Our creativity is half imagination and half inspiration. If we look closely, we can find similarities in small and large ways in many cultural works. The concepts, ideas, sentence devices, and all manner of descriptive choice of words find themselves repeated in every aspect of writing and beyond. These come from somewhere, and it's usually from one creative mind who saw something and changed it. Possibly to fit their needs or maybe for pure inventive value, new things in art and culture tend to be related in some form to a predecessor. The printing-press is the predecessor of blogs and the pen the predecessor of that. Notice all three are still much in use and always will be. Like with the written word, any art form and its derivatives has a function in society.


How do we begin to create in ways that we can be happy with? What kind of mindset do we need to be our best creative self and how do we nurture that? Here are ten tips to help.


Enjoy Selective Culture


What comes in goes out again so we want to make sure we take in what resembles our desired output. Culture that confuses us, worries us, or leaves us feeling unsure of ourselves is not the right input. If the input isn't to the right taste, we won't feel inspired or influenced in the right direction. We might end up with a piece that's a plain attack at the ethos of what we don't like. Is that really what we want to be remembered for? Listen to uplifting music, watch rich and enjoyable films, read books about things that give you good ideas.


It's Not A Race


We can imagine ourselves as the half-mad professor with a brilliant idea, squireling away our secrets and rushing to publish the data first. It's easily done. Rushing and competing with an existential threat in our imagination isn't helpful in any way. It might feel like it gives us an edge but it actually robs us of our calm and creative place and when we rush, we rob ourselves of valuable time to get it the way we really want it.


Be Kind To Your Past


So you know more now than you did, and you might be embarrassed about your rookie mistakes. Join the club. We know you didn't know, neither did we when we made ours. The point is you were hungry to learn and learn you did. You were on the right path and you did do the right thing, without a few mistakes we can't be sure we're on the right path. Imagine if you still thought they were good ideas? It's a rare privilege to have an education in communication, business, art, and all the other things you've learned.


Work To Please Yourself


If we focus on what we think other people will want then our ideas are suddenly limited. Of course we need to be aware of criticism and when something is clearly wrong we have to put it right, however most problems will be soft problems. Matters of taste, style, aesthetic, difficulty, and all kind of things that shouldn't define success. If you are happy with what you have made and you can show that it achieves what you set out to then it's a great place to make your next move from. Just keep climbing.


So It's Not Really Work, Is It?


It's work in the logical sense, effort put into a situation in order to get a result. This is not boring though or tiresome. When you wake up you don't dread the daily routine of your creativity. When we become professional at what we do, and start doing it every day, the biggest mistake we can make is to become our nightmare boss – to ourselves. By emulating what we think a boss would do, and we've probably had a nightmare boss, and by making our work life miserable even though we've strived to get a job we love, we lose.


Ignore The Guidelines And Nod To The Rules


Everyone thinks they know the best way to go about creativity. There are plenty of good ideas out there which can help us on our way. Once we can be aware of a few great pointers, we can go our own way. There will be things we must pay attention to, for example health and safety, and then there are things we can ignore. There are lots of ways that people have used to describe particular culture and sometimes they expect new work to fit in the predefined box. There is a market for this but when you're wanting to make creative and cultural progress we need to be able to blur the lines.


The Time Is Now – Today Now


Every day you wait is a day more until you finish. You want this don't you? The dream is a powerful illusion, so powerful that you can materialise it with your hands. It won't look like much at first but it doesn't look like anything to anyone until its been transferred from your imagination and into the real world.


Don't Be Greedy


You might be lucky enough to get offers of help from various sources. Take all the help you can get, but be prepared to follow suit. If you're featured in a journal then share it, subscribe to their mailing list if they have one, become an active member of the community you've been handed. The social contract is more than please and thank you. It's about reciprocation and common courtesy. When we are desperate to make our way and all we see is people who are more successful than us then it can be an easy trap to fall into where we just grab all the kudos we can and then sing king of the castle for a few minutes.


