On Creativity

Amy Neumann: Becoming a Creative Warrior

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 08:32:44 -0400

Amy Neumann: Becoming a Creative Warrior

I’m inviting you to live like a “full cup of self-love, sharing...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:30:35 -0400

I’m inviting you to live like a “full cup of self-love, sharing the overflow with the world,” and not like a half-empty cup trying to get filled. And when you do feel half-empty, to use your transformational practices and processes to fill yourself up- from the inside. —SARK

(via Fill Yourself Up From the Inside | Crazy Sexy Life)

Michael Friedman, L.M.S.W.: Art Can Be Good for Mental Health

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:04:26 -0400

Michael Friedman, L.M.S.W.: Art Can Be Good for Mental Health:

Much of the time spent working at art is practice rather than creative discovery (perspiration rather than inspiration), and practice, of course, is essential for building skill, which is itself a source of great satisfaction. Doing art also connects the person doing it with other artists and with audiences. It is, or at least can be, a source of important friendships. Doing art also connects the artist with a field of art, with a history and a language that goes far beyond what any individual artist does. Doing art has meaning not just for the individual doing it, but also for a society, for a culture.

Art also helps people to connect with and deal with their emotions. Art can help a person reach into largely unconscious parts of the mind and experience dimensions of self otherwise buried and voiceless. It can also help a person get a handle on emotions that are, to borrow a word from T.S. Eliot, “undisciplined,” and therefore inarticulate. Through the arts people can find voices to express dimensions of self usually left in silence. And through art, people can shape their own identity. Art is not just self-expression; it is also self-creation.

Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:02:10 -0400

Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition.

—

Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai

(via kind over matter: Do what you do brazenly & unapologetically)

10 Creative People Share What Inspires Them | World of Psychology

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:41:47 -0400

10 Creative People Share What Inspires Them | World of Psychology:

Inspiration is everywhere — from the words of your favorite writer to the blooms and leaves on your morning walk. You just need to open your eyes, and breathe it in.

Sometimes it helps to talk to others who are creative to get ideas about what gets their creativity juices flowing.

Here, 10 creative people share the various things that inspire their beautiful works.

The grace in falling apart | Escape From Cubicle Nation

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:38:04 -0400

The grace in falling apart | Escape From Cubicle Nation:

Great, meaningful, deeply significant work happens when you really marinate in “the meantime.” It is not a distraction from the creative process, it is the creative process.

"The sound of rain on the metal roof. The smell of wet soil. Green. Green. Green. Ask me again in ten..."

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 10:19:51 -0400

“The sound of rain on the metal roof. The smell of wet soil. Green. Green. Green. Ask me again in ten minutes, I’ll be grateful for something else. I plan on building a life made all of gratitude.”

- Trusting Grateful Inspired Every Day – the biopsy edition | Being Poetry

5 Myths About Being an Artist « Bent Tuba Studio

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:08:07 -0400

5 Myths About Being an Artist « Bent Tuba Studio:

You get to be an art-ist if you make art (or want to)… regardless of how often you do it (or have never done it before). If making art is important to you, if you can’t imagine never making your art again for the rest of your life (or never giving it a try), you’re an artist.

Seriously, this is important: What makes you an artist is the creative spark inside.

(via Gorgeous Paper Birds Delicately Layered Together - My...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:42:44 -0400

(via Gorgeous Paper Birds Delicately Layered Together - My Modern Metropolis)

Gratitude: The nature of things « taste kills creativity

Thu, 31 May 2012 20:39:04 -0400

Gratitude: The nature of things « taste kills creativity

Study: Nature inspires more creative minds | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:44:52 -0400

Study: Nature inspires more creative minds | MNN - Mother Nature Network

"The mind, at its best, is a pattern-making machine, engaged in a perpetual attempt to impose order..."

