Since my friend Gini Dietrich says I need to work on blogging more often, I thought I’d fire off a hopefully not-just-filler quicky. How do you create?

Creativity is tough, it’s in that side of the brain so many of us struggle to access. Since I work in PR and graphic design, I follow many talented writers and designers who share great work. It’s cool, inspiring and impressive.

What’s much harder to share is the creative spark. So here are a few of my tips and tricks, along with a few questions to get you thinking, writing and creating.

Idea box. “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources,” - Albert Einstein.

• I save cool brochures, even if I just like the paper stock. Ads, postcards, annual reports, newsletters, anything printed that strikes my fancy gets saved for a reference.
• The web is chock full of great design and information, so I have many folders in Safari and Firefox that hold tons of bookmarks. I saw this list of 99 Social Media and PR blogs this morning, saving it for later.
• Same goes for good writing; check out the latest from your favorite wine blogger or TV recapper. If you like sports, Rick Reilly is always worth a read.

Take a break.

• Stop obsessing, walk away and clear your mind. That’s what Facebook is for and yes, Farkle is of the Devil. (See also: YouTube, Hulu and most of the Interwebs.)
• For a good laugh, check out The Oatmeal. Matthew Inman knows the creative design process, painfully well.
• Get out of the office, go to lunch, the gym; enjoy your favorite caffeinated or adult beverage and for the love of your sanity, step away from the iMac.

Do you have a life? Use it.

• Like movies? So do I and after watching The Blind Side I was able to find a way to turn it back into a blog post. Maybe it’s a TV show or your kids soccer match, but there is a way to dovetail interests.
• Think of your hobbies. Are there callbacks to public relations or social media? Maybe you had great (or terrible) customer service from the hair stylist or your favorite Mexican restaurant. The starting gun out of writer’s block may be closer than you think.

Different directions, new tactics.

• Come at it a different way. A brochure from the idea box leads to five different things you never would have tried; maybe you do the whole thing as if it were shrimp, try the craziest thing you can. It’s a start.
• Tried crowdsourcing? We’re on LinkedIn and Twitter for a reason: to connect and share ideas. That shiny, new tool, tip, or app could be just the thing that leads you to the right idea.

What do you do to get creative? (Besides healthy doses of wine, cranked up iTunes and your boogie shoes!) Please leave your creative tips and tricks here.

Tags: Advertising, Creativity, Graphic Design, Marketing, PR, Public Relations, Social media