Mini Design Lesson II: Color

There has been a tremendous amount of research on how color affects human beings and some of this research suggests that men and women may respond to colors differently. Color effects us emotionally, with different colors evoking different emotions. In short color has the capacity to effect the human nervous system.


Color Vocabulary:

• Hue: refers to the names of the primary colors, red, green and blue.
  
• Value: lightness and darkness of the color - the amount of white or black added.
  
• Intensity: the purity or saturation of the color
  
• Monochromatic color: use of one color where only the value of the color changes
  
• Analogous colors: colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel, e.g. yellow and green

Analogous colors next to each other on the color wheel "get along" and are referred to as being harmonious. Analogous colors are often used in visual design and have a soothing affect.

Complementary colors: colors opposite to each other on the color wheel, e.g. Blue-violet and yellow, represent colors positioned across from each other on the color wheel. Complimentary colors exhibit more contrast when positioned adjacent to each other -for example yellow appears more intense when positioned on or beside blue or violet (see picture below).

In the photograph above - green and yellow are analogous colors that harmonize where as the violet color of the shooting stars appears more intense against a complementary colored background.

Warm colors include: yellows, red and orange we associate these with blood, sun and fire.

Cool colors include: violet, blue and green because of our association with snow and ice.

Source: COMPOSITION & the ELEMENTS of VISUAL DESIGN

Activity: Record the Colors Around You

As you are out and about this season, note the colors around you and how they make you feel. What colors are you most drawn to? Which ones repel you? What types of color combinations do you like? Are the Analagous? Complimentary? Cool? Warm?

Do you find these colors in your wardrobe? in your house? If not, why?

Color Harmony: Layout: More than 800 Color Ways for Layouts That Work

Selecting the right color palette for any design project, whether personal or commercial, can make all the difference in getting it right. Colors set the tone for visual communication and are essential elements in effective information navigation. Unfortunately however, for most people, even many trained designers, choosing color is not an easy process, but with a little bit of science and a color advice, anyone can make the right choice. Color Harmony: Layout takes 23 descriptive adjectives and shows 10 different layouts (letterhead, poster, book jacket, brochure, newsletter etc.) in three color combinations for each adjective. The result is 1,035 color/layout variations illustrating how colors are used to great effect in design. was $25.00 now $16.50 | Buy Now

Mini Design Lesson I: The Rule of Thirds

If you've ever taken a photo class, you've probably heard of "the rule of thirds." If you haven't, it's a fairly simple concept & one that makes your compositions instantly more interesting and appealing. It works with photography, design, landscaping, etc. (Designers might be familiar with "the Golden Mean" - of which, the rule of thirds is a simpler variation).

The basic idea is, instead of plopping something right in the middle of your page (lawn, photo, wall, etc), divide your space into thirds and use that as a guide to place your image (shrub, pictures, subject).

Usually, photographers will place an imaginary grid over their image and adjust it so that the focal point isn't dead center. You can apply the same principles to any design aspect.

The Golden Mean is a slightly more complex version of this rule, in which your design space is divided through a mathematical ratio - causing each space to be smaller than the next.

Generally, what you'll find out is that if you pay attention to what type of design or layout "feels" the best, it will most likely align with the Golden Mean.

Here is a good tutorial on the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Mean.

Activity: Look for the Design Layouts That You Like
As your reading through magazines, shopping, or surfing the net, look for packaging or web designs that catch your eye, and ask yourself why you were attracted to that design. Is it the layout? The color scheme? The pictures? etc.

The more you understand about your own aesthetic preferences, the better you'll be able to incorporate those aspects into your life.

Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design

Cullen approaches layout with this comprehensive guide that begins with a series of step-by-step fundamental chapters (a "how-to" of layout) addressing topics such as Inspiration, The Process of Design, Choosing Type, Structure and Spatial Organization, Establishing Hierarchy, and Communicating Messages. Following this thorough and instructive section is a diverse collection of visual case studies showcasing some of the best of layout design; inspirational quotations; and a unique, progressive book design that is truly reflective of the content. was $40.00 now $27.60 | Buy Now

Searching...

I've been searching for Christmas gift ideas that, considering my budget, cost little to nothing to make. In my searching I keep coming across stories of people in third world countries that are creating amazing art objects out of trash. If they can envision and create these haut couture items out of nothing more than refuse, why is it that we have such a hard time in this country finding our creative sense? Or is it that we will only see trash as creative potential if our financial status reaches that of a third world citizen?


Items to experience (click on images for more information):

Basura Bags from Honduras

Coin Purses from the Philippines

Vietnamese Paper Vase

3 Things

Mohandas Gandhi once said, "There is more to life than increasing its speed."

In a world where we are finding new ways to multi-task and plug in, I would suggest that perhaps we take a moment (just one moment) to step back, take a deep breath, and look around.

Actually, this might be a good time to make your own personal list of the 3 important things to remember.

Have you ever seen the movie City Slickers? There's a scene that I just love: Curly (the gruff & tumble trail boss) asks Billy Crystal's character, Mitch (the City Slicker):

Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is?
[holds up one finger]
Curly: This.
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean shit.
Mitch: But, what is the "one thing?"
Curly: [smiles] That's what *you* have to find out.

Your 3 things are just that, yours. These are the things that you live your life for, the things that make your world beautiful & wonderful.

I would suggest that you keep this list in your pocket & when your life is getting rather hectic, take a step back, inhale deeply, find your list & read it - slowly. Once you've read it, take a look around. Is what you're doing enhancing the list? If it's not, maybe you should rethink what you are doing.

Good Neighbors

I suppose "good" is a relative term - but how would you define a good neighbor?

On our street, I feel confident in distilling the characteristics down to two types of neighbors: The kind who can't be bothered (because they already have enough going on in their lives - for which, I reserve no judgment), and the kind who will drag you out to watch a spectacular sunset (because it's spectacular). Our next door neighbors are of the latter breed. They are the type of people who you immediately like (for reasons unknown to you) - friendly and welcoming, with big big hearts. And this week, they lost a sister to suicide.

My heart swells for them. We brought them loaves of bread (such a seemingly small gesture in the face of such big circumstances), and through the pain, frustration, and anger you can still see the love & appreciation in their faces.

How unfortunate that neighbors like these are so few and far between, and more unfortunate still that this particular set has to face such difficulties.

A few years ago I had a friend who always ended her answering machine message with "be good to yourself" - I would extend this gesture to you, and suggest that your neighbors are worth such goodness as well.

The Orginizational Gene

Photo by jazzmasterson.

I'm convinced this is genetic.

Somewhere between the anality of Martha Stewart's labeled shoe boxes, jars of ribbon, and wallpapered cannisters, and the chaos of Oscar the Grouch's trash can lies my study.

I say this is genetic because this is very reminiscent of my mother's workspace, as well as my grandmother's workspace. (My dad's study, on the other hand, is pristine in comparison - why couldn't I get THAT gene?).

In attempts to organize, I've turned my closet into storage space, removing the hanging rod & replacing it with six foot long bracketed shelves and still I have clutter spilling out into the room. I have a work desk whose surface I've not seen in months, and art supplies that haven't seen the light of day since we moved last. At this juncture I have a handy half-moon path around my desk - leading from the door to my desk chair. All the rest of the floor space is filled with four foot high boxes of stacked clutter.

