's like to live in the apparently paradisical place: often the local graduates are leaving because there are no jobs, there's a heated controversy about street widening or sewage and there's always a new Eagle Scout. In order to get the full benefit of this exercise, it's necessary to buy the truly local paper, not the big slick daily from the nearest city.

On the other hand, because I've been bicycle commuting, I just bought an issue of _Bicycling_ magazine. Sadly the text is strongly oriented towards twenty-somethings who are insecure about their masculinity. There are no useful tips about cold-weather riding for us forty-something females.

[Helen]

The fascinating thing for me is the way advertisements change according to the magazine genre. As an example, if there is a fast food ad in one of my magazines then the focus is on freshness and salad options. The same fast food company will emphasize the mammoth portion size and juicy red meat in my husband's magazines.

[Helen]

I'm a new reader that is going through the archives right now...great stuff! I found the part about the mocktails interesting, especially since I would have thought that you noticed that while in India. I spent a month there a few years back and every restaurant menu that I opened had a list of mocktails. I think because neither Muslims or Hindus drink. Funny what people notice or don't...anyways, it's a great blog and I love reading through all of the old entries.