"A light mind creates an inner playground for ideas. Insecurities mortals have about letting down their adult guard, and thus look foolish, need to be reexamined for the benefit of creative exhilaration." — Jill Badonsky, Fun is an Elixir of Spontaneous Ideas

English Journal Recommends Creativity Portal It is my privilege to share that the Creativity Portal has been favorably reviewed in the English Journal print publication (Vol. 96, No. 3, January 2007), published by the National Council of Teachers of English and Colorado State University.

The Creativity Portal review appears in a section titled "Tools for Teaching" edited by Colleen A. Ruggieri from Boardman High School in Boardman, Ohio, under the title "Opening the Door for Words at Play." More »

Four More New Year's Nuggets:

1. Do you remember reading the January 1, 2007 Creativity Portal newsletter? Me neither, 'cause I didn't write one! Instead, I was tip-toeing on the south rim of the Arizona Grand Canyon wondering how many millions of people have made a similar pilgrimage to breathe in the same wondrousness that I was.
   
   
2. The complimentary 2007 printable Creativity Portal "Inspiring Quotes" calendar is now available for download. Print Yours Now!
   
   
3. Angie Dixon's book, "The Leonardo Trait" is now available through Amazon.com as well as through LeonardoTrait.com. You can read my Foreword and a Chapter One Excerpt from the book on the Creativity Portal Web site.
   
   
4. This year I've decided to throw New Year's Resolutions out the window. Instead, I bought a colorful half-price SpongeBob SquarePants calendar and hung it up on my desk corkboard AND fished out my smiling Gumby and Pokey bendy-arm figures and placed them on the shelf above my monitor.
   
   These playful reminders will keep me conscious of my need for extra flexibility and fun this year. Not coincidentally, this ties in with Jill Badonsky's inspiring article this month on Bea Silly, the Modern Day Muse of play, humor, and lightening up. Okay, I'll fess up: I DO watch SpongeBob SquarePants AND I love it! Barnacles!

Chris Dunmire
Creative Director and Publisher, Creativity Portal

Multicultural Muses
Finding Yemaya: An Adventure At Home On Yemaya, the ancient African goddess of the sea — music, ritual, and celebration is her specialty. Plus an answer to the essential question: Can Robert Johnson cure the blues?

Inner Voices of Creativity
Inner Vision, Outer Truth Get quiet for a few moments and look (really look) inside your own heart. What is going on inside of you? If you stop and take a look, can you see?

Creative Solutions & Inspirations from the Modern Day Muses
Fun is an Elixir of Spontaneous Ideas
Putting too much pressure on yourself to perform perfectly, shuts off the flow of ideas that come with lightness, uninhibited play, and sleeping backwards on your bed. PLUS: Muse Profile: Playing with Bea Silly

Creative Careers in the Arts Interviews
An Interview with Anne Marie Bennett Get an intimate look into Anne Marie's creative career as an artist, writer, and SoulCollage® facilitator.

2007 Printable Creativity Portal Calendar If you're ready for a new creativity-filled year, you'll love this 2007 Quote-of-the-Month calendar featuring some of the most inspirational quotes pulled from the articles published on the Creativity Portal in 2006.

Tools & Features for Teachers An easy reference page for educators of all kinds to "Byte into Creativity" on the Creativity Portal Web site to foster creative expression in the classroom.

Your Best Fake Excuse for Not Writing As a coach, I have encountered many people who claim lack of time as their number one excuse for not writing. But I have discovered that there are other things that make it easy to avoid our writing.