June 2005 Newsletter #1

"Sometimes you need to give up some control. Let go. What else was Jackson Pollack doing with those dripping brushes?" — Bruce Price, MAX Your Creativity

In This Issue

• June 2005 Journal
• What's New @ the CP
• Q & A: Help Along The Way

June 2005 Journal

by Chris Dunmire

Yes, You ARE Creative!
Are you one of those people who claim 'not to have a creative bone in your body?' If so, you're going to love this newsflash: Yes, you ARE creative!

Why am I so confident in telling you this? For the simple fact that I've observed countless people in my life — friends, family, and co-workers — make this same claim only to later realize how wrong they were! Oh, and guess what? I used to be one of those "I'm not creative" people too.

CREATIVITY TIP #1

—> Do something radically different with your favorite form of art.

One of the most certain ways to get stuck in a creative rut is to keep doing the same ol' thing — the same way — every time. Get out of the rut by introducing a new 'twist' to your art projects.

For example, if your favorite medium is:

• CLAY, infuse it with FOUND OBJECTS
• PAINT, apply it to UNUSUAL SUPPORTS
• COLLAGE, design it THREE DIMENSIONAL

Make it a point to try something radically different on your next art project or two, and see how quickly the 'rut' becomes a 'road'.

<— end of tip

I'd love to hear what kinds of unexpected, serendipitous results you get from applying this creativity tip to your work. Please e-mail me your experiences through the Creativity Portal contact form (URL below).

Oh, and just to be fair, I'll share how this tip has helped me. You'll find my positive experience unveiled in a new project I've playfully named 'Collage Cubies.' Read all about it in "What's New" below.

Chris Dunmire
Publisher, Creativity Portal

What's New @ the CP

Collage Cubies: A Fun Play on 2D Collage Art
By Chris Dunmire
Don't just collage. Cube it! This awesome Collage Cubie tutorial takes you on a self-guided tour of paper collage, decoupage, paper model folding, and 3D sculpture. Try this once and you'll never view your paper collage art from inside the box again!

Think Orange! Creativity & the Sacral Chakra
By Louise Pool
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could just flick a switch and turn on your creativity? Sadly, at times, tapping into your creativity can feel like trying to squeeze water from a stone. The good news is, there are ways of encouraging creativity and one of these ways is through balancing your sacral chakra.

Poetry: Exploration and Experience
By Mary Diane Hausman
Are you ready to abandon your poems? Before you toss your newest poem away, revisit it using some exercises that have proven helpful to poets who are feeling "stuck."

Q & A: Help Along The Way

Q: What an incredibly beautiful, inspirational website that I can 'play in' for hours! A question, please... do you always keep the same articles on your website, or should I find a way to 'save' the articles in case they aren't there anymore when it's 'time' for me to create some artwork?

A: Yes, the articles and projects published on the Creativity Portal Web site are archived indefinitely. Once published, we don't intend to remove them, so you can bookmark away and return later.

However, due to the nature of the Web or some other unforeseen circumstance, this could change. In that case, we do allow you to save or print pages from our site for "personal use" and reference only.

Free Bookmark Templates
Q: I want to help my little girls make bookmarks with their own pictures on them to use as presents for Christmas. Do you have any downloadable templates?

A: The Creativity Portal indeed has a page of blank bookmark templates (3 per page) you may download and print for this project. The blank bookmarks are 2" x 8", but may be trimmed down if you wish to create a smaller bookmark size.