Mon, 21 May 2012 07:50:57 -0400

“The mind, at its best, is a pattern-making machine, engaged in a perpetual attempt to impose order on to chaos; making links between disparate entities or ideas in order to better understand either or both. It is the ability to spot the potential in the product of connecting things that don’t ordinarily go together that marks out the person (or teacher) who is truly creative.”

- Dancing About Architecture: A Field Guide to Creativity | Brain Pickings

An In-House Retreat Can Refresh the Creative Mind | Psychology Today

Sat, 19 May 2012 09:15:43 -0400

An In-House Retreat Can Refresh the Creative Mind | Psychology Today

"Athletes warm up their muscles before starting their real work, and so should creative thinkers. A..."

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:39:52 -0400

“Athletes warm up their muscles before starting their real work, and so should creative thinkers. A good warm-up helps you practice basic skills, focus your mind and improve the work to come. In addition, taking 10 minutes to warm up allows you to separate your ideas from the plethora of ideas surrounding you.”

- Taming The Wild Mind | Smashing Magazine

"Be grateful for the small pleasures in life. Berries, a square of dark chocolate, tea — simple..."

Tue, 08 May 2012 18:13:04 -0400

“Be grateful for the small pleasures in life. Berries, a square of dark chocolate, tea — simple pleasures that are so much better than rich desserts, sugary drinks, fried foods if you learn to enjoy them fully. A good book borrowed from the library, a walk with a loved one in the park, the fine exertion of a short hard workout, the crazy things your child says, the smile of a stranger, walking barefoot on grass, a moment of quiet as the morning wakens and the world still rests. These little pleasures are living well, without needing much.”

- » How to Live Well :zenhabits

How to Keep a Promise to Yourself « String Revolution

Tue, 08 May 2012 15:33:35 -0400

How to Keep a Promise to Yourself « String Revolution:

The “one tooth” method for establishing a creative practice…

Radical Fun | Martha Beck

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:49:13 -0400

Radical Fun | Martha Beck:

“What I’ve discovered during radical fun month is that fun is a skill. Most of us are terrible at it. We immediately turn to tired stereotypes, clichés like sleeping on the beach, drinking, eating too much, and spending a lot of money. I have nothing against these activities, but they’re pathetic attempts at creating genuine exuberant joyful feelings. When I ask clients to reward themselves for difficult achievements they find that coming up with the reward is harder for them than the achievement itself. So right now, I’d like you to turn your attention to finding or creating a fun experience for yourself. Do this in the knowledge that the energy of fun will fuel your productivity in every area of your life–and also that any activity in your life is only worth doing if it facilitates the experience of joy.”

"Change your verbs and you will change the landscape of your life: Instead of knowing, I hope you..."

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:49:35 -0400

“

Change your verbs and you will change the landscape of your life:

Instead of knowing, I hope you will question.
Instead of accumulating, I hope you will give.
Instead of playing to win, I hope you will play to learn.
Instead of competing, I hope you will collaborate.
Instead of hating, I hope you will love.
Instead of remaining silent about inequities, I hope you will speak up.
Instead of despairing, I hope you will be happy in advance.
Instead of fleeing, I hope you will walk straight into all the days of your lives.
Instead of avoiding, I hope you will sit next to someone arm to arm.
Instead of diminishing, I hope you will know, deeply, that every human being you meet is as fully human as you are.
Instead of asking, ‘what will I get from this’, ask ‘what am I bringing to this’?

In addition to working, play.
In addition to protecting, open.
In addition to saving, give.
In addition to dreaming, do.
In addition to doing, dream.

”

- The Geography of Verbs: Commencement Remarks by Patti Digh ’82 | Guilford College

Two of our heros asking the same question… If you knew...

Fri, 04 May 2012 09:56:02 -0400

Two of our heros asking the same question… If you knew that your art would support your life, how would you live?

pepper page (by janelafazio)

Thu, 03 May 2012 10:44:49 -0400

pepper page (by janelafazio)