Five Years of Creativity Portal: Best Features
2000 to 2005
 If
you would have asked me five years ago what my plan was for the
Creativity Portal Web site, I would
have smiled and said "who
plans a creative adventure?"
Indeed,
the seeds planted at Creativity Portal's inception did not include a
business plan, marketing strategy, or other commercial intent. In the first
three years of its existence, the Creativity Portal was a pure labor of
love that was tended to almost daily with whatever creative energy I could
muster up after a long day at work. My efforts eventually paid
off when this creative dream took on a life of its own.
As the Creativity Portal grew in size and stature, it attracted
more explorers, seekers, and contributors who've generously added their voices
to the creative chorus emanating from its corridors. It became necessary
to forge partnerships with kindred spirits and other entities
to help sustain its momentum and growth. Today, the Creativity Portal stands
tall amongst "creativity" Web sites online.
Applauding Accolades
 Recognition for the Creativity Portal has been noteworthy over the
years. In 2005, its Imagination
Prompt Generator was featured on
Blogger's
Buzz and
the site was proclaimed "Kool" by
Kim
Komando,
a syndicated radio show host for one of the Top 10 programs in the US.
In addition to glowing recommendations from the virtual world, the Creativity
Portal found its way into the print realm via Imagine
magazine, Writer's
Digest,
and a textbook titled Web-Based
Learning: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation (Pearson Merrill
Prentice Hall, 2006) by Gayle V. Davidson-Shivers and Karen L. Rasmussen.
After five years of being online, and still an exciting creative
adventure, I decided that this is the best time
to draw attention to the most impacting features the Creativity Portal
has offered over the years — and give equal attention
to its most prolific collaborators. If this is your first time visiting the
Creativity Portal, treat this as a "must-see" list. If you're a
long-time supporter of the site, consider this a Cliff-Notes guide to review
at your leisure.
Where will the Creativity Portal be in the next five years? That's the
fun and mysterious part of this creative adventure. If you really want to
know, you'll just have to stick around and find out. I know I will.
Enjoy!
Chris Dunmire
Publisher, Creativity Portal
www.creativity-portal.com
December 2005
Categories of Their Own
Popular site sections and features.
Be Creative! Articles
Inspiring articles contributed by authors, artists, and coaching professionals
related to creative living, enhancing creativity, workplace creativity, overcoming
blocks, self-care, and interpersonal issues.
Creativity
Portal Playground
Secretly named Creo City, the Creativity Portal Playground
features imaginative art and craft projects, fun how-to articles, and
an assortment of online resources for creative, interactive, and imagination-inducing
activities. A playful resource for parents, teachers, and
kids at heart!
Be Creative! Adults Activities
Take a quick creativity break! Activities to amuse your muse include
Nit Wits coloring pages, TypARTgraphy, gum wrapper origami, write the
story prompts, and downloadable fun.
Nit Wits
Corny comic fun that creatively joins the nits with the wits.
Classics from the first 25 comics include: Roll Play, Purrassic Park, Elepants,
Tee Time, Punkin, Buttox®, One Night Stand, and Creative Outlets.
Imagination Prompt Generator
A random writing and blogging topic generator. This push-button
prompt tool was a featured Blogger Buzz
site in 2005.
Q & A — Help Along the
Way
"Take what's useful and leave the rest" Q & A related
to Creativity Portal themes. Helpful to various stages of a creative life.
Inspiring Creativity Success Stories
Real stories from artists, writers, and others
who've followed their passions into the marketplace and enjoy financial rewards
for their creative products and services.
Inspiring Article Series
Past series and on-going features.
Be Mused
Susan M. Brackney's
syndicated column that "offers inspiration and good advice for anyone looking
to live their dreams — no matter what they
may be."
Chronic Creativity Excerpts
Angela Mack's "creative" diagnostic look at the condition of Chronic
Creativity and
how to become infected.
Learning from Leonardo da
Vinci
An exploration of da Vinci's methods and habits related to his creativity.
Includes information and reflections from the the book How to Think
Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael
J. Gelb.
Inspiring Creativity Anthology Excerpts
Three full-length chapters
from the book Inspiring Creativity: An Anthology of Powerful Insights
and Practical Ideas to Guide You to Successful Creating. Chapters
authored by Rick Benzel, Dave Storer, and Kate R. Quinlan.
