"I suspect I enjoy saying I’m a freelance writer more than I actually enjoy being one." — Mimi Greenwood Knight, Life As I Know It

Serious Series: New Creativity Portal Features This week I'm excited to introduce three new original feature series coming to you straight from the Creativity Portal in partnership with the following people:

John Dillon & Vivian Nesbitt: Art of the Song — Creativity Radio
Art of the Song is a one hour syndicated radio show co-hosted and co-produced by John Dillon and Vivian Nesbitt with music and interviews exploring inspiration and creativity through songwriting and other art forms. John and Viv will be sharing some of the show's "Creativity Corner" segments on the Creativity Portal to inspire our readers. The first segment is featured further down in this newsletter. If you haven't had a chance to tune-in to Art of the Song, you can find a station near you or listen online. For more information, visit www.artofthesong.org.

Angie Dixon: An Open Mind
We unveiled Angie in our last newsletter with her tongue-in-cheek How NOT to Be Creative and two other articles, and are pleased to have her continue her creativity inspiring writings through a column named An Open Mind. Her first installment is featured further down in this newsletter. We are happy to welcome Angie's Leonardo Trait perspective and her wonderful sense of humor.

Mark Levine: The Fine Print of Self-Publishing
Mark Levine is authoring a series of articles for Creativity Portal readers based on his book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, which analyzes and ranks the contracts and services of 48 self-publishing companies. This information will be of special interest to writers considering self-publishing their work. His first article and The Author's Bill of Rights are featured further down in this newsletter.

An Update on My "Blogging the Creative Journey" Invitation

I was happy to hear from a number of you who responded to my Blogging the Creative Journey Invitation from the June first newsletter. A new section on the Creativity Portal will soon list creativity-inspiring blogs that chronicle the creative journeys of artists, crafters, writers, and other creativity enthusiasts.

The criteria for blog listings is that they should be well-established, creativity-inspiring, family-friendly, and on-topic. If you have a blog that you'd like considered for inclusion on this list, please e-mail me the URL and tell me a little about it. I can't promise that every blog will be included (see criteria), but do thank each one of you for sharing your blogs with me.



Chris Dunmire
Publisher, Creativity Portal

Creative Solutions & Inspirations from the Modern Day Muses
Exposure Realms (Part 1) This month I ventured out of my realm into the world of business. Exposure to fields we normally do not venture into jiggles the controls on our minds so ingenuity leaks in.

Art of the Song Creativity Radio
Creativity is for Everyone! You don’t have to be an artist or a musician to be creative. Any life can be lived as a work of art, if lived with joy, humility, and the spirit of the present moment.

An Open Mind
The Courage of Public Creativity Creating is an act of courage. There’s no doubt about that. Just to put the words down, make the brush strokes, sing the notes. That’s pure, unadulterated courage.

The Fine Print of Self-Publishing
Traditional Publishers Released Fewer Books in 2005 Learn why this is good news for unpublished writers.
Plus: The Author's Bill of Rights

Interview with Artist Ellen Spencer A celebrated artist known for her colorful paintings of women, she is also a dedicated environmentalist, poet, woman’s activist and health advocate, and an all around champ for the underdog.
Plus: Q & A with Wine Maker Lane Tanner

Are your surroundings encouraging or destroying your creativity? I believe your surroundings are a direct reflection of your thoughts. Everything begins with a thought — so if my space is chaotic, cluttered and stagnant — what does that say about my chances for successful creative projects?

Mask Making Project (Plaster) One of the most transformative and creative acts you can undertake is to create a mask of your face. This project shows you how to unmask the inner and outer you.

Passion Mapping: Creating Your Own Dream Collage Experience your authentic self through exploring your wants, needs, and desires through passion mapping.

Natural Resistance Three ways to navigate the terrain of natural resistance when seeking to birth new visions, products, strategies, and paradigms.