Make In the Morning!
I love how traveling and going different places can open your eyes to new things just by happenstance. It’s really just getting out of your routine, I think, that can make you stumble upon something interesting. I will tell you more about Alt after some processing, however, let me tell you something I discovered while on the way there.
On my long flight from BWI to Salt Lake City, I saw my neighbor’s Inc. Magazine discarded on the floor. It’s not a magazine I usually read, but it had Flipboard on the cover, with whom I was having dinner THAT night (more on that later). What a coincidence! I figured it was meant to be and asked to read it.
I enjoyed reading the founding story of Flipbpard and I got some good tidbits for my dinner that night. But, what really caught my eye was an article about the Science of Creativity by Ryan Underwood. In it, he quotes a study by Baba Shiv,a marketing professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, who researches the role neural structures play in the role of decision making. In this article, Shiv comments on the biological roots of creativity.
According to Shiv, creativity comes out of the right mix of serotonin and dopamine. Hmm–people have always told me that the right mix of those chemicals is the best way to avoid depression, lose weight, even out your mood, but I’d never thought about them in terms of my ability to create. My interest was surprisingly piqued.
Here are a few things about serotonin which you may already know, but think about it in terms of your own creativity. Serotonin levels are highest in the morning. The levels are restored during that ever elusive deep sleep. Serotonin and dopamine levels also increase from high protein, so they aren’t kidding about protein being brain food. Lastly, you can help produce serotonin through cardiovascular exercise. The serotonin info wasn’t that new, haven’t you heard it here or there? But, put it in the context of enhancing my creativity, I was instantly motivated.
In conclusion, for your best happy handmade self, don’t skip the morning run, pass on the muffin and scramble up some eggs, forget that last hour of bad tv, and MAKE IN THE MORNING! 
One last note, coffee?? It turns out it can really help! YAY! Or, hurt . . . boo! Underwood writes that coffee actually reflects and intensifies whatever emotion your already feeling. So if your creativity is flying high, pound another latte. Yippee! If your stressed, pass on the coffee break and go for a walk instead.
Nothing like a little science to brighten your day! Happy making everyone!
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