Self-Care for Artists of
All Kinds
Self-Care Coach Linda Dessau's articles aimed at "increasing
your awareness of your own self-care issues, and how they might be linked
to your creativity and your creative dreams."
Cool Creativity Projects
"Outside the box" activities and projects.
Novelty
Origami Dollar Bill Money Plant Project
Money doesn't grow on trees... or does it? This
project will plant seeds in your mind on new, creative ways to gift money
to others when the occasion calls for it.
The
Art and Creativity of Joy Sikorski
Joy Sikorski is the author of the famous How to Draw series: How
to Draw a Radish, How to Draw a Cup of Coffee, How
to Draw a Clam, and Squeaky
Chalk. Enjoy Joy's sample drawing lessons and her exclusive interview
with the Creativity Portal.
Violette's
Creativity Tips & Folk Art Fun
Violette's whimsical art has graced the pages of rubber stamping magazines
and many online 'zines. Her creative spirit is contagious and her imagination
endless. Enjoy several of Violette's funky folk art projects and other
creative tidbits on the Creativity Portal.
Gum
Wrapper Origami Tutorial
This project proves that gum wrappers aren't just for disposing chewed-up
gum. This fun tutorial gives a whole new purpose to those corny Bazooka
Joe comics.
Collage Cubies
Project
A clever way to think 'on all sides' of the box! This innovative
collage cubies project takes creative collage art to the next dimension:
3D!
Beginner's
Collage Tutorials
An excellent "how-to" guide for new collage artists and those
interested in trying their hand at collage art for the very first time.
Altered
Board Book Project
Artist Karen Hatzigeorgiou takes beginner "altered" enthusiasts
through a step-by-step altered board book tutorial as an introduction
into the world of creating altered book art.
Innovative Wire
Sculpture Guide
Elizabeth Berrien, world-class wire sculpture artist and founder of the
International Guild of Wire Sculptures, teaches the art
of innovative wire sculpture in this eye-opening guide.
Fabulous Free Stuff
Original printables for Creativity Portal visitors. Please
review our Terms
of Use before downloading.
Creativity Portal FREE Printable
Calendar
A yearly tradition on the Creativity Portal as a gift to our visitors.
Download and print your inspiring calendar right now.
Mirecle33
Creativity Patch
The official "Creativity Patch" developed by Dunmire Labs (link
opens printable PDF file). Get
the Whole Kit 'n' Kaboodle...
Money
Plant Novelty Seed Packet
An awesome April Fool's gag or a clever add-on to the Money Plant project.
You provide your own money-flowering seeds (if you can find such things!).
Novelty Patch Clip Art
An endless play on the patch concept: If you think it, you can make it.
Free clipart to download and amuse yourself.
Other Creativity Portal Printables
No Frills greeting cards, coloring pages, bookmarks, gift tags, and other
printable fun.
Prolific Collaborators
Creative artists and authors who've been close collaborators
with the Creativity Portal.
Violette
A whimsical creative spirit who lives in a "Magic Cottage" and drives her painted "Glittergirl" van
around B.C. Canada.
Linda Dessau
The self-care coach whose insights and encouragement helps transform
artistic lives.
Molly Anderson-Childers
An inspiring Five-Minute Muse and artistic facilitator for bringing creativity
and spirituality together.
Heather Blakey
A down under kindred spirit, Web mistress of the Soul Food Cafe (www.dailywriting.net),
and friend of the Creativity Portal.
Michelle
Pariza-Wacek
Creative Concepts & Copywriting queen providing communications and good advice
on 'cutting through the chaos.'
Bruce Price
A novelist and digital artist who writes about education, language, and
cultural issues. Bruce's "Death to Photoshop" and "Plight
of Poetry" articles are On the Other Hand Creativity
Portal classics.
Jori Lynn Keyser
A prosperity coach for artists and craftspeople, with soul-reaching insights
for artists and budding artists of all kinds.
Joshua
and Cheryl Burkhardt
Two of the first Creativity Portal collaborators who've generously shared
their inspiring stories and creativity advice with our readers.
|
