Last post, I mentioned inspiration being unreliable. It doesn’t mean it can’t happen. But if you want to keep the ideas flowing, in my experience, you can’t wait to feel inspired. At some point, you need to move forward with an idea.

And that can seem easier said than done.

So here’s seven ways to supercharge creativity.

1. Ask what if? Writing – all art – is about playing with possibility. What could be?

2. Invest in tools. I bought MasterWriter 2.0 a few years ago. MasterWriter 3.0 is available now. MasterWriter iss a great tool – designed for songwriters. It does not write your material for you – you have to do that – but it does give you lots of rhymes and phrases – some you wouldn’t normally think of without a dictionary – and it helps speed up the creative process.

3. Don’t pre-judge an idea. Get your ideas out. Some of them of might seem a little crazy initially – a rhyme scheme, a word – but don’t worry about it when you’re getting ideas down. Once you get the ideas down, you’ve got something to work with.

4. Look and listen. All the time. Art – writing, songwriting, music, whatever art – is a response to life. Ideas can come from anywhere. An experience you’ve had. An object. A feeling.

5. Keep paper and a pen nearby. I keep a notepad by my bed – I have my journal and manuscript paper for words and music. I also keep a notebook and small pen in my purse – a little easier for those of us who carry purses. It’s a great way to capture inspiration on the fly and then refer back to your ideas later when you have time. When you start writing your ideas down, you manifest more ideas – it gets easier to come up with ideas.

6. Explore. Learn new things. Things you’re scared to try. Things you’ve wanted to try. Challenge. Adventure. Curiousity. They all thrilled the cat. And they all offer experiences you can draw on for your material.

7. Have fun with it. Creativity is fun. Yes, there may be moments where you want to rip your hair out, but never forget why you started in the first place.

Don’t wait for inspiration. Find your inspiration. And then write it down.