Attention Is Our Greatest Asset


We all have a limited time on Earth, and what we do with it defines how we are remembered and how those we influenced behave into the future. Our attention is in constant demand, unlimited tv channels and radio stations, blogs like this one and others, advertising, friends, family, pets, we have to choose to pay attention to our creativity as much as possible. Having said that, we mustn't allow our attention to be hoarded either. We have to maintain a regular lifestyle in which we spend time with family and friends, we must maintain relationships and experience the world. Finding a balance between all the things that are important to us will make us the most creative in the end.


Remember You Deserve Money Too


A lot of jealous people would love to see you scrimp and save while they sit in their well paid but less fulfilling jobs. They might try to convince you that you don't deserve money and that what you do is nothing like work. You can be the judge of that, and when your judgement is right this will show in your end results. What you create will be valuable and will receive worth. It might take a long time to make enough money to compare to a full-time job but you have a right to earn from your art and creativity just like the rest of us.

So you love what you've made, it's been a long time of dedicated learning and practice until now. What you've created is almost like a baby or a pet. You love it and will do anything to make sure it thrives in the wild. Here lies your first problem. You are attached to it, your work is no-doubt a brilliant example of your talents and skills. You love it, and are highly protective of it. You don't want to fool around with it any more, it's perfect.


Well, one thing for sure is that no matter how you feel about your work, customers and clients will not have the same feelings about it as you. Imagine it this way, they love their money because through their own work, they've made it. They put effort and work into getting that money. If they're going to give it to you in exchange for your product or service, there had better be a good reason to.


Now we are hopefully seeing the issue. There are plenty of times when we hide the downside about things and people we love. We ignore it and forgive them. Our relationship is worth more to us than its flaws. This isn't how customers see products, especially new ones. Even loyal customers who use the same brand every time can be pushed away with the wrong message. If your friend mocked you when you were desperate, you'd not want to be their friend any more, right? We need to be able to see the wrong message before it gets sent out. We need to beat the critics by being our own.


When we know what people are going to look at and think about, we can understand what it is that might need to be improved. This works for plans, products, agendas, and services. Anything that can be looked at from the outside and judged, and we all make judgements, will benefit from this problem solving approach. We can solve the problem by foreseeing the problem. Not everyone is the same and people look at things very differently, however with a series of thinking tools we can get an holistic understanding of what we look like to other people.


Begin with comparing your work to what is popular and successful now. If you want to fit in and be accepted into your marketplace then you have to be at least comparable to the other things your idea will be listed with. If the idea is to stand out, loud and proud, then it has to actually do it and not just look like a proverbial sore thumb. Your work has to at least try to compliment the data that the real world is giving you. Not your ideal world or the imaginary one you pretend you're in, but the actual world and its actual data.


So your idea at least looks like it should be taken seriously. That's good, so what's next? People buy and choose with an emotional sub-context. They might rationalise their choice with excuses and reasons but in reality they know if they want something before they study it. They just like the look of it, or the name of it. This is an emotional and intuition based situation where from the briefest of cues, we make a choice. Look for these cues, amplify them, make your work as psychologically attractive as you can.


Next we have to seriously consider the positive and negative outcomes of our products and services. Are we hurting anyone, are we sending out the wrong message into society? Will this potentially go wrong? We have to be able to address each factor with a serious and mature response. A car manufacturer is well aware of the number of people killed in car accidents. They also spend a lot of money on making their machines as safe as possible. There are laws that make them do this, and if you start work in the professional industries there will be laws about your work too. All these real life outcomes have to be considered.


Next is the easy one. We have to look at our product as if it's exactly what we've been looking for. It tickles us and attracts us, we really want it. What could possibly get in the way? Why would you not buy it? How would you convince the person who wants it to make the natural next step and pay? How could they say no? Sometimes there's an obvious thing that's preventing someone, something that's not up to scratch perhaps, or could cause other people to think badly of a person buying it. Determine these factors and work on them.


Next we have to take an interesting viewpoint. By addressing the item with our imagination, we can find out how it might connect to people's thoughts. If we try to find situations and stories where our idea feels at home or like a metaphor, these might give us insights into how others may perceive the idea to begin with. If we close down our rational and linear mind, can our idea nestle comfortable in a sweet place where all our images and notions compliment it? This requires an abstract line of thinking but is revealing in its own right.


