If you caught my last post, you’ll know I shared some tidbits about the presence of creativity and how crucial it is to acknowledge it when it pays you a visit. How, once it waves, you should wave back and do your darndest to lasso that beautiful beast.

So, now, here we are. Perhaps you happened to think of something worthy of putting on paper. That’s right, actual paper. Crazy. I know. You write your idea down but, you’re left wondering, “what the heck do I do now?” Remember when I said this was going to be a wild ride? Well, hold on tight.

Your creativity needs room to grow and that handy dandy piece of paper is about to make the ultimate canvas. You may not realize it now but when you actually take the time to write an idea down on paper and not type it up on your phone, tablet, computer, or other crazy robot contraption, you are much more likely to refer back to and develop the idea. Whether it’s list building or doodling, you have free reign over that page and your creativity totally digs it. I mean, J.K. Rowling thought of some dude named Harry Potter on a napkin. Why can’t you embrace the power of pen and paper?

HOLD UP! New b3 breakthrough coming in hot.

Since my last post, if you’ve identified your creative mindset and happened to think of an idea that totally kicks ass, don’t just write it down and let it go stale – explore it. Unwrap the idea layer by layer and see where it takes you. Help it grow! The most efficient way to do this is to create a mind map. You know, those bubble and cloud drawings you learned in the first grade? Draw one up! I’m a visual learner and tend to need some kind of order in my life to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Simple maps seem to do the trick. You can create them with pen and paper and, if needed, there are also digital tools (see below) that you can download fo’ free (but it’s more fun to draw by hand). I’ve actually covered a whole wall in my house with paper and over the course of a year have drawn my most epic web. Whenever I have an idea, I grab a marker and write it up and, so far, the result is B3! Boom.

Whether you draw or type or do both, mind maps are magical devices. Having these tools as physical reference points makes all the difference to your creativity and, I promise you, after a bit of practice and patience, you’ll spin a web so wondrous that even Charlotte would be jealous. If first graders can do it, you certainly can so, let that creativity shine, B!

• FreeMind (For MAC & PC): Click Here
• iThoughts (For MAC):  Click Here 
• Paper (FOR EVERYONE): Go buy a baller new notebook. I’ve carried a black Moleskine and sharpie around with me wherever I go for the past few years. You should see how much ink I’ve dropped on those pages.