Creative Slush Concept Poster
— Chris Dunmire, 2005

Alluvial Mining Posted Feb-23-2005
How to Dig Deep for Creative Gold.
One of the recent creativity-inducing features unveiled on Soul Food Cafe was the opening of the Alluvial Mines. Much like the United States in the 1800s, Australia experienced its own version of an exciting Gold Rush.

Bumper Sticker Philosophy Posted Feb-22-2005
NOT the "My kid beat up your honor roll student" kind
How often do we overlook the simple truths found in proverbs and other one-line wonders? Must every bit of wisdom be padded with paragraphs and pages or deeply analyzed? I think not, otherwise we'd ditch fortune cookies and bumper stickers. Oh, and those Frankie Goes to Hollywood T-Shirts: RELAX!

Speaking of bumper stickers, here's neat little exercise from Life and Creativity Coach "La Comadre" Nancy Marmolejo. Regarding this meditative Loca Ritual, Bumper Sticker Philosophy, she notes:

Welcome to the world of bumper sticker philosophy: life’s little lessons boiled down into memorable snippets. It's folk wisdom at its best, free to all who drive by. No gurus to pay, no hidden strings. Try this Loca Ritual to get the most out of this free — and freeing — resource.

Learn more about this Loca Ritual and give it a try here.

Online Writing Retreat Posted Feb-21-2005
On Writing and the Writing Life.
A self-paced at-home retreat by Sarah Stockton featuring reflective essays and writing exercises you may download and participate in over a twelve-week period.

Hello, Julia Cameron Posted Feb-18 to 20-2005
I've known about Julia Cameron for several years, but actually started "reading" her about two weeks ago. I ordered three of her books: The Artist's Way (Psychology / Self-Help), The Right to Write (Writing) and The Writer's Life (Creativity / Spirituality).

Creative Child Within Posted Feb-17-2005
Some time ago, I had the privilege of corresponding with Ashfaq Ishaq, Director of the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF). Ashfaq wrote two excellent articles for the Creativity Portal, On the Importance of Creativity and Creativity + Children = Peace, detailing the goals and accomplishments of ICAF.

ICAF produces a quarterly commercial-free publication, ChildArt Magazine, featuring art by children and articles geared towards 8 to 12-year olds. Regarding the magazine, the subscription page on the ICAF Web site notes:

A journey through the pages of ChildArt inspires learners of all ages to be creative, imaginative, artistic and cooperative. The journey takes the reader across the globe to different cultural settings, back to the old masters for historical perspectives, and into a 21st Century of creativity and cooperation.

Although learners ages 8 to 80 can benefit from and enjoy ChildArt, the magazine is written simply and elegantly so that 8 to 12-year-olds learn easily from both the language and the ideas.

After reading several issues of ChildArt Magazine, I can't help but to promote this magazine as an inspirational tool and visual déjà vu for an adult trying to get back in touch with their creative inner child. •

LUVerflies: Butterfly Heartlings
Posted Feb-16-2005
One day while I was doodling a butterfly in my notebook, I realized how similar a butterflies' wings are to a symmetrical pair of hearts. I applied that piece of knowledge toward a foam craft project I went on to name LUVerflies.

Money Fun Posted Feb-14 & 15-2005
I try to seek out creative ways for giving money as a gift (or tip) when an occasion calls for it.

Freshly Squeezed Quotes Posted Feb-13-2005
"Write your life so that others may be illuminated." — SARK
An empowering reason to express what's inside us through the written word. And guess what? We don't have to publish a book to accomplish this.

World's Hardest Crossword Puzzle Posted Feb-12-2005
Crossword enthusiasts will approach this seemingly simple puzzle with confidence, only to be dazed and confused within minutes! This gag puzzle was designed with "duel" possible outcomes: 1) The solver gives up or 2) The solver figures it out!

Humor: A Natural Antidote for Depression? Posted Feb-11-2005
If you or a person you care for suffers from depression, should you feel helpless about the situation, or rely solely on the medication to make you well? Not necessarily.

Selling Your Soul Posted Feb-10-2005
In the span of a half-hour, I received two bits of news from two different sources. After contemplating the second, the thought "selling your soul" came to mind and propelled me to start writing what was on my mind.

Chronic Creativity Reflections Posted Feb-09-2005
When Angela Mack first approached me in late 2004 with her Chronic Creativity excerpts, I found her ingenious way of describing the condition Chronic Creativity in diagnostic terms metaphorically apt.

To Wit with Mag Ruffman Posted Feb-08-2005
It took only one half-hour viewing of Anything I Can Do on PBS You for me to fall in love with Mag Ruffman. For anyone who hasn't a clue, the show features a very attractive Mag demonstrating a variety of how-to DIY projects, many involving handsaws and power tools.