Finally, we need to be able to look at our ideas from every perspective at once. This might need a team of friends or colleagues to accomplish. Try to assess the project with every critical eye at the same time, put it through its paces, allow one to lead to another and build a house of problem cards. How high does it go? You need to be able to have constructive answers and solutions to each level, no-matter how precarious. You can do it!


If you really want to get stuck in, check out The Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono

A lot of us have subscribed to Netflix over the past few months, and many had it already. If you're one of the people who have found it and loved it, there comes a point where you can't think of what t put on next. Fed up of the favourites you paid the money for, now it's time to find out what else there is. There's a lot, and in reality, it doesn't always make it clear or available. I'd like to see some randomisation in the feed, perhaps a column where they don't think about what I've watched before and throw some stuff at me for fun. You never know, eh?


Architecture and Design are things that we can go on and on with, the styles, the names, the buildings, the ethics, it gets complicated quickly. The best way to feed the mind with something is to relax and let someone else do the work. Welcome to the world of communication and media. Here are some great efforts that will get you pub quiz ready on all kinds of architecture based trivia and know-how. Thanks to the good people at Arch Daily, who put this list together, Alternative Fruit is able to bounce the ball around another corner.


Abstract: The Art of Design


Step inside the minds of the most innovative designers in a variety of disciplines and learn how design impacts every aspect of life.


The World's Most Extraordinary Homes


Architect Piers Taylor and actress Caroline Quentin travel around the world visiting homes that stand out. A great opportunity to learn about different residential architectural programs and design solutions.


Tiny House Nation


Host John Wisbarth and expert Zack Giffin tour the US helping families exchange large homes for much smaller - and totally personalized – spaces.


Grand Designs


Host Kivin McCloud presents people who take self-building houses to a new level, following every step of their ambitious plans from beginning to end.


Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things


People dedicated to rejecting the American ideal that things bring happiness are interviewed in this documentary showing the virtues of less is more.


Amazing Interiors


In this series we learn that architecture cannot be judged by its facade. Residents' imagination together with other professionals creates amazing interiors that provide new ways of living.

Secrets of Great British Castles


Join historian Dan Jones on a journey back in time to the zenith of Britain's most iconic structures and their infamous inhabitants.
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Stay Here


Designer Genevieve Gorder and a real estate expert show how to turn vacation rental properties into a great source of income.


Big Dreams Small Spaces


As urban agriculture is on the rise, here you watch Monty Don helping England's promising horticulturists plant and care for their gardens. Although many species are different, it is possible to find some valid tips for different climates.


The Great Interior Design Challenge


For those who like reality shows, amateur interior designers in this program transform rooms on a tight budget in no time.


Via Arch Daily
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We're all part of a team, whether its a family unit or an office space. When it comes to creativity, our networks are really important for getting the most out of your ideas. By sharing the load and putting trust in willing people, our ideas can grow on the back of many other ideas that compliment them. A network of connective shared responsibility gives rise to extremely strong foundations. How can we make the most out of our teams and networks though? It's not a matter of giving instructions, no-one made you the regent, we have to lead with equality, empathy, and care.


Don't Get In The Way


There's a big difference between leading and telling. When you tell a person you're taking their time and space, their focus is on you. You're in their way. Also, when we feel watched it can be quite disconcerting. When someone is watching our efforts over our shoulder we tend to feel caged in. Micromanaging everyone and their time will only result in problems with very little innovation. People in your network will stop wanting to put energy into your ideas and prefer to work on their own.


Get To Know People Properly


The people that come into your circle and show an interest in your direction and journey are not just tools for your progress. These people are your friends, colleagues, and competitors. It's important to realise that everyone is the most concerned with their own agenda. We have to understand and appreciate the desires, needs, and comforts of the people who are around us. Get to know them, bond with them, create proper working relationships. What about the competitors though? You might want to ask. You are not superhuman and cannot possibly serve the world all by yourself. If you understand what else is on offer it can help you make choices about providing something people will still want. Working together like proper adults always gets a better result.


