Today's Creativity Wisdom

Awaken Your Creativity

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In Praise of the Creative Spirit
with Peter Clothier

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Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play
Tranquilista with Kimberly Wilson

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Improvisation: Twists & Turns; Rubbing; Mushrooms & Tide Pools
The Art of Is with Stephen Nachmanovitch

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Spirited Woman Q & A
with Nancy Mills

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Invoking the 9 Greek Muses
with Molly Anderson-Childers

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Standing at Water's Edge
with Anne Paris, PhD

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Write What You See
with Hank Kellner

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CreativiTea for Creative Brains!
with Chris Dunmire

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Reflect & Write
with Hank Kellner

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Hop, Skip, Jump: Playfully Manifest a Meaningful Life
with Marney Makridakis

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Creativity is Your Birthright
with Dave Storer

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Creativity & Transformation
with SARK

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A Primer on Collage & Mixed-Media Art
By Chris Dunmire

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Writing and the Body in Motion
with Cheryl Pallant

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Creativity, Depression, & Meaning-Making
with Eric Maisel, PhD

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Juicy Journals & Wild Words
with Molly J. Anderson-Childers

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10 Mind-Expanding 'Take Ten' Writing Exercises
with Bonnie Neubauer

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Inner Voices of Creativity
SoulCollage® with Ann Marie Bennett

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9 Ways to Escape from Creativity-Halting Goo
with Rick Benzel

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Enlightened Work & Mindful Play
Your Life Is Art
6 Ways to Evoke Creativity
Modes of Creativity
Stephen Nachmanovitch: The Art of Is
Improvisation: Rubbing
Improvisation: Mushrooms & Tide Pools
Improvisation: Twists and Turns
Wine Maker Lane Tanner
Actress and Producer Sybil Temtchine
Mediabistro's Laurel Touby
'The Girl Blue Project' Marlow Wyatt
Artist and Activist Ellen Spencer
Sally Shore, Storyteller & Spoken Word Artist
Cathy Salser: A Window Between Worlds
Astrology Zone's Susan Miller
Swirly Girl Creator Christine Mason Miller
Mystery Writer Rochelle Krich
Jewelry Designer Katy Leakey
Swirly Girl Creator Christine Mason Miller
Jet Set Modeling Cindy Kauanui
Mystery Writer Rochelle Krich
World Traveler Marie Javins
Radio Host Frances Halpern
Creative Sage's Cathryn Hrudicka
Author & Actress Fannie Flagg
Writer Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
Social Entrepreneur Crystal Allene Cook
Frou Frou Flip Flops Kidpreneur Alice
Lotus Blossom Style Clothier Tabby Biddle
Actress, Comedienne, Storyteller Roz Browne
Humor Inspires Writing
Metaphors Inspire Writing
Interview with Artist Angela Cartwright
Rap as Poetry
Crossing Bridges
Where You're From
Nature's Forms in Poetry and Prose
The Power of the Visual
Isolation and Education
Black & White Images Stimulate Creativity
Why Do People Respond to Graphic Images?
Graphic Images Surround Us
Find Inspiration in Claude Monet
Historic Buildings in Community Theater
Writing Prompts: Bird Cage Theatre
Community Theater
Joke Word Search Puzzles
Shifting Perspectives
Combining Photos with Poems
Photo Essays Tell Stories
Connect Seeing with Writing
Photos Trigger Words
Photos as Writing Prompts
Shifting Perspectives
Contrast in Writing Subjects
Combining Photos with Poems
Using Photography to Inspire Writing
Less is More
Every Photograph Tells a Story
Shakti Gawain Interview
Becoming a Creative Channel
Trusting Intuition
Transforming Our World
11 Tips for Surviving a Day Job
Why Talent Isn't Nearly Enough
The Creative Power of Writing
How to Get Your Day Job to Leave YOU
Define Creativity — I Dare You
Are You Highly Creative?
Conventional vs. Creative Intelligence
Creatives: Transform or Perish
F-R-E-E-Writing Tutorial
Note to Beginner Writers
7 Stages of The Creative Process
8 Habits of the Creatively Intelligent
Innovative Wire Sculpture Workshop
Tips for Artists Working at Home
Create Unconventional Art
Paralyzed by Perfectionism
Why Aren't I More Disciplined?
For Highly-Sensitive Creatives
The Four Steps of Creativity

The Art of Is

Improvisation: Twists and Turns

By Stephen Nachmanovitch

Sing O Muse of whatever comes to mind. Begin anywhere and follow the flow. There's no telling where you might be swept off to. The improvisational process is rooted in free association — and the near guarantee that after a while, free association will turn up significant patterns. Even the most trivial thoughts can lead to a network of connections. The first gesture, sound, word, brushstroke, or thought may seem arbitrary, but it reminds you of this; this suggests that; that suggests the next thing. The pieces start fitting together. After a period of wandering, you may find yourself standing in a strange place that turns out to be your ancestral homeland — to encounter your original nature and know it for the first time.