I look at magazine spreads that show artist's studios & am in awe. They always seem to have the perfect storage solutions: the old card catalogues from libraries gone by, the flat storage found at some flea market for a steal, book shelves built of old dresser drawers.... Yet whenever I go to the flea markets & thrift stores, all I find are rotted out partical board shelves and cheap plastic crates that wouldn't even hold a milk carton.

In my frustration, I draw out plans for the perfect storage solutions. My sketchbook is full of schematics for computer desks, mobile art desks, paper & tool storage, even hidden shelving units. It's my own little (organized) world & I disappear into it on occassion.

What would your organized world look like? Where do you disappear to when daydreaming or imagining your room | house | garden | office | etc?

Holiday Booklist

If you're looking for good gift-giving books this holiday season, here are some ideas

click on the image or the link for more information:

Visual Chronicles: The No-Fear Guide to Creating Art Journals, Creative Manifestos and Altered Books

Art journaling is fun, cathartic and EASY. Each chapter of Visual Chronicles quiets common fears such as "Nothing happens in my life." or "I'm just not artistic." with projects such as the "My Day Unfolds Journal", and "Experiments with Composition." Inside, you'll learn that journaling doesn't take big chunks of time--just bits and pieces here and there, whenever the spirit strikes. "Get Going" exercises offer instant ideas such as listening to the conversations you have with yourself or recognizing that meaningful ephemera is a part of each and every day. Soon, you'll see that inspiration awaits all around you: a midnight trip to the store, a favorite scarf, an unexpected phone call, junk email, your breakfast plate . . .

Living Out Loud

Remember those childhood days spent running in your bare feet, playing make-believe, and most of all, living life with wonderment? That youthful enthusiasm and playfulness are key to discovering who you are and what you love to do. Living Out Loud is the perfect prescription for a creative jump start to your life. Included are games, projects, activities, crafts, postcards, and playful ideas that will send you off on an exciting adventure, where you'll discover inspiration around and within you.

The True and the Questions: A Journal

In her books Spilling Open, Brave on the Rocks, and Messy Thrilling Life, Sabrina Ward Harrison shared her thoughts, fears, hopes, and joys through vibrantly illustrated journal entries. Her new work, The True and the Questions, invites readers to allow themselves to "spill open" and create their own illustrated journal, and leaves plenty of space for them to do so. Sabrina's gorgeous art and moving text are interspersed with thought-provoking prompts to readers, encouraging them to draw, paint, collage, and journal.

Drawing From Life: The Journal as Art

Jennifer New takes readers on a spirited tour into the private worlds of journal keepers an architect, a traveler, a film director, an archeologist, a cancer patient, a songwriter, a quiltmaker, a gardener, an artist, a cyclist, and a scientist, to name just a few illustrating a broad range of journaling styles and techniques that in the end show how each of us can go about documenting our everyday lives. Excerpts from journals by such artists as Maira Kalman, Steven Holl, David Byrne, and Mike Figgis give us a peek at how creative souls observe, reflect, and explore.

ReadyMade: How to Make [Almost] Everything: A Do-It-Yourself Primer

You need this book. As the stuff of life piles up and things spin out of control, we could all use a little help. These never-before-seen designs and how-tos are full of surprise and wonder. Learn how to turn everyday objects into spellbinding inventions to give away to friends or keep for yourself. Our simple self-improvement techniques will make you smarter, better-looking, and more well-adjusted.

The Architecture of Happiness
	With this entertaining and stimulating book, de Botton (How Proust Can Change Your Life) examines the ways architecture speaks to us, evoking associations that, if we are alive to them, can put us in touch with our true selves and influence how we conduct our lives.

Build Your Own Personal Bert

Artist Bert Simons, through the magic of 3D programming, has created a printable paper clone of himself, and now you too can have your very own Bert Simons clone:

right click on this link and save the pdf file to your computer. Print the 12 pages with over 100 parts on thick (80 grams) paper and start cutting and glueing and make your own personal Bert.

Sweating Small Stuff & Big Rocks

A little nugget from Stephen Covey:

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted.

Once again he said, "Good." Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "That's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all." What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Your children; Your loved ones; Your education; Your dreams; A worthy cause; Teaching or mentoring others; Doing things that you love; Time for yourself; Your health; Your significant other? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand) then you'll fill your life with little things you worry about that don't really matter, and you'll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff (the big rocks). So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first."

Everyday Greatness: Inspiration for a Meaningful Life
	Topics include: Searching for Meaning, Taking Charge, Starting Within, Creating the Dream, Teaming with Others, Overcoming Adversity and Blending the Pieces. was $24.99 now $16.49 | Buy Now

You've Been Spammed

Recently, I've been collecting those rather fluxian spam names that have popped up in my email box. I have yet to decide what to do with them, trying to stretch beyond the initial urge to make wall or toilet paper from them... I was thinking of something with embroidery.



The List... (so far)

Mervin Ochsner
Dada Gregoire
Ailpein St Louis
Chad Eidem
Peri Wimpy
Mora Bash
Sergius Pillar
Isidora Lovingood
Efrai Riese
Daciana Street
Avocatio Phosphoresc
Arto Restor
Greenis Judge
Sepp Heron
Jabbr Satterfield
Allud Traumati

Hectic Holiday (Eating) Season is Upon Us

This holiday season is particularly hectic at our household. Not only are we gearing up for time spent with our family, but we are also hitting the end of Semester (ahh, I remember it well). In a household with one graduate student and one college instructor, we're getting double whamied with Finals (both the taking and the grading). With heads spinning, we can barely think about what to have for dinner tonight, much less holiday gift giving, and I don't know when the last time the dishes were done.

Tempting as it is to bring home fast food, or even $4 frozen meals from the grocery store - we've opted for the healthier, less expensive, easy meal at home (and I'm not talking about a bowl of cereal here folks-- c'mon, we've all done it). No, I'm talking about deliciously easy meals, with easy leftovers:

PARMESAN ENCRUSTED TILAPIA

Ingredients:

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspooons paprika
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 tilapia fillets (about 1 pound total)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400º. In a shallow dish, combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the fish with the lemon wedges.


Source: Everyday | Rachel Ray

TUNA PUTANESCA & PENNE

Ingredients:

Salt
1 pound penne
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Two 6-ounce cans olive oil–packed tuna, lightly drained
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
Calamata olives, pitted and chopped (a handful) - optional
One 28-ounce can diced Italian tomatoes
Flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (a generous handful)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
   
2. While the pasta is working, heat a deep skillet over medium heat with the Olive oil. Add the tuna, flaking it with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the capers and olives and heat until warmed through, 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and parsley, lower the heat a little and simmer for 5 minutes.
   
3. Add a ladle of the pasta cooking liquid to the sauce. Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce and toss.
   

   Source: Everyday | Rachel Ray

PASTA FRITTATA

Ingredients:

12 ounces cooked spaghetti
3 ounces sliced green onions (& any other vegetables you want to add)
3 ounces bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable spray or margarine
3 heaping tablespoons shredded Fontina -optional
6 medium eggs
2-1/2 cups half and half
5 teaspoons cornstarch
Dash nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. Beat eggs, half and half, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg thoroughly until all ingredients are completely blended.
   
