someone else's article on inspiration

"They're called sparks of genius and flashes of inspiration, but your creative ideas don't actually come out of the blue -- they're rooted in science. Because of this, you can create a system and life that allows yourself to have better ideas more often.

Everything you've read, tasted, viewed, experienced and learned over the years is stored in your brain as unrelated connections. A section of your brain called the superior anterior temporal gyrus (right side, just behind your ear) helps connect the dots and puts them together into a cohesive idea.

However, if you're stressed all the time or have created a crazy busy schedule with little to no margin your brain has a harder time looking for those dots because it is so focused on what you have going on. When your body can relax, your creativity can shine as your creativity is really your brain connecting the dots and presenting solutions.

This is why many people get their best ideas in the shower. They are completely disconnected -- no phones, no email, no computers -- which allows the brain to get to work.

If you want better ideas in 2013, set a resolution to regularly do something out of your norm. Read better books and read them more often. Go to museums. Go to the zoo. Watch well-made films. Watch films that make you laugh. Go for a walk. Go for a swim. Go kayaking. Go skiing. Learn to cook. Make an A-Z list of countries and work your way through it trying restaurants specializing in the respective culture's cuisine. Take up knitting.

You don't have to this alone (though you certainly can). Make it a date with your partner, kids, friends. The trick is to get out of your usual routine and allow yourself to have fun and relax.

The well-intentioned but misinformed "I can sleep when I'm dead" or "Vacation days are for lazy people" mantras will put you behind in the long run. Take a break and you'll find that you become more creative, more often."

{source: Think Splendid.com}