Printable "Hammy Pig's Day" Card Posted April-30-2008
For Poignant Pig Preferers
Did you know there is a holiday for pigs and their enthusiasts on March 1 called National Pig Day? Yes there is, and now that you know, don't get left out of the pen by missing out on the holiday next year! To help you celebrate this tremendous pigmendous day, you can download, print, and use the pigfect greeting card just for the occasion, my "Hammy Pig's Day" card, mixed in with other pig puns and Nit Wits fun. ...
Cynthia Morris' Inspiring Creative Fortunes Posted April-27-2008
Inspire Your Creative Journey!
If you enjoy the tongue-in-cheek humor of my Funny 'n' Fake Fortune Cookie Fortune Generator, you're bound to love other "outside-the-cookie" fortunes aimed to inspire your creative life.
For instance, Cynthia Morris of Original Impulse has a novel kit of "Creative Fortunes" available for purchase on her Web site, little phrases printed on card stock to affirm, encourage, and help make your creative visualizations come true. "Everyone loves your art!", "Making time for art is easy.", and "Your imagination is like money in the bank." are a few uplifting examples. She notes, "Written by an artist for artists, these Fortunes will lift your spirits when you feel like the Muse has deserted you."
I first experienced the whimsical magic of Cynthia's Creative Fortunes when she sent me a copy of her book, "Create Your Writer's Life: A Guide to Writing with Joy and Ease." Tucked inside along with the book was the small envelope of fortunes in which I promptly spilled out on my table and eagerly read all the while thinking to myself, what a clever little tool this Cynthia has manifested for us all to enjoy! It's true, I can't resist fun little novelties, especially when it comes to creativity coaching tools and planting seeds of possibility.
By the way, Cynthia is heading to Europe for six months. "Travel vicariously with her via her blog, www.journeyjuju.com. Enjoy images from her illustrated journal, stories about good Journey Juju and resources to make travel creative and magical" •
Nit Wits #41: Pigtures (Pig Pictures) Posted April-24-2008
Plus Free Coloring Page & Plenty o' Pigisms!
Let's see, there's Porky Pig, Arnold Ziffel, Babe, Pooh's Piglet, the Three Little Pigs, Peanut's Pig Pen, Some Pig in Charlotte's Web... what other famous pigs can you think of? Francis Bacon? Hamlet? Consider the following pignundrums...
Cynthia Staples' "Find a Patch of Sunlight" Posted April-23-2008
Photo Writing Prompt: What is the sun highlighting in your life?
Look at this photo. What do you see? Here's what I want you to see... notice the patch of sunlight twisting in a question mark-like pattern on top of the rock besides the furry critter. Oh sure, the cute at-attention chipmunk is noteworthy too, but I want you to see the light. Focus on the light... the highlight if you will. Yes, see the light, grasshopper.
Have you ever done that before — focused on a detail of a photo that wasn't its prime subject? Interesting, isn't it? Next thing you know is that the detail becomes the subject. And think about it, isn't the accent of sunlight twisting next to the chipmunk really important to the overall effect this photo has on you? Imagine what the scene would look like without it.
If you find this subject intriguing, writer/photographer Cynthia Staples shares her own perspective-shifting insights about the creative power of the sun in her piece on the Creativity Portal titled, "Find a Patch of Sunlight." It's illuminating, to say the least.
Want to have some fun with this? I challenge you to take a picture or find a photo of something with a patch of sunlight in it. Look at it. Reflect on it. Write about it in your blog. What is the sunshine highlighting in your life... today? •
Download 'n' Print Chris's Fake
Placebo Pill Package here »
The Spiritual Highs of Being Creative Posted April-19-2008
Paint two hills and call me in the morning...
Today I'm reflecting on what creativity does to the inside of a person when they are fully engaged in their work without the energy of competition distracting their minds.
A couple of years ago I wrote the article, "Spiritual Highs and Other Effects of Being Creative" based upon my own experiences and observations and those of others and remembered today what a pottery teacher friend once told me about the private art studio she taught in. She spoke with a sense of awe and gratitude at how the studio transformed into a sacred, spiritual space when her students came in and worked on their own projects at their own pace. She was so grateful at being a facilitator of the unmistakable transformation and healing she witnessed going on all around her — knowing this calling was to benefit her own healing as well.
Do you experience a spiritual high when you're engaged creatively — when the intention of your project is not destined for a show, an exhibit, or a grade, but purely for you, for your sense of wonder, experimentation, growth, or curiosity?
Is creative expression a way to ground, to connect, to plug into a familiar source transcending the material, the ego — to expand consciousness for the highest good of all? I wonder. •
Jim Carrey & Carol Burnett: Horton Hears a What?
Posted April-17-2008
A Who from from Whoville! Lot's o' Fun at HortonMovie.com
I was so intrigued with this new Dr. Seuss movie by the creators of Ice Age after catching the promotional interview with Jim Carrey, Steve Carrel, and Carol Burnett on Oprah weeks ago. ...
Inspiring Spring Thoughts on the Flowering Violette
Posted April-10-2008
The Fabulously Fun Female Folk Artist
In these Midwest parts, they say that "April showers bring May flowers." So as I patiently wait for my very first ever batch of perennial bulbs to peek through the soil, pop in full bloom, and fill my gardens with a delightful palette of colors, I sighfully look out my window at the overcast sky dampening our neighborhood with a Thursday morning rain shower. ...
Emily Hanlon: The Fiction Writer's Journey Posted April-3-2008
Traveling to the Land of Betwixt and Between
Inspiring me today are the multiple contributions Emily Hanlon of thefictionwritersjourney.com has made to the Creativity Portal. Her latest is a piece titled, "Journey Into the Imagination — Traveling to the Land of Betwixt and Between" which is a creative meditation that takes you into an expansive space where you can truly see and understand how so much is possible — especially when it comes to creativity and imagination.
Our thoughts have no bounds. Our imaginations are fertile soil where unlimited ideas can take root and grow. We are gardeners, explorers, inventors, and seekers into the known and unknown. How freeing and exciting this is! • |