3. Blend the spaghetti, green onion, parmesan, and bacon in a bowl until evenly mixed.
   
4. Coat a 1-1/2-quart round baking dish, including walls, with spray or margarine. Empty the spaghetti mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly.
   
5. Add the frittata batter to cover the fillling mix.
   
6. Bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 25 minutes until center is set. When center is set, cover the frittata evenly with the Fontina and bake until cheese is golden. Turn off the heat and open oven door. Let the frittata set in the open oven for 15 minutes for the batter to set more firmly and make removing from the dish easy.
   Yield: 4 servings
   

   Source: About.com

GREEK TUNA SALAD

Ingredients:

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup pitted Calamata olives
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
One 10-ounce bag mixed salad greens, such as Mediterranean or European mix
Two 6-ounce cans olive oil-packed solid light tuna, drained and flaked

Directions:

1. Put the lemon zest and juice into a screw-top jar. Press the garlic and salt together with the side of a knife until the garlic is mashed; scrape it into the jar. Add pepper to taste and the olive oil. Screw on the lid and shake well until blended.
   
2. Put the tomatoes, olives and onion in a large salad bowl. Shake the dressing again and stir about half into the salad. Add the greens and toss. Gently stir in the tuna, then taste the salad and add a bit more dressing if needed.
   

   Source: Everyday | Rachel Ray

Click For a full week's menu & grocery list

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats--A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook)
	Even your favorite dinner can lose its appeal when it’s in constant rotation, so mix it up! With her largest collection of recipes yet, Food Network’s indefatigable cook Rachael Ray guarantees you’ll be able to put something fresh and exciting on your dinner table every night for a full year... without a single repeat! was 19.95, now $11.97 | Buy Now

Even Do Not Disturb Signs are Getting Creative

From Dexinger.com

Do Not Disturb Signs Get a Makeover

While you were sleeping, the "Do Not Disturb" sign turned into a clever, artful symbol of slumber.

A decade ago, most hotels viewed the dutiful door hanger like the shower cap -- an unsophisticated tool. Now, they're using the signs to brand themselves, express their personalities and appeal to image-conscious guests.

"Fuhgettaboudit," exclaims the slender black sign at Le Parker Meridien, a New York hotel with a New York attitude. "Composing a classic: Quiet please," intones the brightly colored hanger at Hotel Allegro, a music-themed hotel in Chicago's theater district. The tomato-red sign at Chicago's Hotel 71 takes brevity to an extreme: "No."

"Within the last five to 10 years, hotels have started stepping out to create something different that's going to attract people and keep them coming back," says Leon Banowetz, of Banowetz & Co. in Dallas. The advertising and graphic design firm created the chic, minimalist black "ZZZZZZZ (Catching some Zs)" sign that dangles from doors at Dallas' stylish Hotel Za Za.

My Favorite do not disturb sign has to be "Obsessed with Dreaming."

Why not make your own Do Not Disturb sign to use while meditating, napping, or whenever?

Activity: Make Your Own Do Not Disturb Sign

• Download the Door Hanger (Vertical text) template.
  
• Open the document and edit the text as needed.
  
• Print a test sheet to make sure the text is properly aligned.
  
• Load Cardstock into your printer, print your Door Hanger, and cut it out.

Source: Perfect Print Templates

To view one man's collection of Do Not Distrub Signs, visit the Do Not Disturb Web site

Evil Doers Beware!

Migs the marvelous mouser was at it again last night. In my dream-world daze of 3am, I heard her howlings of success as she caught and released another mouse. Although in dream terms it translated into a series of maze-like images including Migs-as-Super-hero, replete with sickeningly sweet techni-color (a la Roy Lichtenstein).

This may have had something to do with me spending most of my evening printing and cutting out Super Hero Magnets (as gifts for some friends).

At any rate, hearing her mousing-howl in my sleepy daze, I mistook it for cries of help. I patted the bed (still half asleep), and called her name, inviting her to come join me in my dream-world, before I realized that what I was actually doing was inviting a cat with a mouse up onto my bed. I jolted awake and out of bed in order to intercept our super-hero. (Luckily for me, she'd already lost the mouse under the dishwasher, where it would stay.)

Secure in the notion that she'd done her duty, protecting us from the mouse, she jumped into bed an hour later (sans mouse, thankfully).

Now maybe I just have Super heroes on the brain, but we have a friend who, instead of donning different "hats," to describe his various "roles," dons super-hero capes - and why not? Why not lift your status from the ordinary hat-wearing role, to the Super heroified-caped crusader role?

Challenge: Be a Super Hero
I challenge you to become your own Super hero: More powerful, more colorful, able to leap tall stacks of files in a single bound.... You don't have to make yourself a costume (unless you want to), but give your ordinary powers an extraordinary boost & see if it changes your attitude towards your daily/weekly duties.

A Simple Way to Bring Creativity into Your Home

Image by Jennifer Scott-McLaughlin

A few months ago I opened a home design magazine and was delighted to see that the featured interior had kitchen cabinets that doubled as chalkboards! How fabulous! Grocery list? it's written right there on the cabinet door!

Now, for some people this may be too out there - too much like graffitti in the safety of your own house. I understand completely, but why not take a step back, and hang chalkboard as you would a piece of art, only instead of some famous artist making the work - YOU do it. Draw a masterpiece in chalk! Hey, if you don't like it, you can always erase it, right?

I truly believe that the most overlooked of the artistic media, is the simple chalk board. Here you have, literally, a blank slate on which to create. Who says it has to be used solely for academic purposes? What better way to introduce a little abstract art into your world, than hang a chalk board & doodle all over it?!?

If Dustin Hoffman can do it in I Heart Huckabees, why can't you?

Until we moved, we had, hanging in our dining room, a 4' x 6' black board - made by yours truly for less than $30 -(I'll tell you how in a minute). The idea was that each week (or month) I would either add to or erase and redraw the design to my fancy. It's an easy, inexpensive, & fun way to bring art into your world - especially if you can't afford the stuff hanging in the galleries. (oh, and by the way, there are actually some artists that now use this as their medium, see image above for case in point.)

Now for the How To's:

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CHALK BOARD

MATERIALS

Luan or 1/4" smooth plywood cut to your desired size
Fine grit sand paper
chalkboard paint - this is usually found in the paint section of Lowe's, Home Depot, or even Wal-Mart. You'll find it in either a quart-sized or spray can, & it comes in black or green.
Paint roller and tray (if using the quart sized)
Chalk


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sand your wood until it is smooth. Wipe with a damp cloth to remove sawdust.
   
2. Follow the directions on the Chalkboard paint for application
   
3. once paint is dry, you'll need to condition the board by rubbing chalk all over it. This fills in all the little microscopic holes in the paint and makes an even smoother, accepting surface.
   
4. clean the board with a damp rag, and begin drawing.
   Try using colored chalk for a greater variety & if you want to get really fancy, try putting it in a frame (no glass, of course)

Evidence of Living

"everything that cannot be invested in human relationships is invested in objects."