Get Everyone On The Same Page


The communication has to be consistent, so that everyone in your circle knows exactly what you want from them and what they can expect from you. The general message has to be the same across the whole table, with personalised tools of understanding used only when in face to face interactions. We all have to be pointing in the same direction, like running a magnet across a piece of iron, we can get the atoms to all face the same way making it magnetic itself.


You're Not The Star You're A Planet


The star is the betterment and contentment of humanity, we orbit that star because we choose to. If you want to liken yourself to an astral body then the planets and moons make more sense. It's true that sociology talks about orbits and areas of influence like gravity and light, so the metaphor does work. We take our journey into creativity and innovation because our minds take to it like a monkey to a tree. We can't expect other people to orbit us unless we pay them, so be aware that it is the same goal that drives our networks to stick together, not you.


Communication Matters


Listen with your mind open and your internal dialogue silent when people are talking to you. Then think and respond without judgement. Make amends when necessary and point out mistakes when they're so far unseen. We all make them, my typo average is around 5 per 1000 words. If I forget to check, I pay the price. Make sure everyone feels safe to talk about mistakes, failures, changed minds, and opposing views. Everything has to feel safe to talk about.




Your Team Is An Individual


We get to know people personally quite naturally but our team is an organism on its own. It has its own strengths and weaknesses, it has its limitations. Our team will have a distinctive personality that it quite separate to those of the people in it. People find cosy niches of being when on their own but when working for something they can completely change, finding it more comfortable to behave differently when in a professional or high-input setting. We have to be able to recognise our team as a working body that behaves in its own way.


Work Harder Than You'd Ask Others To


It's your big idea, your direction, and your progress that you are most concerned about. This means that you have to do the work. The people around you can prop you up, lend a hand, tie things together with their own project thus lifting both, maybe even volunteer for you, but it's you that has to do the lion's work. If you are serious about getting other people as equally enthusiastic and passionate as you about your idea, you have to pay them.

So many artists do their thing in silent hope that they'll be noticed and given a job of their dreams. They post to social media, they give everything great titles, and then they wait. Waiting for who exactly, they're not sure. Someone to see what they have and who can turn it into a magical life. Perhaps they visualise this future, imagine what it's like, and even though they're not there yet, they do as much of what the now will permit.


The fairy-tale is over. It's this for the rest of your life. You could try submitting your work to an agency, perhaps find someone who sees profit in you and allow them to make it. Or you could see the profit in you for yourself and become your own manager, your own agent, your own super-fan. If you can learn to represent yourself not only in your own little space but in the global metaphorical high-street then why pay someone to do it for you?


So what do you need to do in order to be a 'good manager'? You already have discipline, that's established. You have a hunger to learn, or you'd not be here reading this post. So what's missing? Let's look at some points.


Stop being competitive and selfish


Everyone on Earth just wants to have a nice day. Granted, for some that means the opposite of what is deemed suitable but let's go with the good today. We all just want to get along, do our work, and have a nice day. We don't want confrontation or threats, we don't want anything bad to happen to us. We see huge companies and political parties publishing damning headlines about each other, however this doesn't correlate to small business and creative entrepreneurs. People are behind the independent media and arts and they have feelings too.


If you can pay for a service that you need, then do that. You've not 'lost' because you paid them and no-one paid you, it's not a game of tennis. No-one is keeping count, think about why you sell less products or services, why are you not making the sale? Maybe you've not paid for the right service, the right training, the right advertising space.


Say What You Mean And Do What You Say


People will take you seriously. They will listen to your words and sense your emotions then make a judgement. So always remain calm and speak after thinking things through. If you find that you say the wrong thing or you have sound-bytes of intolerance running through your head then you need to be able to iron these out. If not, you risk upsetting, offending, and making people angry. Your sense of humour too is something that people can either love or hate. If you upset people or offend people or make people think you're never serious, they won't see you as an authority they can trust.