The episode I watched featured Mag making a tree-shaped child's art station (Season 2: Project #40 Aesop's Tables). Within minutes I realized that this was no ordinary "I don't want to break a nail" woman. Although outfitted in a skirt ensemble, Mag took the viewer step-by-step through the table making process: planning, measuring, marking, cutting, and assembly. Witnessing this goggle-donned woman using a table saw gave me more confidence somehow.

The first giggle came out of me when Mag held a freshly-cut table top midriff and suggested using it to serve hors d'oeuvres on. Many more witticisms came out of Mag's bag throughout the episode, and I think I saw her fall on her behind once, too. She simply got back up and brushed herself off laughing all the while. Who couldn't love her?

You'll also smile at the creative titles of each show such as:

Project #45 Don't be a cart-alek!

Project #38 Stool crazy after all these years

Project #18 All's weld that ends weld

Bio information about Mag from homeenvy.com:

Mag Ruffman worked as a licensed contractor before hosting television's A Repair to Remember and Anything I Can Do. Her trademark wit and philosophy that it's perfectly natural to make mistakes has won her a huge following. She recently wrote a book of do-it-yourself projects called "How Hard Can It Be?" •

Next Stop: The Home Depot Posted Feb-07-2005
I used to hate accompanying my husband to home improvement stores. It's funny because his enthusiasm for shopping at The Home Depot paralleled my enthusiasm for shopping at Michaels. Each of us felt completeness in our chosen environments for our desired tools of the trade. His included nails and lumber, and mine paint and paper.

Creative Gags & Pranks Posted Feb-06-2005
Ever since I was a kid I've spent a fair amount of money buying novelty gags. From squirting flowers and cameras to spilled coffee cups and a grab-n-snatch money lines, I've seen and had it all. Now as a self-proclaimed Creativity Enthusiast, I've put away my rubber vomit and found other ways to express my creative prank-playing. And guess what? You can use some of my nifty inventions for your own gag fun.

Documenting Joy Posted Feb-05-2005
The Life and Laughter of Leonie Allan
Inspiring art, beautiful handwriting, and soothing colors welcome visitors to leonielife.com. The playful image gracing the welcome page could easily find itself set in a frame and hung on my inspirational wall.

The site is infectious, and so is Leonie's creative spirit. She sums "it" all up by writing, "I am set on documenting joy and living the life I want to live. Being who I can be. As simple and as complex as that."

Soon she will self-publish a chapbook of her artwork and writing. I *simply* must snag me a copy. •

Notable Quotable Tidbits Posted Feb-04-2005
This isn't a compilation of worn-out quotes circulating the Web. No, this is my growing personal collection of favorite thought-provoking, inspiring, and plain amusing quotes I've come across from people I like and admire.

Reverse Osmosis Posted Feb-03-2005
Before agreeing to Heather's interview with me, I made her promise to allow me to interview her back. All of this agreed discussion finally came to fruition today when I received her answers to my probing questions in my inbox. You didn't think I traveled all the way to Australia for them, did you?

Token Kindness Posted Feb-01-2005
Have you ever tossed a rock into a still creek or pond and noticed the subsequent ripples wave out from it? Those ripples are fun to watch and demonstrate the law of cause and effect.

A new Web site started in January 2005, the Kindness Project (www.kindnessproject.com), is also demonstrating a type of cause and effect. Namely, the effect of kind actions.

The creative minds behind the Kindness Project invented an innovative way of following the ripples of one kind action through a numbered token system. They offer silver kindness tokens that can be used to reward others with, and then tracked online as they are passed along to others. Recipients are encouraged add their experiences to the Web site so that everyone involved in passing along the token can enjoy its ripple effects around the world.

What is the aim of the Kindness Project? Their home page states:

"The Kindness Project aims to prove that you can have an exponential effect on the spread of kindness around the world. It's simple — when someone does or says something kind, no matter how small, you give them a token. Taking a few seconds to pass on the token empowers you to brighten someone's day. The tokens are passed from person to person, again and again, turning the world into a kinder place. Can you imagine how you would feel if you received a token yourself?"

Tangible reminders of "the good things in life" are beneficial and help us to develop a deeper sense of gratitude. I see the Kindness Project as one of these reminders, and give a hearty thumbs up at its design and intention.

"The beauty of the Kindness Project is that not only do you get to make a difference in someone's day by giving them a token, but everyone gets to track their token and read about all its adventures. Be a part of the Kindness Project by passing on your own tokens!" •