Jean Baudrillard

For reasons known primarily to me, I collect "evidence" of my everyday existence & keep it in a scrapbook the way most people would keep pictures of family. I have books and envelopes full of physical items, like: stamps, ticket stubs, receipts, warning notices, flattened pennies, etc. This, in conjunction with recorded objects, such as dreams, observations, sketches of landscapes, make up my sketchbooks & influence my artwork.

As strange as it may sound, this is not an unusual phenomenon - In fact, it's an ever-growing one. Artists through the ages have collected objects that inspired, intrigued, or made experiences more concrete. They recorded the minutia of their lives, and years later we are still intrigued & craving more. In fact, in today's culture, we're seeing more & more organized movements encouraging the recording and collection of such "evidence."

Why else would we have interest in such things as:

• [Found Magazine] A magazine dedicated solely to the publication of found notes
  
• [Story Corps] mobile recording booths, created for the sole purpose of recording and archiving stories of everyday people
  
• [The Photo Booth Project] Web sites dedicated only to found photo booth pictures
  
• [1000 Journals] waiting lists several years long just to recieve a half used journal so that you may draw or write on one page, then send it on.

There is an intrigue with the stories behind inanimate objects - how & why they were used? who used them? & how did they find their way to this place? And as a collector, we help to perpetuate the story, and in turn become a part of it.

My voice... my action... my proof of existence can all be found in this anonymous, inanimate object.

Evidence: The Art of Candy Jernigan

The works collected here reveal a fierce and funny creative spirit, an artist whose commitment to documenting life as she really found it led her not only to record sample swipes of the food she consumed, but also to stuff a roadkill rat and lovingly arrange it in a diorama. Jernigan's method - using the precision of a scientist to reveal the souls of discarded objects - makes her advocacy of the overlooked at once surprisingly charming and thought-provoking. $29.95 | Buy Now

Alexander Calder

As I was trapped at home by the snow and ice, I spent most of my day trying to find fun Web sites for my students to visit.

The National Gallery of Art has a Virtual Tour of Alexander Calder's work. You can wander your way through the interactive galleries, listening to real audio exerpts as you do. Ain't technology Grand?

More Fun Sites...

• View Cirque du Calder
  
• Paint like Jackson Pollock
  
• Explore the Egyptian Pyramids
  
• Take a virtual tour of Hagia Sophia
  
• Explore the Mona Lisa
  
• Turn the pages of Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbook
  
• Making sense of Marcel Duchamp

A Lesson from Tyler Perry

As the story goes, at the age of 28, Tyler Perry, actor and playwrite, saw an episode of Oprah in which she commented that writing something down can act as a catharsis. Perry, who had grown up impoverished and abused, and spent most of his adulthood being angry about it, decided to give it a try and began keeping a diary. As he wrote, he would change the names of the characters (to protect his privacy more so than their's), and discovered that he had the beginnings of a play.

He decided to turn the events into a play, saved up $12,000 to rent a theater, hire a cast, and market. The play, called I Know I've Been Changed closed after a week, having shown to only 30 people. Perry, having spent all of his money on the production, was broke, and homeless. He would spend the next six years working on the play and saving up money.

Having already decided that if the play was not a success this time around he would quit for good, Perry opened the play in Atlanta at the House of Blues to sold out crowds. It would soon move to a larger venue, continuing to sell out each night.

This was his tipping point. From there he wrote several more plays and started a theatrical troupe which gained a huge following in the Urban Theatre which propelled him into Hollywood, even though no one there had heard of him. His plays have since become large grossing movies (Diary of a Mad Black Woman...).

All through the successes, Perry has been criticized for the style of theater he's created - but not once has he stopped using his authentic voice to tell these stories. And, although the stories may not connect to a universal audience, they have connected, and continue to connect, with (what is termed) the Urban audience.

So what's the lesson here? I think you can pick or choose: Persistence, follow your dream, don't give up even when it feels like you should.... More than any of that, Perry found his authentic voice & he let that voice be heard.

I challenge you to find your authentic voice.

Challenge: Find your Authentic Voice
keep a diary or journal & write in it daily. Write about difficulties that you feel keep you from your best self. If you can't find the words, draw, scribble, color - just let it out.

My Favorite Headline

Steam Train Maury, 5-Time Hobo King, Is Dead at 89

Steam Train Maury, who started life as Maurice W. Graham until a train whistle’s timeless lament compelled him to hop a freight to freedom and, much later, fame, as the first and only Grand Patriarch of the Hobos, died on Nov. 18 in Napoleon, Ohio, near Toledo

Source: Douglas Martin, NY Times

How many of us can say we've had such illustrious titles?

Ruminations on Color

Some more light reading, this time from Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses -

At twilight, pink wings tremble along the hilltops, and purlpe does a shadow dance over the lake. When light hits a red car on the streetcorner, only the red rays are reflected into our eyes, and we say "red." The other rays are absorbed by the car's paint job. When light hits a blue mailbox, the blue is reflected, and we say "blue." The color we see is always the one being reflected, the one that doesn't stay put and get absorbed. We see the rejected color, and say "an apple is red." But in truth an apple is everything but red.

Not all languages name all colors. Japanese only recently included a word for "blue." In past ages aoi was an umbrella word that stood for the range of colors from green and blue to violet. Primitive languages first develop words for black and white, then add red, then yellow and green; many lump blue and green together, and some don't bother distinguishing between other colors of the spectrum....

Welsh uses the word glas to describe the color of a mountain lake, which might in fact be blue, gray, or green. In Swahili, nyakundu could mean brown, yellow, or red. The Jalé tribespeople of New Guinea, having no word for green are content to refer to a leaf as dark or light.

A Sign from the Universe?

Photo by Nancy Wombat.

Alright, so you've seen those little colored flags used by construction companies and road workers? The ones that might indicate the location of a gas or water line to ensure that no one dig there? A friend of mine in Grad school decided it'd be part funny & part performance art to go on a road trip and plant those flags along the side of the road - as markers on his journey. He recruited me, and I did the same whenever I took a road trip. (so now if you see little red or blue flags sticking out of the ground along the highway across the U.S. - you can pretty much bet that either S.J. or I put them there).

I was remembering this rather silly folly yesterday as I was walking my dog down an alleyway and came across one of those flags just sort of sticking out of some brush behind someone's garage. It was a slightly bigger flag than the ones I've seen before, bright pink, with the word "Sketch" on it. Sketch? Really?? I have never seen anything like this. I've seen red flags with some sort of Warning printed on them (my favorite was a guy getting hit by lightning, presumably to warn of buried electric lines). I have never seen one that told me to sketch. So, I took this as a sign from the universe.

I also decided that there should be flags that say "Dance," "Create," "Giggle," etc.

Now, I would've never come across this happy little oddity had I not: A. taken the road less travelled, and B. been fully observing my surroundings (as is my duty as a Thing Finder).

Challenge: Take a different path

I challenge you to pull yourself out of your routine and take a different route to work or the grocery store this week. Experience a different part of your neighborhood, town, or city.

I remember once, when I lived in Kansas City, a friend and I were driving around Union Station (before it was renovated) & discovered that a candlemaker had a studio on the lower level (accessible only from the rear of the building) - we found damaged candles and blocks of wax in boxes near the dumpsters. We, of course, could not pass this opportunity up, so we took some home and spent the afternoon making our own crazy candles - all for the cost of exploring.