Keep your word, if you say you're a nice person then act like one. If you say you're liberal then act like one. If you are conservative, then don't pretend to be liberal! It's really important for people to be able to make accurate guesses and judgements about us based on our image, If their heuristic thinking methods don't work with you then they will not want to work with you at all.


Individual People Still Matter


So you represent something bigger than you, perhaps you created it. Maybe you are solely responsible for the bettering of humanity. You're still just a person with flesh and strains. Each person you encounter, no matter how meek or massive, they are the same size as you. Once this can be ingrained in your ability to appropriately respond, you will get much further with your agenda when dealing with these people. They are all potential customers, potential friends, and potential colleagues.


Create The Best Experience Of You And Your Work


You're a great artist, whether it's music, painting, drawing, writing, performance, or anything else, your skills need the best presentation. When people interact with your work, they need to feel overpowered by quality. Find out how to do every job for yourself or pay people what you can afford to have them do it for you. We're not all polymaths but we're generally all really good at one or two things. Once your product or service experience is amazing, people will want to pay for it all the more.


Be Brave Not Insane


If you're like me then it takes real courage to talk to people. Put a friendly request in the agenda and it's almost impossible. You don't want to disturb people, you don't want to be in the way. You don't want to be the reason someone has a bad day. Perhaps you don't want to have a bad day and you're worried they'll make you have one. I've been in all these shoes and I know how important it is to be able to respond to people as often as you can. When it comes to delivering your message, perhaps advertising is more relevant for you. Pay for the service. Other than that, be brave. Do your thing and put the blinkers on while you do it. Just don't forget to take them off again after.


When it comes to how you respond, remember you're an authority of your work. You're in charge and you're not responsible for other people's personal opinions and feelings. What you are responsible for is how you portray your service and your personality in public. The revenue report will determine if people like you and what you have to offer. If you can respond to people in a calm and considered way, take people seriously when they have an issue and take the rules seriously when people break them, then everyone knows where they stand.


Be Kind


If you have a skill that you're using to make a living then people are going to resent the fact that they do not. This can't be helped, and some employers make work life almost unbearable. It's not your fault they're miserable at work or they have more to do than you, you made your choices and they made theirs with what was available. This doesn't mean you can be nasty or rude. People will say things that undermine you sometimes, they'll say things that make you feel undervalued and unrecognised. It's this subconscious resentment and envy that manifests. Often people don't mean to be upsetting, and if they are it's because they're hurting. Remember to be kind and not cruel.


This Is Forever


It's never been a rat-race and there was no starting gun. It's just this, forever. Do your best and make as much positive impact as you can. Always stay hungry for improvement, and never think you're high and dry. Rules change, technology changes, trends change. People change too, and that means you. Nothing lasts for a moment longer than it is permitted to.  
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​We've all been there, the blank page has so many possibilities yet they are all out of reach. Are we too tired or maybe too concerned? What's stopping you? Sometimes all the good ideas seem to be in other people's minds and we're left with re-runs of our own dilemmas to get in the way. How can we establish a thread when all our bobbins are spinning at once? Let's look at some tips that can help fuel and loosen creativity in all kinds of people.


Take Notes


A little hand-written note-book and pen are your best friends. In it you can jot down everything from the brilliant turn of phrase you heard in the shops to the story-line that made you wish you'd thought of it. Any good ideas that you have or you notice around you can all go in. When you have accumulated a few pages of randomness you will find that the moment has gone and the idea is no longer attached to what it was before. These bits and pieces can become foundations for novel and unique ways of telling a story or putting a point across. The thing you noticed in the coffee shop might be great when you apply it to the car, for example.


Relax Into Imagination


It's okay to wander off into day-dreams when you are actively on the lookout for inspiration. There is always a time and place where it's not going to impede on the rest of your day if you take an hour or two to disappear into your own self-created real-time adventure. It's in these realms of half truth and boundlessness that we are more able to piece together something truly worth writing down.


