Contributed by Evey Brown.

You have heard the old adage, “Write what you know.”  Well that definitely limits what you can create.  Unless, you are open to every new thing out there.  May I humbly suggest that you say ‘YES’ to each opportunity that presents itself.

That bird watching class offered in your neighborhood…YES

A  Toastmaster’s meeting with your friend…YES

A writing conference next month in Las Vegas…YES.

That tai chi class offered at the local college…YES.

Free Spanish lessons on Duolingo…YES.

Creativity guru Julia Cameron recommends ‘restocking the well’.  A concept she describes as adding to our reservoir of images and memories we draw from when we create. Each new idea can become fuel for our creative fire.

Some opportunities to learn appear by chance; I remember stepping into a candy store that displayed literally hundreds of different brightly colored treats in glass bins.  The effect was staggering;  so many colors, memories and smells in one small place.  New flavors, old favorites and foreign mixtures of sweetness.  I wandered the small area for the longest time, soaking in everything with my eyes, and some tasting as well.

Others come from keeping your eyes open and ‘seeing’ what is around you. I scanned the vast expanse of the library. Ours is built as an open courtyard design that allows you to glimpse each of five floors going up, the shelves stuffed with books of every size and color.  Racks of magazines with glossy photos on the covers, paintings on the walls and statuary sprinkled throughout.  An oversized mobile hangs from the ceiling above, shiny pieces of metal cut to resemble books with wings, it sways gently in the open space. I couldn’t help but tip my head back and gawk at the sheer number of possibilities available to grasp in this relatively small space.

Possibilities abound buried in your past; they could be as simple as that huge box of 64 Crayola crayons you had as a child. With names like Burnt Umber and Cerulean; sometimes I had more fun discovering the names than actually using them on paper.  Last year I found they have neon and metallic versions.  And new this year, Easter Pastels!

Technology can bring you close to almost anything you have an interest in.  Virtual tours of the Louvre Museum, interviews with people of note and access to almost every song and form of music that has ever existed. If you’re not out there exploring, the fault is yours.  Consider saying yes to the next opportunity that presents itself, you could find inspiration for your next story, painting or dream.