Cloud's illusions

It is a childhood rite of passage, I think, to sit on the grass looking up at a blue sky filled with billowy clouds that magically take the shape of our imaginations - a bear, lion, cricket, horse.... I found, that while this game was fun, I tended to try to identify the artist that may've painted that particular sky that day: the whispy clouds of Renoir, the open sky of Wyeth, the dramatic sky of Thomas Hart Benton... and as my vocabulary of artists grew, so did my vocabulary of clouds.

Last night, standing at my living room window I watched the sunset over the mountains and, as with most days, was in absolute awe as vibrant oranges, reds, violets, and indigos splashed across a rather Dante-esque sky. At one point, my perspective was inverted and the clouds looked as if they were wet sand being revealed by a receeding tide. Pure Magic! At moments like these, there is an understanding of how the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Mayans, Mesopotamians... all felt when looking up at such an amazing sight.

I know I'm not the only one completely awed by the ever changing palette of the sky. Yesterday I came across the Web site of the Cloud Appreciation Society, whose slogan is "look up and marvel." How often do we actually do this? The act of looking up is no big deal, but how often do we look up and marvel? -How often are we filled with wonder or astonishment?

Challenge: Marvel at something today

Look up and marvel at the sky, look down and marvel at the inchworm. Marvel at your cats persistence... etc.

Activity: Look Marvel up in the dictionary

List as many marvelous synonyms for Marvel as you can. Write each word in a new Marvelous way. Hang your list in a Marvelous location, so that you may marvel at it.

The Holiday Stress-O-Meter

As the holidays approach, stress levels rise. I never quite understood this phenomenon. I mean, I know the logistics behind it - lots to do, lots to clean, have to make sure everything's just right - the perfect meal, the perfect gifts, etc, so-on, & so forth. But why do we do this to ourselves? Is it out of love? shame? pride?

Every year my mom asks me if I have a christmas list, and every year (of my adult life, at least), other than the obligatory "socks and underwear" I tell her no. At this point in my life, its a gift to just be around them - no gimicks or ploys necessary. Now I realize that not everyone feels the same way about their family members & certain enticements (such as the promise of presents during the holidays) are needed. so be it, but the simpler you can make your holidays the better for the ol' stress-O-meter.

Why not make your holiday presents this year?

Challenge: Make at least one present for the holidays

You don't have to be Martha Stewart to make a nice little gift for someone. It can be as simple as a batch of cookies, or as complicated as a quilt. You can write a poem, take a photograph, etc. Use your skills and your creative sense to make something that is special.

If you need ideas, you can pop over to 101 Handmade Gift Ideas for projects, inspiration, and instructions.

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Heffalumps beware

Have you ever had "one of those days," where, no matter what you tried, you couldn't get past whatever the thing was that was keeping you from getting past it? It's not a bad day, and it's certainly not the type of day in which you might hear someone say in a rather Eeyore-like voice, "it's just one of those days," as if there was no hope for the day at all. No, instead it ends up being one of those days in which you almost got "there" (wherever there happens to be).

For me, I almost got the door at work unlocked without the alarm system going off & the alarm company having to call for clearance. I almost remembered to bring my lunch to work. I almost got the bill in the mail to be paid in time.

And I almost had a really great idea for a blog post, but as it happens the idea escaped me just as I sat down to write. And I sat glued to the computer screen, as if somehow, magically, the words would appear without me having to type them. After an hour of nothing, I decided to play a little game with myself. I decided to peruse my bookshelves until something popped out at me. When it did, I took it off the shelf and randomly opened to a page & read. If nothing spurred my creative sense, I put the book back and found another. The last book I pulled off the shelf, turning to a random page said this:

Tra-la-la, tra-la-la
Tra-la-la, tra-la-la
Rum-tum-tum-tiddle-um

Heffalump or no, I think that sums it up quite nicely.

More mouse-capades

It wasn't enough to have a midnight adventure with cat and mouse, now I have to have an afternoon adventure with mouse and coffee.

This afternoon one of my cats was rather insistent upon being on the kitchen counter. This is highly frowned upon at my house. We love our cats on the floor and in the lap, but in no way, shape, or form are they allowed onto such surfaces as the kitchen counter. Strict rules.

No sooner had I repremanded her, then a mouse jumped out from behind the microwave and scurried past my coffee cup, behind the utensil jar and in Kamakaze form, threw himself into the void between my stove and wall. I, of course, screamed bloody Mary, high stepped it into the other room and made several convulsive motions to indicate my utter grossed-outedness.

Once I recovered, I quite loudly stomped back into the kitchen (so's to scare off any other mice in waiting), took EVERYTHING off the counters and cleaned them like they've never been cleaned before. Strict rules be damned! If there is a mouse on my counter, you better believe, from this point out, that my cat is WELCOME up there!

I have to say that if it weren't for the mouse-capades, I don't think my kitchen would've gotten so clean. Sometimes all we need is that little incentive to get the work done.

Your challenge is to find that incentive.

Buried Treasure, an Aesop Fable

Antonius Pinto was the owner of a great olive orchard. He was also the father of three strong, but lazy sons.

Antonius tended his olive trees with very little help from his sons. Every morning before the sun grew hot, he could be found on the hillside, digging about the roots, loosening the soil, or pruning the old trees and propping the young ones; or, in harvest time, picking the ripe fruit.

And every afternoon at sunset, he could be found sitting on the hillside, resting in the shade of his trees. Then Antonius would look at the fine old trees; and he would sigh to think that he was growing old and could no longer give them all the care that they needed.

"Ah, yes," he would say to himself, "if my sons would but work as I have done, the yield from this orchard would bring us a fortune."

There came a time when Antonius no longer worked among his olive trees, for he was at rest from his labors.

His three sons met to hear the reading of the will, and the words filled them with astonishment: "I bequeath to my sons my olive orchard and equal shares in the treasure that lies buried there."

The three sons stared at one another. "Treasure!" they exclaimed. "Treasure buried in the orchard! If we hire others to dig there, our treasure may be stolen from us. We ourselves must work in the orchard until we find it."

So the sons divided the orchard into three parts and began to work as they had never worked before. They turned up the soil from one end of the orchard to the other, around the roots of each tree and between the rows. But no treasure was to be found.

That year, however, the olive trees bore so much fruit that the limbs were bent to the ground. Never was such a harvest of olives seen before! The three sons sold the fruit for a good price, and each received what seemed to him a fortune.

As they were dividing the money into three shares, one of them said, "Truly, our digging has brought us a treasure. Our father was very wise."

And so each year the three sons dug in the orchard, as their father had wished; and each year the orchard yielded its treasure.

Source Ongoing Tales

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Procrastination, meet Roadblock...

There are some days (or weeks) when all I want to do is the one thing I really shouldn't be doing that day (or week). I compare the feeling to those Saturday afternoons growing up, when all I wanted to do was to go out and play - but my chores weren't done. And the deal was, I could go out and play just as soon as I finished my chores. I, of course, did not like this deal as I hated chores and I loved playing.