Do Something Creative


Okay so this is telling you to walk out of the door of the high security prison as cool as a breeze. Impossible? But what if you're a guard? Now it's in your power because you changed your uniform. This is imaginary and metaphorical, remember? Imagine you are blocked somehow with your story-line, but you take a look at your music keyboard and start writing a little ditty instead. Distracting yourself from the original task, your creativity has returned! It's just in a direction you didn't expect. Instead of fighting it, feeling frustrated, just allow the valve to open in a new direction and wait. Patience will reveal that your efforts will translate in the end.


Method Before Madness


So you don't know where to start. Let's look at the underlying principles of what you're trying to do. What is the outcome of your work? Which creative tools, ideas and rhetoric, will you choose to project the energy in a direction that provides your desired outcome? When we look at the mechanics and design of our ideas, then the way to bring them about will be easier to determine. We can begin crossing things off because they don't fit the plan. We can see the missing pieces rather than a blank page, a missing piece has a definite shape.


Research


Maybe we don't know enough about what we really want to achieve or we don't know how to convey this in the best way. Hit the books. Find out what you're doing and discover what other people have done with the same agenda you might have. All art is there as an example for you to bounce from, all inventions are your food for thought in designing new and better devices.


Exercise


Your body has a way of entering more dreamy and trance like states when undergoing endurance exercise. By going for a walk, run, swim, or some kind of light strain activity, after a while the mind will become loosened and more able to wander. The repetition and exertion all combine to provide a place for your active mind to address abstract and inventive thoughts.


Need More Help?


You can take this short online course designed to propel you up and over the wall of writer's block.

​Leaders are the ones in charge, those who through either hard work or luck have found a seat at the head of a table. This can be anyone with a creative idea and the will to make it happen. We need vision and determination for any truly novel idea to surface. After-all, we want to improve lives, create jobs, and improve the wealth of where we live. That's what counts. We can't just go about doing these things though. To be in with a chance of succeeding a good leader can communicate their passion and resolve to those who join them. People who share our vision look to leaders to help them put their mind into motion. We know what we want, we might know how to get it, do we know how to communicate it?


Great Leaders Are Compassionate


Compassion means that we put other people's happiness into the equation. It means we consider other people's feelings and peace of mind before we act. It could be a warning sentence, preparing people for something unpopular, or perhaps you hold your emotions back just for a moment because you don't want to upset anybody. You might ask about military leaders. Was Alexander the Great compassionate? There will always be exceptions however to inspire troops, nationals, and financiers, he would have had to make sure everyone was happy or at least willing. Most of the time, leaders are not in charge of a fighting army.


When leaders are compassionate, those being led are made to feel secure that their well-being is being looked after. If a leader shows a lack of compassion then the team will be less willing to act on the leader's instruction. They will lose respect for their thinking and ideas, and ultimately become a less effective force. Leaders instil a sense of safety in their groups.


Great Leaders Show Selflessness


Selflessness is when we put our immediate needs and desires to one side and think about things from another's point of view. It inspires acts of generosity and courage. When we are selfless we do things for others without the element of benefiting the self. Business is not selfless, but leaders in business can be. By treating people in the way you would expect to be treated those same people will gain trust and respect in return. You've earned it, and if it's genuine selflessness you won't risk losing it.


We are all limited by the speed of our process of thought. Like light can only travel so far in such a given time, our enlightenment and understanding of a situation takes time too. We can only be asked to learn so much and grow so far in one given time. It may be that several steps are needed to reach a level we need. Selflessness can recognise this and even though we have the understanding, the others may not and so has no problem in breaking down the process of thought for them.


Great Leaders Are Mindful


There is a difference between imaginary mindfulness and the mindfulness that steps over the gap when boarding the train. Leaders show the latter. They don't spend their time with their head in a story-book or a daydream thinking of all the colours and textures around them. They are mindful of the present moment and the emotional landscape of the time. Mindfulness helps leaders to truly gauge a situation and offer relevant and harmonious commentary. This way they can act as glue between otherwise opposing views and agendas.


Mindful leaders are able to listen to those around them and be able to provide insightful and thought-out responses to situations and questions. Teams know they are valued when their leadership makes an effort to put thought into the way their communication is expressed. Consideration with courage makes for an effective head, it's the ability to think from multiple perspectives and then to act on the one that has the best outlook.