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Tranquilista

Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play

By Kimberly Wilson

The notion of creativity can be tricky to grasp. What exactly is it? Well, the art of being creative, of course. But what does "being creative" mean? Although I've read heaps of books and have focused on living creatively for the past decade, I still struggle to define the term. I first discovered that I was creative by reading books claiming that everyone is creative. This feature is all about unleashing your creative juices, exploring ways to live creatively, and basking in this state of expression.

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Standing at Water's Edge

The Need for Others

By Anne Paris, PhD

To begin my discussion about the importance of others in supporting the creative process, I would like to present an interview I had with Loren Long, an accomplished artist who has illustrated many books, including Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna, I Dream of Trains by Angela Johnson, a 2004 edition of When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer by Walt Whitman, and the 2006 redo of the classic The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. I met with Loren at a very comfortable and homey small coffeehouse. He seemed right at home there, casual and easygoing. "Everyone thinks that I am so laid-back and relaxed. But my wife will tell you that I am actually quite intense when it comes to my work."

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Creative Careers Interviews

Diana Rivera: Artist, Humanitarian, Creative Empowerment Life Coach

By Chris Dunmire

Diana Rivera teaches the art of Drama to children, arts integration to teachers and creative empowerment / success to individuals in the creative industry as a Creative Empowerment Coach. Diana develops original content for children's TV, children's books and professionally for the theatre. Her last show, "Boop," written in conjunction with Elisabeth Millican of Feather Lead, is about the creative birth of the character Betty Boop. She is toward the tail end to being a certified Core Energy Life Coach through iPEC and is developing a course entitled "The Creative Frequency" for emerging to mid-level creatives in Los Angeles.

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Series Spotlight

Hank Kellner's 'Reflect and Write'

Now more than ever, we must take advantage of students' increasing fascination with graphic images as opposed to written words. This engaging series from educator Hank Kellner is based on his book Reflect and Write and capitalizes on marrying dynamic images to original poems that were written by students at the junior and senior high school levels, teachers, and other writers nationwide. Each installation in this series contains key words and popular quotations to inspire critical thinking along with poems, photographs, and quotations to help stimulate spirited class discussion and provide prompts that will evoke meaningful writing by students.

Why People Respond to Images | Graphic Images Surround Us | Inspiration in Monet Paintings | Black and White Images | The Power of the Visual | Isolation and Education | Nature's Dynamic Forms | Where You're From | Crossing Bridges | Rap as Poetry | Humor Inspires Writing | Metaphors Inspire Writing

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Profiles of Creative Empowerment

How Rage Grew from 'The Tango Lesson'

By Diana Rivera

Have you ever wanted to create something but got side tracked by another project? You are all nodding your heads. Has it ever been that the secondary project ends up coming to life but you still have an intention to get the original project done? You might still be nodding your heads. I'm a sucker for Tango. My perception of it is blissfully romanticized by my love for Astor Piazolla — the great Tango Composer and Accordion player. Black slick outfits, close contact between dancers and swift movements that leave you lingering for the next encounter…I'm all about it.

I was first drawn to Sally Potter's film, "The Tango Lesson," because of the magnificent key art.

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Series Spotlight

Invoking the 9 Greek Muses through Creative Imagination

Molly Anderson-Childers

The original nine Athenian muses were the nine sister Goddesses of Imagination, Inspiration, and The Arts in ancient Greek mythology. Many cultures have celebrated, worshipped, and tried to entice the Muses. This series explores the variety of ways in which you can invoke each of the muses and enjoy their accompaniment in your own creative life.

Calliope | Clio | Erato | Euterpe | Melpomene | Polymnia | Terpsichore | Thalia | Urania

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Books & Printables

Boost your Brain Power: Tree-mendous Memory! Games

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.

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Elemental Muses

Earth, Creative Bedrock: Standing on Solid Ground

When I reflect upon the element of earth, this is what comes immediately to mind: The importance of allowing your creative work to be the foundation you stand upon. Inspiration is not just some flight of fancy. It is the air you breathe; the water you gulp down when you are thirsty; the bread that fills your belly. The process and products of your creative work will feed your soul, if you let them. They can fill your belly, too, providing an important source of income, and an influx of resources and contacts you wouldn't have access to otherwise.

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Writing Inspiration & Encouragement

Writing Around Numbers

By Barbara Abercrobmie

There's comfort in numbers for writers. Carolyn See tells writers to write 1,000 words five days a week and one "charming note". Ray Bradbury says to write 1,000 to 2,000 words everyday for the next twenty years. Dorothea Brande in Becoming a Writer advises getting up one hour earlier every morning and writing whatever comes to you. There's a Web site called One Hundred Words. I'm always pushing five minute exercises. We all have a magic number, a formula for you. A poem every morning for 100 days, or 1,000 words every day. Beginning to write can feel like such chaos in the beginning that these numbers are like little rooms for organizing the chaos.

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Artful Project Prompts

How to Make a Creative Spirit Doll

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.

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