So, instead of doing my chores, I would put up a fuss, drag my feet, try to convince my parents that I could go play now & do my chores later, this followed by a tantrum when they said "no." An hour or two would pass, and still pouting, I would come out of my room, reluctantly do the chores (making sure to slam things as much as possible to show my displeasure). 30 minutes later I would be outside playing. 30 minutes! If I had just sucked it up, spent 30 minutes doing the drudgery of those chores, I could've been outside doing what I wanted to do! Instead I created roadblocks for myself.

The more frustrated or angry I became, the more roadblocks I would throw up, and the more I could blame someone else (my parents) for my displeasure.

So here's the deal, for 30 minutes a day, you need to deal with the drudgery that stands between you and what you want. As Aesop was fond of telling us, if you don't put in the work, then you're not going to reap the rewards.

If you want to be more creative, then for 30 minutes a day work on the exercises that help you be more creative. If you want to be less stressed, then meditate, exercise, sing! whatever it takes to de-stress you. Or you can be like me at age 10 & sit and pout in your room, waiting for someone to come in and hand it to you (good luck with that).

Little Voice

Photo by koster79.

My 14 year old cat, Migs, has a spectrum of voices - most of which we'll hear on any given day: beginning with her sweet little "I like it when you pet me there" mew. 2. her, "but I really want to be on your lap NOW" meoww. 3. her repititious, rather staccato "My bowl is empty & I won't stop meowing until it's full" m' Ow. 4. the "I just woke up from a bad dream & am not quite sure where I am," meOWWW. 5. her rather guteral, "I have a bug trapped in your shoe" meROW, and 6. the still guteral yet muffled Operatic "I've caught a mouse and am carrying around in my mouth" meRWOWuh.

It was the latter that woke me up at 2:46 this morning as she paraded into the bedroom mouse in hand (or mouth as it were).

Now, I'm not generally a squeamish person, yet when mice are involved I tend to mimick those Saturday morning cartoons, where the woman of the house, upon seeing the mouse, shrieks and hops up onto the kitchen chair. It's true. As Migs "played" with the poor creature, letting it go, then chasing and catching it again, I was playing "the floor is made of lava" game - hopping from one piece of furniture to the next.

Finally able to shoo her out onto the sun porch, and freezing my toes off, I (rather bravely, in my mind) picked her up by the scruff, opened the front door, and held her like that until she complained so loudly that she dropped the mouse into the yard where it scurried away (probably making its way back into the house at some weak point along the foundation).

Thus was my late night adventure. (I liked it better when the cats just chased leaves).

I would suggest that just as my cat has voice to match every mood, so do you. I challenge you to find these voices & become aware of them.

Challenge: Find Your Many Voices

If you're not aware of your many voices, ask friends and family. Do you have a sleepy voice? an angry voice? an "I just want to have fun" voice? a sexy voice? a singing in the car voice? how about an "I didn't think anyone was listening" voice? I think you get the idea.

As you're discovering them, write about them. How does your voice change? Write down how your friends or family describe them.... List key descriptive words.

and more fun than anything, Illustrate them! You can make fun of yourself or you can take it quite seriously. - Remember, no one but you has to see your sketchbook/journal, so don't be timid about it. This is an adventure in discovering more about yourself. Remember, the more we learn (even if it's about ourselves) the more neural connections we make & the better able we are to observe and understand our world.

And you may just want to try out some of those voices, when no one's listening, to hear for yourself how they sound and resonate in your body (how do they make you feel?).

(every once in a while, I'll get into my car, close the door, take a deep breath & just scream at the top of my lungs - for no other reason than to scream. My muscles tense, my breathing gets focused, and the sound vibrates through each cell of my body. When I'm through, I feel relaxed and awake. It's very cathartic, you should really try it.)

Your Inner Child

Strange as it may sound, last night I dreamt in flip book images. You remember flip books? the things we used to make in Social Studies class when we got board? We'd draw some little stick figure guy on the lower corner of each page of our notebooks, and when you flipped the pages, he began walking rather disjointedly to some unknown destination?

Okay, well, last night I dreamt in flip book images. I dreamt of a very crudely | simply drawn boy leaping over a bull in much the same manner as the ancient Aegeans. Except rather than a bronze skinned, narrow waisted Aegean figure, the boy was drawn as if a 6 year old, crayon in hand, tongue sticking out in concentration, had drawn it. I remember being rather impressed by this child's artistic ability.

Now Carl Jung would probably point out that this "child" most likely represented an aspect of my inner self (I'd hate to think what Freud would ascribe to the symbols of my dream). As I woke and began writing about the dream, I decided that I was observing and acknowledging my inner child.

How long has it been since you acknowledged your inner child?

Challenge: Let your Inner Child out to play

You can start out slowly, if you like, by just reminiscing about the fonder memories of your childhood. Once done with that, why not write about them? What was your favorite toy as a child? how did it make you feel? How does it make you feel to remember it now?

Activity: Play

List your favorite childhood toys/activities. Once you're done listing &/or writing about them, pick one and either find the toy and play with it, or do the activity. Seriously!

If you can't find the toy to play with - try drawing it exactly as you remember it. Keep in mind that while you are remembering this toy, you're remembering it through the eyes of your 5, 6, 7 year old self - so, if the drawing looks like a kid did it, FABULOUS! That just means you're more in touch with your inner child than you might've thought!

Creativity in the Kitchen

Photo by matthew dean martin.

One really easy way to add a little creativity to your world is by re-introducing a standard dish or meal in a new way. The great thing is, you don't have to come up with it. There are so many great resources out there for fabulous foods, all you need to do is come up with the main ingredient, and Web sites like The Food Network, All Recipes, or Epicurious will do the work for you.

Most all of us grew up eating peanut butter or tuna sandwiches - well, why not enliven the old standards with new twists?

I saw this recipe on Everyday Food (season 1 repeat) & fell in love with it:

Tuscan Open-Faced Tuna Sandwich:

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 (6 ounce) can solid white tuna packed in water
2 TBSP capers, rinsed
1/4 red onion, chopped (optional)
1-2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 TBSPextra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Slice of toasted Sourdough bread

1. Rinse the Cannellini beans and capers
   
2. Drain tuna, empty into a bowl & flake with fork
   
3. Mix Tuna, Capers, Beans, Onion, and Tomato in bowl
   
4. drizzle with olive oil, mix to coat
   
5. Add lemon juice, garlic and parsley, toss.
   
6. salt and pepper to taste
   
7. pile onto toasted sourdough bread

Also good stuffed in pasta shells, or on a bed of lettuce. You can use white wine vinegar in place of the lemon juice if you like & it's just as fabulous.

Memory Making

When I was young I remember sitting around the kitchen table (about this time of year) with my mom, her friends, and their kids making christmas ornaments out of felt. The adults, god bless 'em, would cut out all the little intricate felt shapes, and we'd glue them together, one circle layered on top of another, until we had something resembling a snowman. Of course, my snowman's eyes would be a bit cockeyed, and his carrot nose looked more like a cigar in some strange W.C. Fields rendition of a snowman. And I'm sure, at the time, I was a bit non-plussed at the lack of utter perfection of my ornament, but the only memories that have remained with me, all these years later, are those of absolute joy in making those ornaments with my friends and family.

My mom still hangs those ornaments on the tree every year.

