"It is a happy talent to know how to play."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Welcome to November's "Mysteries of the Mind" monthly newsletter!

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age."
- Sophia Loren

How to Embrace Creativity Every Day

Winter is coming, or for some it is already here. This is a great time to work on innovation and creativity. Keeping a playful attitude will help you through the Holidays. Here are some tips that I use in my own life to stay playful, childlike, and creative.

1. You have to start by acknowledging that you are a creative person capable of incredible things

   

   School, work, life, and "growing up" has pushed some of this out of us. But I truly believe there is greatness in everyone. I know that everyone has genius. And we must first admit to ourselves that we are intelligent creative people who have the ability laugh, learn, grow, and play.



2. Try doing everyday things in new ways

   

   Change the path you take to work. Shop for groceries at a new store. Change where your garbage can sits, (You'll find yourself throwing trash into the corner where it was). Little changes to your physical space and daily routine will help keep your mind fresh and alive.



3. Be curious about new things

   

   Being curious is the key to creativity. Watch a documentary about something you know nothing about, visit the religious services of different faiths, find an expert in some field and ask them what they are passionate about, or what they wished that everyone knew about their area. Take some time observing instead of talking. Take some time being a child who listens rather than proving what you already know.



4. Think from different perspectives

   

   I will often pull up photos of 4 famous magicians, philosophers, political leaders or scientists that I have researched and I will move face to face and imagine how I believe each of them would answer a question I put before them. What should I write about in my next newsletter Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Emerson, Mark Twain? I look at their faces, I think of their biographies and I try to imagine what each would say.



5. Books and games I've found useful recently to inspire my creativity:

   

   1. Steal like an artist journal (Guided Diary)
   
   
   2. Rory's Story Cubes (Improvisational Game)
   
   
   3. The Imagineering Workout (Book)
   
   


6. Allow yourself to play. This is key

   

   Swing on a swing, sing in the rain, sit on the floor. This month I performed in a Planetarium that was rented out by Hewlett-Packard and Intel. They filled it with some of the brightest minds in the Super Computing world. And all of them played with the exhibits, touched, smelled, and crawled through everything. It was spectacular to experience.



7. One of my favorite creative exercises is to watch a show on Hulu, Netflix, etc with the sound off and imagine what they are saying.

   

   Switch from making it funny to dramatic. This is also fun to watch with friends. Take different roles and play different people making up the story.



8. Try a new artistic process for an afternoon

   

   Paint, sculpt, photograph, carve, dance, sing. Look on sites like Meetup and Yelp for opportunities near you.



9. Really do these things

   

   Make time to release and play. "Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things." -Ray Bradbury

When it is time for your group to gather and play, remember that I am available for corporate banquets, trade shows, morning energizer meetings, and events. I'm never too busy for your referrals.

Time to start booking last minute Holliday Parties now.

Your friend,
-Paul Draper
paul@mentalmysteries.com
801-541-2976

Websites:
wwww.PaulWDraper.com
www.MentalMysteries.com
www.AnthropologyOffice.com
www.helpinghospitalsheal.com

Read more about Paul:
Paul Draper Mentalism (pdf)
Transformational Leadership with Paul Draper (pdf)

"Tassion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks."
-Yo-Yo Ma

"Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but its everything in between that makes it all worth living."
-Bob Marley

HP / Intel Event
Salt Lake City, Utah
November 15th

Ricky Brandon event
Provo, Utah
December 2nd

Barney Trucking
Salina, Utah
December 3rd

Private event
Las Vegas, Nevada
December 24th

Flagship Credit
Las Vegas, Nevada
January 8th - 10th

Utah Theater Festival
St. George, Utah
January 12th - 14th

Magic Castle
Hollywood, California
January 19th - 22nd

Mystique Dining
Folsom, California
January 23rd - February 3rd

Impossible Theater
Reno, California
January 27th

Wilcox Theater
Wilcox, Arizona
February 4th

Winthrop-University Hospital
Mineola, New York
February 16th

Cortland Repertory Theater
Cortland, New York
February 18th

Fan X
Salt Lake City, Utah
March 17th - 18th

Salt Lake Magic Jam
Salt Lake City, Utah
March 17th - 19th

Weber School District Keynote
St. George, Utah
May 12th

To find out more about my corporate lectures and workshops download this .pdf
Transformational Leadership with Paul Draper

Or PaulDraperManagement@Gmail.com

Black Friday Sale

Is your company having a Holiday Party and you know the name & email address of the person in charge of putting it together? Send them my demo video. Or send me their email. Let's make some magic together. I always appreciate your referrals.

If you help me to book a Holiday party, I'll either give them 20% off my normal price or I'll give you $500 cash. Your choice. Sale good through Dec 24th. (Also good for referrals).

Want to see what others are saying? Check out the Yelp and Linkedin reviews:

Read Yelp Review Here
Read LinkedIn Here

Paul Draper 2017: Mentalism, Mystery, Music & Storytelling

Please watch my new DEMO video for 2017 (a few days early). This was edited by magician and editor Chris Oberle. He did a wonderful job! (It has already been viewed over 7,000 times on Facebook). See if you can catch all of the Celebrity appearances!

Watch Here
DOWNLOAD the HD FILE