December 2005 Newsletter
Inspiring Creativity through Stories of Success
“As an artist, or anything else for that matter, you are not your
work whether it be your day job or your art.” — S.C. Giles, This
Is Just My Day Job
IN THIS ISSUE
- December 2005 Journal
- What’s New @ the CP
- Inspiring Success Stories
DECEMBER 2005 JOURNAL by Chris Dunmire
Inspiring Creativity Success Stories
One
of the first inspiring stories to appear on the Creativity Portal was in 2001
about an 11-year-old polymer clay artist named Joshua Burkhardt. I was excited
by Joshua’s creative talent and wanted to help tell his story
to the world. Working closely with his family, I had the opportunity to interview
Joshua and help with the process of publishing his first book, “Hangin'
Around with Noah.”
Joshua’s was one of many inspiring stories I’d come across through
my work with the Creativity Portal. And while his experience reflects the ideal
point A to B progression of a “successful” creative life ‘from
childhood on,’ the truth is that many stories aren’t so linear.
Between the two points, many people encounter obstacles and challenges that
make their creative dreams out of reach, at least for awhile. And those are
the stories I’m especially interested in.
I’d like to introduce a new feature on the Creativity Portal called “Inspiring
Creativity Success Stories.” This section will showcase stories from
artists, writers, and others who've overcome internal or external challenges
and found a way into the marketplace with their creative products or services.
The inspiration for this feature came from one of our readers named Belle
Keeney. Belle shared her background story with me about her Internet-based
business, Belle’s Printables, and I soon realized how empowering her
experience could be for others (see her story in the “Inspiring Success
Stories” section below).
If you are an artist, crafter, writer, creativity coach, or other creative
person who would like to share your inspiring success story with our readers,
please submit it to us. A link to our guidelines also appears below, along
with our first two stories: Belle’s Printables and the Soul Food Cafe.
P.S. Joshua Burkhardt’s story can be found in the article “The
Molding of a Young Mind."
Chris Dunmire
Publisher, Creativity Portal
WHAT’S NEW @ THE CP
How
to Get Your Day Job to Leave YOU
By Jori Lynn Keyser
Surviving your day job is all well and good, but what if
you’re ready — or
want to be ready — to leave your day job behind and pursue your art?
10 Principles for Keeping an On-going Journal
By Ruth Folit
There are no hard-set rules for keeping a journal.
Why
You Must Be a Story Expert
By Carla Rieger
Stories can change a person’s “frame of view” much
more powerfully than dry concepts.
Modern
Managers Need Leadership Skills
By Mihaela Lica
A manager is the person in charge of commanding and running
a business or a project. Leadership deals with the interpersonal relations.
INSPIRING SUCCESS STORIES
Belle's Printables
Learn how encouragement from friends boosted one person's creativity confidence
into launching her own printables business. Plus, Belle's site offers an assortment
of complimentary sample greeting card and gift tag printables.
Soul
Food Café
Heather Blakey shares her success story behind the Soul
Food Cafe — a
bountiful banquet and creative sanctuary for artists, writers, and bloggers.
Learn how you can share your inspiring creativity-related success story
NEW CREATIVITY PROJECT BOOK
52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity
52 Projects is a book brimming with creative project-making ideas based on
Jeffrey Yamaguchi's Web site www.52projects.com. Try a sample project (#33)
from this incredibly inspiring book right now.
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