It really doesn't take a big production to create a memory making event - all it really takes is the intention to do so. We didn't have a lot of fancy supplies - really, only felt, scissors, and glue - but my mom made it fun, by making it an "event."

You can do this with just about anything - a meal, a movie on TV (or DVD)... HECK, if you're really good, even Cleaning the house could be an "event" -- every year, on the first spring-like day of the season, my mom would pop on some Joni Mitchell, tie a bandana around her hair, don some yellow rubber gloves & we'd be cleaning fiends as we sang our hearts out to In France They Kiss on Main Street. I never had so much fun cleaning the house as I did on those days with my mom & Joni.

All it takes is the intention and the right attitude to make something special.

so, the next time you pop in a DVD to watch with friends or Family (or even by yourself), why not make some crazy popcorn concoction, or turn it into a pajama party?

The Perfect cup

Photo by nishiology.

My goal today is to make the perfect cup of coffee with lightly steamed milk, one lump of demerara sugar, and a pinch of cardomum.

Your challenge of the day is to find your perfect drink (it can be cocoa, fresh squeezed juice, a martini, whatever), make it, & savour every last ounce of it. Nurse it as if you were nursing your own soul. Let it rejuvinate you.

Discipline, Shmiscipline - Make it EASY & you'll do it!

Photo by Miss_Emmeline.

When I was in college I used to run every morning before class. I'd wake up at an ungodly hour (for a college student), pull on my clothes, trek over to the gym, run, shower, and make it back to the dorms in time to have breakfast with my friends by 7am.

I look back on this now and wonder how the hell I ever had the discipline to do this. And I seem to recall that every morning, I just dreaded the idea of getting out of my nice warm bed. I hated getting up early, walking in the dark, cold hours of the morning to the gym. I hated the stretching. I even hated running the first couple of laps. But I kept doing it, because when I was finished, I felt amazing. I was strong, and powerful, and disciplined (for all the whining). And it didn't hurt that the endorphines had kicked in by then. So, for the rest of the day, I would be on a high. I would only begin to dread the running when my alarm would go off at 5:30 in the morning. As long as I could get through those first 30 minutes, I was good as gold.

I managed to keep doing this until I moved off of campus and away from the gymnasium. What I discovered about myself was that the easier I could make those more difficult tasks, the more likely I was to actually be disciplined enough to do them. It wasn't that I was more disciplined then than I am now - it's that it was easier to do it then than it is now. It cost me less than $5/month to be able to workout at a gym that was a block from my living space. These days, the cost and the distance is much greater.

The easier and more fun it is, the more likely you are to do it. This goes for everything, not just exercise.

Yes, but, how do you make it easy? You have to know how you work, and cater to your "limitations" in such a way that they won't hinder you.

For me, this means making sure I have all the tools/equipment I need to make x, y, or z at any given moment. It means having a designated space in which to create, and it means dedicating time to be in that space on a daily basis (even if I'm not creating while I'm there).

Challenge: Make it Easy for yourself

This is a bigger challenge than you might think, because there are always going to be things that hinder you: Space, money, time, priorities. What you have to realize is, those hinderances will always be there. You have to make YOU your priority - even if you have kids, even if you have a demanding job... ESPECIALLY if you have kids, or a demanding job -- remember we're trying to find balance.

Some ways to make it easier on yourself:

• Focus on what you want (the Positive), rather than the things keeping you from it (the Negative)
  
• Make a list - a wish list, or a set of goals that help you get to where you want to be. Pick one and start working toward it.
  
• Don't think, just do.
  
  If you're at all like me, you have the tendency to think something to death & in all that time spent on thinking about it, you could've actually done it, or done something that gets you closer to the "it" you want to do.

Challenge: Designate a Space

Designate a space in which you can be creative on a daily basis. This can be your kitchen table, your garden, your sewing room (or the corner of the bedroom where you store your sewing machine). It can be your attic, your basement, an actual studio space that you've rented.... where ever it is - make sure that you spend time there every day. You don't have to be creative while you're there - but you do have to be open to the possibility of being creative while you're in that space.

Whatever space you choose, when you are there, BE THERE.

Dreaming in Lists

Image by Hugh Janus.

Last night I dreamt in lists. Each item was in the form of a colored rectangular box that I could lift from the page. I would pick a box, and as I removed it from the page it became three-dimensional - like a small memory card. I then placed the card to my temple and as if through osmosis, the dream was absorbed. Once finished, I replaced the rectangle to its rightful spot on the list where it became, once again, a two-dimensional incorporation of the page, and was checked off.

Strange dream, admittedly. Trying to piece it together, this morning I recorded it in my journal and just began writing.

In her book ArtLessons, Deborah Haynes states that, "writing helps you to understand who you are and what you believe.... You write to find out what you think." And writing will help you understand, if not the dream, then its underlying tenets.

You write to find out what you think.

Activity: Write about a Dream you've had

It doesn't have to be coherent (what dreams are?), it doesn't have to be in complete sentences, & it doesn't have to be a set length. Just write. If all you can remember is the feeling of the dream, start out with that, and go on to write about how it made you feel when you woke up... when you remembered it... right now as you look back on it... etc.

and if you find that you can't write about it, then illustrate it. Before human beings could read or write, they made marks, and those marks had associations known primarily to them. Your challenge here, is to make marks, whether written or drawn, with your dream/unconscious self in mind.

Activity: Illustrate a Dream

Illustrate the dream you had last night.

Most of us dream in incoherent images that make perfect sense at the time of the dreaming, but when we wake up we're left with a jumbled or perplexing set of images/events/feelings. Why not sit down and start drawing bits of images or events that you remember from your dreams?

Can't remember images? then draw feelings - was it a scary dream? what colors do you associate with that? What colors do you remember from your dream? Instead of images, make a page full of dream colors. label them with the associated feelings.

The Courage to Create

I picked up The Soul of Creativity by Tona Pearce Myers (ed) this morning, and as I habitually do, I began skimming the foreward only to find myself entrenched. I will share with you the first paragraphs:

In the Courage to Create, psychoanalyst Rollo May states, "If you do not express you own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself."

In order to tap the uniquely creative in ourselves, it is important to honor the four ways of deep listening: intuition, perception, insight, and vision. Many indigenous cultures recognize that intuition is the source that sparks eternal seeing (perception), internal viewing (insight), and holistic seeing (vision). For these societies, paying attention to these modes of seeing is a way to honor the sacred and fire the creative fire. We extend respect to our creative, visionary process when we give voice to what we see or sense. The Soul of Creativity impels us to bring our voice and creativity into the world.

-Arrien, Angeles. "The Four Ways of Creativity." The Soul of Creativity. New World Library. 1999.

Cat Logic

photo by Swedish Viper.

Today is one of those windy fall days that makes it seem much cooler outside than it really is. As I sit in my office (not really wanting to be in here), I find myself staring out the window - daydreaming. When I come to, I notice that one of my cats is also staring out the window - but he is poised for action. It seems the wind has whipped up a great many leaves and is blowing them across the yard. Oz, now glued to the window, his tail flicking from right to left, head darting one direction then another, is chasing the falling leaves.

Occasionally he lunges toward a particular leaf, stubbing his paw (& his nose) on the invisible barrier of glass. - Not to be deterred, however, he quickly regroups, setting his sites on a new leaf. A new focus, new excitement.