​When it comes to running a team or simply applying yourself to a task, motivation is a key factor in the process of getting things done. We can easily lose a lot of time if motivation isn't at a suitable level. We all need a little help sometimes, and in a work environment it's generally the leader or manager whose job it is to motivate. But how is it done? We've seen good and bad motivators, more than likely, and we've probably played the role of motivator well or not so well in the past too. There are four specific kinds of motivation that work well for different people and different situations. They are as follows.


Direct Motivation


This form of coaching involves giving clear instructions with a little bit of force behind them. You may think of a drill sergeant but this can also be applied to situations such as medicine, kitchens, police, and any other circumstance where people's lives are put at risk. It also works well for situations where there are many people all looking for instruction. We can address a crowded room with a direct approach. Warehouses, office floors, staff-rooms and other places with lots of workers in them apply here.


Passive Motivation


Often a team of individuals can work independently from control. It is often the case that everyone knows what they are doing and by simply being present in the situation, they will carry on with it. You being there is motivation enough to stick to the job they are meant to be doing. If you set a good example and carry on with your work, the team will follow. This is a common practice in smaller teams of workers whose job does not involve vital life and death processes like making sure chicken is thoroughly cooked. If workers can't see you because they are positioned too far away, the passive approach doesn't work so well. You will need to be more direct.


Non-directive Motivation


Sometimes an employee or friend will approach us with a problem or a request for something to do. Non-directive leadership requires the leader to question the individual and tease out the answer from their own ideas. By encouraging others to use their initiative and to be more relaxed about their ideas, leaders can get more out the team than they put in.


Fluid Motivation


This style, like the name suggests, requires us to adapt to the shape we are in. Sometimes the people around us will not respond to the type of motivation we prefer or the rules suggest. From time to time we have to find a balance between all three leadership styles and personalise this for each team member. We are all unique individuals and this makes it important to listen to feedback and watch for cues that may require us to rethink our approach.


Find out more about Motivating Yourself and Your Team 
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The world is always changing. New technologies and new opportunities always arise alongside new troubles and problems. Novelty and stress are two permanent characters in life's theatre although they change their clothes regularly. It's always a good time to learn new skills and take on new challenges, even if the challenge is to rest for a few days. If that feels like a challenge to you then you probably need it. Quality leaders are quite rare in today's society. I can't say for previous times. There are unique qualities that we all look for when considering who we choose to turn to.


Certain things in human behaviour are necessary for leaders to establish themselves. Oppression doesn't work and that's a good thing. Leaders do not rule, they lead. And that requires consent. If a leader walks forward, the crowd walks forward of their own volition. It is often the case that leaders do not ask to be in charge, people just follow them because of their natural leadership behaviour.


Here are some factors that really matter, and will still matter even if computers take over the world.


Creativity


Abstract thought and the ability to create linear thought from it is what gives us new things. Linear thought is a process of stages, we can only change one at a time. Abstract thought is a process of observation and description. This gives us a much higher mental resolution of a situation and an eye for detail. Creative leadership is an essential skill and tool for handling groups of people who are looking for subtle or not so subtle guidance.  Big data computers can look at lots of facts in one go but it's not abstract, it's all unitary information. A grain of sand can be a universe once we stop looking at it with linear thought.


Trustworthy


We put our faith in leaders. We trust that they are leading us in the right direction. It's impossible to trust people who do not demonstrate trustworthiness. How can we show that we are trustworthy? It's a matter of example. Always be prepared to answer truthfully and speak without hiding various truths. If it's a trade secret then say so, if it's private information then say no, it's private. Being up-front with people and honest about your well-meaning objectives will gradually earn the trust you deserve. The moment you behave in a way that people do not trust with their own reputation, they will no longer want to follow your example.


