Chris Dunmire's award-winning Creativity Portal has inspired millions of visitors since 2000 towards deeper levels of creative engagement, collaboration, connection, and expression through its treasure trove of inspiring writing prompts, articles, interviews, and projects. Creativity Portal has been named multiple years as one of Writers Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers.
Listening Your Book into Being
For Fun, Write a Book
First Drafts
Inspired Writing
Your Book Can Heal the World
You are the Treasure
Refining & Being Refined
Fruits of a Writing Retreat
Is It Commerce, or Is It Art?
Writing a New Chapter Your Life
Not-Knowing
Beyond Expertise
Rough Drafts & Revisions
When Books Are Less Than Life
Writing In A Spiral
The Value of Completing a Book
Writing as Giving Back
Silence in Writing
Intimate Details in Writing
A Challenge to Write Long
Antidote to Fear
Writing What Can't Be Said
Creativity Isn't Just Good Ideas
In Praise of the Feminine
Writing as Healing
Pressing Essence into Books
Silence and Slowing Down
Please Yourself
Learning & Playing by Heart
Returning to What Persists
The You Who Writes
Slowing Down & Listening
Naomi Rose Interview
Creative License
Random Acts of Kindness cards
Like so many people, you might find yourself wondering (from time to time or perhaps all the time!) "What exactly happened to my life? What happened to the plans, dreams, and goals I had when I was younger and so full of creative ideas, inspiration and passion?" Or, you try and try but you just can't seem to come up with creative ideas, not even sure what you would do if you could do anything that you want, don't really know what your passions and dreams even are anymore.
The Need to Create | Shape Creative Genius | Manage Energy, Not Time | Play | Possibilities | Stimulate Creative Genius | Spark Passion
Long sentences may seem to be on their way out, thanks to the ubiquity and speed-inducing presence of our digital world, but there is a lot to say for them, as writers in previous, less speed-absorbed cultures have shown. Long sentences get below the surface of things ~ lengthen not only the expanse of space that the words take up on the page, but also the stretch of space within the mind and spirit of the reader.
There is something about writing that seeks its own healing ~ rather than, say, seeking to explain or persuade ~ that often tends to find its deepest expression in a "spiral pattern." We all know what a spiral looks like: a curved line that begins at the center and gradually winds its way outward around that center; or we could also see it as a curved line that begins on the periphery, following its way closer and closer, smaller and smaller, until it reaches the center. Either way, it looks just the same to the eye; but to the artist drawing that spiral ~ or to the writer writing into it ~ it makes a difference where you begin the spiral from.
I would like to acquaint you with a creative concept in the persona of a Muse. The concept is paying attention and the Muse is Aha-phrodite. What does paying attention mean to you in the creative process? If you are so inclined to engage your brain actively in this moment (always a good exercise for strengthening creative muscles), make a list of all the ways your creative process could benefit from paying attention. Go.
Another Fine Myth | Aha-phrodite | Albert | Audacity | Bea Silly | Marge | Muse Song | Shadow Muse | Lull | Spills | Arnold (Bodyguard)
The symbols, images, people and places found in my dreams are my richest source of inspiration, wisdom, and self-knowledge. Dreams contain riddles, hints and clues, with red herrings galore and winding paths to lead you ever more deeply into your deepest heart. It is a lovely thing to dream, and more lovely still to awaken with a fabulous idea for a story, poem or painting.
Water | Earth | Air | Fire | Dark | Light | Cornwall Stones | Landscape | Nature | Chaos | Fear | Dreams | Story | Home | Inspire Yourself | Inner Muse
You have a constant stream of thoughts running through your mind, and we use the term "inner critics" to describe the thoughts that criticize you or tell you that you should be ashamed or feel guilty if you do what you want to do.
What To Do With Change + Losses | 'Glad No Matter What' Interview | Creative Careers Interview | Make Your Creative Dreams Real Questions
Throughout my practice, I have encountered a connection between highly sensitive people and their own creative impulses. This characteristic does not discriminate between painter, actor, or musician — they all appear to have one thing in common: they experience the world differently than the average individual.
Creativity: A Journey Through Hills and Valleys | Creativity-Training Through The Senses | How to Re-enter Creative Process
When I teach a beginning class, it is good. I have to come back to beginner's mind, the first way I thought and felt about writing. In a sense, that beginner's mind is what we must come back to every time we sit down and write. There is no security, no assurance that because we wrote something good two months ago, we will do it again. Actually, every time we begin, we wonder how we ever did it before. Each time is a new journey with no maps.
Collage art is a fun and relaxing way to begin experimenting with the endless possibilities of mixed media. This tutorial provides a loose framework for how to begin a mixed media project starting with magazine collage, adding in embellishments or found objects, and then applying additional media. After you've mastered the basics, you can explore creating your art on a variety of substrates such as book covers or wood panels and play with unique textures and effects.
Today, many therapists use writing to augment talk therapy. In fact, sometimes writing is a vital part of many psychological interventions. Usually, writing is a solitary activity that can be done before or after a therapy session. Sometimes practitioners ask their clients to share their writings as a springboard for beginning the discussion.
We all have a story. Sometimes it is the story of being knocked to the ground — perhaps because of a cancer diagnosis or the death of a loved one. And if we aren't careful a story like this can get buried within us. We can deny it ever happened and this might lead to physical or psychological problems. Let's explore how we can find and begin to navigate a story we need to tell.
It is this sure knowledge of spring's return that helps me to survive another long, cold night. The Butterfly Maiden, Queen of Transformation, Metamorphosis, and Change, has much to teach us; as creative souls, we would do well to embrace her lessons.
Zarpandit | Yemaya | Ninsaba | Leanan Sidhe | La Fauna | High Desert Gnome | Mermaids
As we make art, we all begin to wonder what others are thinking about it. Sometimes we seek out the input of others into our work. Sometimes we are asked to give someone else feedback. Either way the "critique" can be tricky business, and it takes both backbone, and soul for it to work right.
Romancing the Cod | Creativity and Inspiration | Digging for Ideas | Ideas to Nourish Creative Genius
We all bare the scars of failure. Life breaks everyone. However, some people end up stronger in the broken places. This is true of teams, too. Do you recognize a broken team? Have you been a member of a scarred team? Is your team failing now? If so... celebrate!
Turning Off Judgment | Diving Deeper into Innovation | Generate Better Ideas | How to Be Creative | The Value of Making Mistakes | Ask Right Questions
There is an interesting historical context for a subjective perception of time that can help prepare the way for the conceptual journey of creating time. The ancient Greeks had two words for marking the differences between the experiences of time: kronos and kairos.
Time through Flow | Authenticity | Everday Flow | Synchronicity | Meaning | Plato to Play-To | Mission Paintment | Sacred Play
