Today's Creativity Wisdom
“In the road race of a life in art, I've definitely been the tortoise rather than the hare, but I'm still here working away at what I love.” —Judy Wood
Creativity & Spirituality
By Jan Phillips
Once, in India, I was on a train riding in a Ladies Compartment with three women and two children. We had plenty of extra room. When an elderly woman and her daughter appeared in the doorway, I motioned for them to come in. The other women in the compartment seemed perturbed, pursing their lips and shaking their heads with tight little movements. No one moved over to make room. Instead, they cast their eyes down and pretended not to notice the two women looking for seats.
Creativity
By Orna Ross
Ever been told you are "too sensitive," "think too much" or are "too much of a perfectionist"? In a society that doesn't appreciate them, creative abilities can be labelled and experienced as liabilities, says Mary Taylor, LCSW, of the Creative Intelligence Centre. "Highly creative people often face a lifetime of hardship and psychological pain because they do not see themselves or their abilities clearly," says Taylor. "The abilities of highly creative people are frequently hidden under…emotional, occupational and relationship difficulties." While the [creative] person is all too aware of their problems, they are often unaware of their abilities.
Freeing the Writer Within
By Natalie Goldberg
People ask me, "What is style? Don't I have to have a unique style?" You already have it. We are each unique individuals with unique lives. Nobody else on earth has the same life as you, with all the same details. Even if you are a twin, one of you was born a few minutes before the other, and if you took a walk together at the age of eight and came to a tree standing in the path, one of you might have gone to the right and one to the left. Going to the left of the tree, you saw a skunk. Going to the right, your twin saw a taco stand. Style is as simple and direct as that.
Creativity Self-Coaching Guide
By Chris Dunmire
Questions are a dynamic tool that can open space to consider new perspectives and plans of action. These questions, based in the readings of SARK's Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, Avoiders, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day are designed to prompt deeper introspection and personal application of the material and help assess personal levels of resiliance, nurturing, development, fear, self-acceptance, support systems, committment, investment, and progress towards making creative goals and dreams into realities.
Books & Printables
By Chris Dunmire
Did you know memory-boosting exercises help improve brain function and positively impact your creative ability as you age? That's why so many sage people are addicted to puzzles like word searches and Sudoku! Here's a playful way to exercise your memory and boost your brainpower: Engage with my Tree-mendous Memory! papercraft and game.
Artful Project Prompts
By Violette
Create a delightful spirit doll to help you connect with the divine in you and bring more creativity into your life. Feel free to use this printable pattern as a template or as inspiration for your own design. Your finished doll can be used to evoke a sense of the sacred in your home, altar or office. Each doll has a crystal and piece of sweet grass embedded within imbuing it with positive energy.
Author Interviews
By Molly Childers
I am often asked a very specific question related to writing: "What am I supposed to do after I fill a notebook, after I practice writing?" I wrote Thunder and Lightning to answer this specific question. In the book I share how I developed Writing Down the Bones, which I think helps people understand structure, an important and little talked of element to writing. I hope it helps writers turn their flashes of inspiration into polished final pieces.
Write What You See
By Hank Kellner
Most students probably don't realize that they exercise the mental process of contrast every day. For example, each morning they may contrast two choices of clothing. Or they may contrast two kinds of breakfast cereals. Or they may even contrast you to other people who influence their lives. But when it comes to using contrast in their writing, students don't seem to make the connections as easily as they do at other times. Fortunately, photographs can easily help students develop compositions using this pattern of organization.