What are some examples of the creative things you used to write?

When I was younger and had more free time (and no tedious job) I used to do this one practice for creativity boost. It's simple, but effective:

I would look around, notice some ordinary thing nearby, and try to come up with a metaphor based on its characteristics.

And here you want to go as unusual, as possible. An example would be noticing exhausting roar of an old engine and using your impression about it to describe human tireless, but pointless, attempts to achieve something. That’s quite a depressive example, though :)

Sometimes results were mediocre, but often this practice created something beautiful (subjectively, of course). I would either stop on the metaphor itself or proceed with writing a short poem or a narrative. Now as I’m thinking about it, I should probably come back to this practice, cause even remembering it makes me smile :)

P.S. There are also neurological benefits from this activity (as from writing in general): it helps your brain to build new neural connections, which are vital not only for creativity, but also for your longevity. Isn’t that amazing?!