"We as artists bring forth life, whatever form of art we pursue." — Kristi Kovalishyn, The Beauty Emerges

Story-Enhancing Sound When I was a child just learning how to read, I owned a small collection of picture books that each had a 45 rpm black vinyl record tucked inside the book cover flap. The record was to be played while I followed along in the book, eagerly turning the pages to the sound of a ringing bell or beep. This recorded add-on was an effective tool in teaching me how to read and had the side benefit of enhancing the story-telling experience of the book. Being a lifelong bookworm I truly cherished those things, even though I scratched many-a-record because in transport they kept rolling out of the book cover onto the floor (smartly, records were later replaced by non-scratching cassettes).

This week, in tribute to my childhood recording-enhanced picture books, I'm excited to share a cool little add-on that goes with our newest Art of the Song Creativity Corner segment by John Dillon. In his piece titled "Inner & Outer Creative Sources" John writes about a song he co-wrote called "Building in my Mind," which is a metaphor for getting back to one's place of inspiration. The song is a beautiful reflection for "exemplifying the power of intention and visualization" and I highly recommend downloading it to enhance the story-telling experience of John's piece.

To download the song, simply go to the Art of the Song Web site and scroll down to the bottom of the home page. The download link is in the right-side gray menu where it says "Click for MP3 Download of John Dillon's song: Building in My Mind (as described in the Creativity Corner)."

If you enjoy this add-on experience (like I did) and wish to thank John for making his inspiring song available, please tell him that Chris from the Creativity Portal sent you.

Urania's Universal Ubiquity
Please don't miss the final installment (9 of 9) of the groundbreaking Nine Athenian Muses series by Molly Anderson-Childers where you're sure to be inspired by Urania, Greek Muse of astronomy, astrology, and universal love. And don't panic if you're wondering where you're going to to get your next muse fix after this because next month we'll be unveiling MORE cool stuff about muses, so stay tuned...



Chris Dunmire
Publisher, Creativity Portal
www.creativity-portal.com
e-mail

Nine Athenian Muses
Urania's Meteor Shower Only by loving yourself and all of creation can you truly thrive and grow creatively.

An Open Mind
Be Your Creative Self It is possible to do something "for the money." But I think "do what you love and the money will follow" may be more true than most people think.

Art of the Song Creativity Radio
Inner and Outer Creative Sources Could it be that being in the "right physical place" makes it easier to connect with one’s "inner peace?"

THINK SMALL (No, I'm not Joking...) We have been conditioned to "think big" at any cost, even though it means overlooking sources of joy, wisdom, and inspiration.

The Creativity Question What sort of education produces the most creative people?

Monkey Mind Goes to the Circus If you’ve ever read one of Natalie Goldberg’s books on writing, then you know what monkey mind is.

Trusting the (Creative) Process When I began my career as a copywriter, I never thought I would go through so many ups and downs.

Writers' Workshops — Damage Control What sort of damage can occur in writer's workshops and how can it be limited?

7 Creativity Secrets
Sometimes we look so hard for the answers and the ideas we need, we overlook the most obvious places they're to be found.
Plus: Doubt You're Creative? The Overwhelming Case for Your Defence