Two legit ways to spark creativity:
1) Get yourself out of routine. Do something out of the ordinary. Go somewhere you've never been.
2) Do something that's so routine, your mind can wander. Delve into a task that's so mindless, your muscles have so memorized, your imagination has no choice but to fill the void.
Before responding to your critics, one of the first questions you might ask should be:
"How much influence does this critic have?"
"Will my response to their critique elevate their opinion and influence?"
Not every critic gets the privilege of a response.
Don't ever forget that our craft of theatre and performance involves more than creativity and talent.
It also means being reliable.
Producers and directors will quickly and properly drop an artist—any artist—for failure to remember this truth.
"They don't pay me enough to worry about that."
Just how much more would they need to pay for you to put forth an effort?
What effort would you give if they paid you twice as much?
Here's the truth:
Effort is free and payment will come. But make no mistake, effort always comes before payment.
"We have measured the earth, the stars, and the depths of the seas; we have discovered riverbeds and mountains on the moon. We have built clever machines, and every day we discover something new.… But something, some most important thing, is missing, and we do not know exactly what. We feel bad because we know lots of unnecessary things but do not know the most important—ourselves." -Leo Tolstoy
Learn as much as you can about yourself and don't stop.
Take personality tests, read books on subjects you are most interested in, find ways to get feedback on what you're great at and where your strengths lie.
It's not selfish or egotistical, but it's rather the single greatest contribution you can make to your work, your team, your family, your spouse, the people you lead, your boss, and your friends.
People will work with you once because they like you.
But they will work with you continually because they trust you.
Be careful criticizing your director; questioning their motives and decisions.
After all, they did cast you.
