The Nine Modern Day Muses
By Jill Badonsky, MEd
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.
Creativity Prompts
By Maria Chatzi
From time to time, we all need a creative break to help us stretch our creativity and get over our creative blocks. I've tried various approaches and found that one of the best ways to open myself up to creative potential is by exploring unconventional art. This exploration is a fun and exciting experience, intriguing and challenging at times, which hones our creative skills and craft. It results in a more unique and authentic style in our creative work because new ways of perceiving things and expressing ourselves always help us come up with fresh and bold ideas.
Creative Process
By Chris Dunmire
What is creativity? You may get a different response depending on who you ask, but studying the concept reveals creativity permeates all aspects of life from personal creation and artistic expression to collaborative business innovation, relationships, and problem solving in every realm possible. When we consider standard definitions of creativity, we see it involves both an innate ability and a process repeatedly engaged in as we move through our days to meet challenges and find solutions, not just as artists or inventors, but as every kind of person in every profession in every aspect of life.
Artist Spotlight
By Chris Dunmire
Joy Sikorski was the best-selling author of How to Draw a Radish: And Other Fun Things to Do at Work along with a series of 'how to draw books' featured in art museum bookshops across the nation including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, and Guggenheim Museum.
Enjoy a sampling of Joy's whimsical style in this fun collection of art lessons from her books Squeaky Chalk and How to Draw a Clam that includes a rolling vacation car, flapping Pterodactyl, long-tailed flying kite, dogs galore, cute piglet, and original twitter bird, along with insights from her interview about creativity, being an artist, publishing a book, and the legacy she desired to leave behind through her work.
Guided Imagery
By Molly Childers & Chris Dunmire
Your work, your every idea, is significant, for only you can bring your unique perspective to life. This guided meditation will free your inner muse through a Milkyway Marbles Meditation and sowing seeds in the Garden of your heart.
The Enlightened Way to Clear Writer's Block
By Tom Evans
I am sure you have read articles or books where you got the impression that the writer is intent on showing you how clever they are. Every sentence is perhaps littered with a word that makes you reach for the dictionary. On the other hand, we have all read a book that we couldn't put down? We just had to read the next chapter even though we should really have gone to sleep with a busy day ahead. In the same way that rampant emotions can interrupt our creative flow at the level of the unconscious mind, the ego can wreak creative havoc at a conscious mind level if it engages while you are writing.
Author Interviews
By Chris Dunmire
Jan Phillips is an evolutionary artist, author, workshop director and social activist. She is co-founder and Executive Director of the Livingkindness Foundation, a global network of grassroots philanthropists turning creativity into compassionate action. Jan is also cofounder of Syracuse Cultural Workers, publishers of artwork for social justice and global consciousness.
DaVinci's Genius Habits
By Linda Dessau
Creativity asks of us a certain level of curiousity. Every new piece of art, music or writing is unknown when we sit down (or stand up) to create it. When we approach that blank canvas, empty stage or notebook paper in a state of curiousity, we're truly opening the door to the muse — to our “inner artist”, our “higher power” and the creative flow of the universe.
Inner Voices of Creativity
By Anne Marie Bennett
Is there a part of you who is ready to let go of something old and step out in trust on a new path? It may be something as big as seeking a new job or relationship. Or it might be something smaller, but no less significant. Give this part of your inner world some power and strength by simply recognizing it and bowing to it. You can dialogue with it, or make a SoulCollage® card of your own to honor it. Name all of the support systems that are already in place for you as you begin this new part of your journey. Visualize yourself like the little girl on my card... walking across the entire thin pole. Imagine yourself falling, too, and notice how it feels as those four strong, loving arms catch you and hold you away from harm.
Premiums and 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: Play my Tree-mendous Memory! game. It comes in two editions: Fall and Spring and can be downloaded in four different styles.
Fostering Creativity
By Abby Connors
I'm talking to you, there, hiding under your blanket. You've forgotten how many times you've hit the 'snooze" button. You feel apathy, fatigue, overwhelmed by the relentless responsibilities of teaching. You just don't want to go back to that classroom. If you teach young children, you've probably been to Burnout Land — at least once. The usual suggested "cures" for burnout: Take a vacation, or at least a day off — make time for yourself and your needs. Try meditation, exercise, hobbies, time with nature. All good things, all vital for mental and emotional well-being. They can help us return to the classroom refreshed and ready to teach.
Creativity & Inspiration
By Tom Evans
If you were introduced to the idea of the atom at school, in all probability, you would have been told the atom had a nucleus with electrons revolving around it — much like our Sun and its orbiting planets. If you continued further study, this would have been replaced as a model by one where the nucleus and its components and the orbiting electrons were really waves of potential and probability — not particles at all.