Novelty

Novelty

(Originally posted on May 10, 2016)

Novelty is the quality of being new, original or unusual. Psychologist, Elisha Goldstein teaches, "Novelty is one of the fastest routes to creating new neural connections." 

How can we bring more novelty into our lives? Especially if you are one who tends toward routine. But when you think of novelty as something that is actually good for you, it seems a win-win. 

I was reading yesterday about the lives of some famous artists, and a common thread between them seemed to be their thirst for novelty. What made them different from others of their day was that they were not content to settle for the status quo. For some, that meant that their work was not recognized during their lifetime. However, they would never had been content to be a carbon copy of someone else just to sell a painting. 

Look for novelty in your own life, and your brain will thank you. 

Creativity Suggestion 

Listening to Music

I can honestly say that music was an important part of my life up until about the 90’s. Now this actually makes me sad in admitting this, but when rap music hit my favorite stations I found myself tuning out.  I was always a huge lover of pop and folk music. I spent many dollars of my allowance, and many hours of time listening to my favorite artists growing up. 

Today on occasion I like to listen to songs from the 70’s. I think the fact that I know the words, and can sing along makes it more enjoyable for me. Perhaps that’s why I secretly begin listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. 

Instrumental music can be quite inspirational to creativity, and classical music has been tied to doing better on exams. One of my biggest regrets in life is never having learned how to play an instrument. It’s what was responsible for my daughter taking piano lessons during elementary school. I’m not sure she’s forgiven me yet. 

How is music a part of your life?