So, it is here that I take a lesson from my cat: whatever you do, do with fervor, simplicity, and Joy. If you're not enjoying it, refocus - & find the excitement... the joy.

It doesn't matter to him that he can't catch the leaves. He's just having fun trying.

Challenge: Find your Joy

Just like Oz, find joy in simple tasks, and if it's not working, refocus. Make a list of joyful things, not just objects but tasks that you can undertake to help you recharge when your joy reserves are getting a little low.

Activity: Take yourself out on an Artist's Date

Do something just for you. If you need ideas, check out Julia Cameron's The Artists Way, checkout the Online Workshop, or 101 Ideas.

Hands On

photo by -Doane.

What most people miss, I've found, when working in the real world, or Corporate megaplex, is truly working with their hands.

As a treat to myself, I'm taking a Master Gardening class this fall. In our first meeting we were asked to introduce ourselves and tell a little bit about why we were taking the class. 9 times out of 10, the reason for taking the class was because gardening was a form of therapy (both physical and emotional) & it created a balance to an otherwise hectic and mundane day | life.

There's an intrinsic sense of pride and self worth when you can actually see & enjoy the fruits of your labors. I see it in the faces of backyard gardeners when they harvest their vegetables, at the quilter's quild meetings when they're showing off their most recent quilting blocks, even in the kitchen of friends when they've figured out the perfect combinations of ingredients for their newly concocted caseroles.

We are creative beings. We can't stifle that without it affecting every aspect of our lives.

Challenge: Take a class

• find & take a class in your community that you've always wanted to take but were afraid to:
  
  this could be a one day cooking workshop at Sur la Table, or a 10 week ceramics class at your community center. You could take automechanics, flower arranging, Docent training for the local museum. You could learn to paint, ride a motorcycle, or learn how to shop for antiques. You could even take a master gardeningn class.
  
  Whatever type of class it is, take it because you've always wanted to (not because you think you have to).
  
  
  
• remember, you're never too old (or young) to learn. If you find yourself resistent to the idea - ask yourself why. In fact, keep asking yourself why, until you can't think of any more answers. With each new answer, write it down in a notebook. These represent your fears, no matter how logical or practical they may sound.

Goal: embrace and accept your fears

• Fears are wonderful creatures. Usually they keep us from doing stupid things. They also keep us from doing the things we want because we're afraid we might look stupid.
  
  
• It is okay to give yourself permission to be afraid, but don't just stop at that. Take another scary step & examine your fear. What does it look like? What does it feel like? I mean really, physically, FEEL like? does it hurt? make you feel woozy or light headed? Do you feel pin pricks? or do your ears get hot?

Activity: Write about your physical reactions/symptoms of Fear

The next time you feel fear, if it's safe enough, sit down and truly feel it. Examine it from the inside out, as if you were a journalist having to write about the experience, then Write about the experience!

Treat Your Inner Child

photo by snapshot of life.

It's usually around this point in a new undertaking | journey, that I begin to lose steam. Somewhere between week one and week two my excitement begins to wain a little and my old habbits|routines start to take hold. The grown up in me resurfaces, and my inner child begins to submerge. This is my modus operandi. I know this about myself and I accept it wholly. But what to do?

Instead of letting my "Grown-up" frustrations, anxieties, or expectation begin to leak in, I treat myself (my inner child) to something. Anything that will start my creative inertia rolling again. (it could be a book, magazine, movie, ice cream sundae, an afternoon adventure to the thrift store... anything).

There are two things to remember here:

1. Just like anything else, being Creative takes work -
   
2. The work has to be fun, or you won't keep doing it
   It may seem like an oxymoron, but Work and Fun don't have to be the antithesis of one another.
   

   Work n. activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
   

   
   There's nothing in that definition that says you can't enjoy the mental or phyisical effort. In fact, the more you enjoy it, the more easily you'll achieve your "purpose or result."

This might be the perfect time to go out and buy that inexpensive something that makes you giddy about creating. Or sit down and actually read that book you've been wanting to read for ages.

Remember, you're trying to add balance back into your life - you can't do that if you send your inner child to bed without supper.

Challenge: Continue Taking Time for Yourself & Treat Your Inner Child

• Continue taking 10-15 minutes a day (If you can spare more time, take 30-60 minutes) to "reset" or "reboot"
  
• Once a week, treat your inner child to something he|she desires.
  
• If you don't know what your inner child desires, try this writing exercise:
  
  Complete these sentences:
  
  1. "When I was four (or five, or six, or seven...) I loved to...
     
  2. As a child, my favorite color was... I remember this because...
     
  3. my favorite food, as a child, was... because...
     
  4. my favorite toy was.... [describe it in detail]
     
  5. my favorite misconception as a child was...
     (as an example: My favorite misconception as a child was that you could eat Irish Spring soap, because the commercials showed a rather nicely dressed man in a cable knit sweater slicing the bar of soap with his pocket knife, as if he were cutting a chunk of apple to eat it)
  
  
  Once you start remembering the stuff you liked as a kid, you can start feeding your inner child.

Be a Thingfinder

photo by m00nbugg.

When I was a kid, my mom's side of the family would, every summer, meet at our cousin Ethel's cabin in Sand Lake, Michigan. For two weeks all of the kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and cousins would gather - cram themselves into two cabins yelling, "I have dibs on the bed in the corner!" (as we all raced to that bed).

We would, of course, partake in all the activities that Sand Lake had to offer: sailboarding, water volleyball, swims across the lake, sun bathing, canoeing, and our daily ritual of walking around the lake.

This in particular was my, then 3 year old, cousin Matthew's favorite activity (other then, I seem to recall, eating candy). Matthew was our official "Thing Finder." And he was good at it. We'd walk around the lake, navigating marshes and wild blueberry patches, and Matthew would dart off in one direction or another, returning with a squirrel's skull, a buffalo nickel, neat looking rocks, worn bits of glass, etc. Of course, what he was really looking for were aluminum cans that he could trade in for candy at the local store, but he always came home with a bounty of "things" that we kids would always peruse and covet.

We always tried to be Thing Finders, but Matthew, since he was closer to the ground than we were, always seemed to find the best stuff.

Activity: Be a Thing Finder

On your walks or outings, as you're looking around, why not see what you can find?
Take a small bag with you, and collect objects from your walk. Bring them home and...

• Draw them
  
• Collage them into your journal
  
• write about them:
  
  • how did you found the "thing"?
    
  • What is the secret life of the thing found - where did it come from, how did it end up there...
  
  
• set up a mini-museum in which to display your best weekly finds
  
• Write descriptive tags for them & display them in your house somewhere
  
• Write descriptive or story tags for them, and leave them somewhere for someone else to find
  
  Along these same lines, there's a great movement | Web site that encourages you to leave your old books somewhere for someone else to find, adopt, read, and then leave somewhere for someone else to find, adopt, read, etc. You can go to the Web site and get a little ID code to put in your books, so that if someone else finds it, they can then go to the site, enter the ID code & you can track the journey of your released book. Kinda' fun, if you can get over the idea of letting go of your books.
  
  The Web site is Bookcrossing.com