Respect


We all come from different backgrounds and homes. Our parents got emotional about different things. They all taught us to live life in different ways. When we all meet this can be an issue if it's not respected. It takes a leadership mentality to allow for cultural differences. It's easy to feel the need to judge when we're shocked by a strange behaviour or ideal. We may have heard things about it before. The respect we all deserve becomes essential when this happens. Other people will feel comfortable with you if you show respect in situations where others may have been rude or judgemental. It's fine to ask questions and demonstrate an uneasiness, but remember we are all human and have different ways of doing things. It is better to judge oneself an one's own society than to sniff at the actions of another's.

So it's a strange time for us all, many of us are locked away at home with only minimal human contact. For some this is normal, for others it's a real strain. Having children at home and not being able to get out to do things can become tedious. Anyone with children knows that the six-weeks holiday is taxing, and this is different because there's very little on for our children to do. Even those without little ones to keep entertained and educated, there will be long days ahead where we struggle to keep our mind away from the doom and gloom. In this time of sudden change and anxiety, Homunculus Media will continue to provide the same quality content it always does. 


This is a comprehensive list of resources and ideas for you, our readers, to make use of. It's not a complete list, by far, however it's hoped these ideas can kick start your positivity in troubling times.


You may already be long-term readers, but if you're not then why not start with us? Alternative Fruit is packed full of music reviews, creativity journalism, soft-skills education, and links to all kinds of great online adventures. You can expect to discover a lot all in one place.


After this site, why not explore The Electro Review? This is a sister site to Alternative Fruit and contains electronic music reviews. It's the opposite of this site in many regards. Where-as here we focus on a wide range of things with one thing in common, creativity, over there we focus on only electronic music. If you like that sort of thing then it's an amazing opportunity to discover new sounds.


The Smithsonian Institute just unveiled a plethora of public domain images. If you fancy a go at digital collage or need something to base an idea on then go ahead and browse. Maybe you're looking for art inspiration, something to put in a story, or you might just be one of those people who loves pictures of random things, like I am.


Google Arts and Culture now have 2500 virtual museum tours for free. Visitors can go online and observe exhibits and explanations from all over the world. Perhaps the smells are missing but the sights and often sounds are available today. How long will it take to do a world museum tour?


Self-isolation can mean self-education. There are loads of online courses out there, many are for free. If it's casual skills and interest from top universities you're looking for then why not look into the Futurelearn website? Their offers are free for well over enough time to complete the material. Certifications are affordable if you want one, too.


If it's qualifications you're looking for then also online holds the key. Rather than forking out thousands for a college classroom and tutor, online learners can pay into a video and web-based learning environment that dramatically cuts cost. It's so viable that real-life qualifications from John Academy in everything from aromatherapy to web-design are available for £10. This is international, folks,


There is a fertile jungle of varied and quality education across the internet and you can find links to a lot of it on our Certified section.


Any musicians among you? Now is your time to get into the groove. Improve, expand, develop, and nurture your talent like never before. There are loads of free resources out there for musicians, and if you want to find specific sheet music then look no further.


Art is always a winner. You'll need materials aplenty. You can still get your online delivery through the post or from Amazon. Use our links on the homepage to those places to help us out. Why not try a new style or medium? It can be your chance to completely evolve your skill-set. You can find all kinds of art-instruction on our Choose Love page.


Podcasts are a great resource. They're online listenables that come in small or medium sized files. Expect a wide variety of them, some of which may not be to your liking. Alternative Fruit has featured a selection of Podcasts in three separate posts which can be found here, here, and here. We aim to get another one up soon, too.  


If it's audiobooks you love then we have our own playlist of them on YouTube. It's a great starting place. For an even bigger collection of curated and quality, free content, why not visit Audiobook Box. If you really want to explore the wealth of audio-literature available then go ahead and sign up for Audible. They have a free trial period so there's nothing to lose. 


​Provided you've enough paper and ink, you can print out thousands of colouring pages that are free to download. There's a great selection here and here. 

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Also, why not browse Open Culture's list of over 1500 free online films? They've got a massive selection perfect for those long days stuck indoors. 

There should be plenty there for everyone! You can of course find plenty more to do with a little imagination. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves, stay safe, and watch out for the vulnerable members of society who are all relying on us now more than ever. 
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