September 2005 Newsletter #1

Escaping from Creativity-Halting Goo

"Look upon your day job as the blessing it is while you set your formidable creativity to the joyful task of honoring your art every day and growing from the challenge." — Jori Lynn Keyser, 11 Tips to surviving a day job with your creativity intact

In This Issue

• September 2005 Journal
• What's New @ the CP

September 2005 Journal

by Chris Dunmire

If you give it, e-mails will come …

"Inspiring Creativity" Giveaway #2 Results

Aunita from Iowa claimed the second "Inspiring Creativity" anthology in our book giveaway promotion. Way to go, Aunita! We know you'll enjoy this book just like Allison (the first book winner) is enjoying hers. Allison wrote us to say "It is just like attending a seminar with wonderful inspiring speakers, only closer to home and (well) cheaper (because it was a gift). It was like Christmas in my mailbox."

I'm having a great time with this promotion and want to thank Rick Benzel from the CCA for providing us with the books and chapters published on our site. If you haven't had the opportunity to read the full-length excerpts by Kate Quinlin, Dave Storer, and Rick himself, you'll find them on the Creativity Portal at:

Inspiring Creativity Chapter Excerpts

The 19 additional contributions to the anthology are excellent too. The banquet of topics includes finding inspiration, overcoming perfectionism, self-appreciation, honoring self-expression, chronic illness challenges, and profiting from your creativity. So no matter where you are in your creative life, this book has something for you.

What's the OPPOSITE of creativity?

One of the qualifier questions I asked in the previous round was "what's the opposite of creativity?" Anticipating no single "right" answer, the most common responses were apathy, boredom, death, and fear. Others were prosaicness, maladroitness, depression, following the rules, mere existence, status quo, dull predictability, mindless, and complacency. And the 'winner of wit' response goes to Tara from Pennsylvania. Her answer: YTIVITAERC.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the last round of fun, and remember, there's one more chance for you to win a copy of "Inspiring Creativity". We'll be giving away our third book this week to a subscriber who plays along with the next promotion, which is detailed further down in this newsletter.

Chris Dunmire
Publisher, Creativity Portal

What's New @ the CP

UPDATE: Stocking the Prompt Pond
Writing prompt lovers will be happy to know that our Imagination Prompt Generator now boasts more writing and blogging prompts than ever! Keep pressing the button, because it'll never run dry.

What Does Creativity Bring to Your Life?
By Linda Dessau
In the Creativity Interviews, I asked 7 questions about the creative process to 19 creative artists from a variety of disciplines. One of these questions was "what does creativity bring to your life?"

Maturity and Creativity
By Douglas Eby
Age and maturity can bring a new level of passion, ability and insight for creative expression. Many creative endeavors flourish with increasingly varied life experience and the kind of vitality adult development can nurture.

Professional Writers Dance Between Passionate and Impersonal
By Bonnie Boots
Learning to survive in the marketplace requires some fancy emotional footwork. Read these tips for raising your writer's emotional I.Q.

Crafting — A Frugal Pastime
By Cynthia Roberts
Crafting is a part of most frugal people's lives. In today's busy world, crafting not only offers a way to exercise our creativity, it is a constructive way to wind down — a way to use leisure time to its greatest advantage.

Online Craft Malls: Tech-savvy Crafters Can Go Global
By Catherine Stabler
In today's global market, crafters, artisans, artists and designers need not rely on farmer's markets and craft fairs alone. The Internet provides such crafters with access to a global market, 24 hours a day, seven days a week traditional methods of selling just can't compare in terms of sales and exposure.