Make Creativity-Portal.com Count in 2010!
December-28-2009
Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites Awareness
Does the Creativity Portal inspire your writing life with its dynamic photo prompts, story starters, creative exercises, and prompt generators? If so, I'd be thrilled to see it included again in Writer's Digest annual list of 101 Best Web sites for Writers (creativity category) for 2010.
Consider putting in a good word by sending your nomination to WD at writersdig@fwpubs.com with “101 Best Websites” in the subject line by January 1, 2010. Thank you so much for your support! •
Fundraising Dog for Charitable Causes (Surf Dog Ricochet)
December-23-2009
"Turning Disappointment into a Joyful New Direction"
Judy Fridono sent me an e-mail with the subject "Turning Disappointment into a Joyful New Direction" including a link to this feel-good YouTube video (From Service Dog to SURFice Dog) about Surf dog Ricochet, a heart-warming story "about his journey from service dog training, to turning disappointment into a joyful new direction, to surfing with quadriplegic surfer, Patrick Ivison, to fundraising for charitable causes." ...
The CrEative Pre-Baked Gingerbread House Project Story
December-19-2009
(…or, “Yes, I ate the whole house!”)
Willy Wonka would understand. Besides, a lifetime of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory primed me for this, I swear. Let me state for the record that my enthusiastic idea of putting together a gingerbread house with my mom-friend Pam had innocent intentions. ...
"You cannot absent yourself from your writing
and expect someone else to enter into it."
Naomi Rose, Beyond Expertise: When Writing
from Your Life Is the Gift of Gifts
365 Pictures December Collaborators December-16-2009
Shout Outs: Web Sites & Blogs
Creativity Portal's perpetual 365 Pictures daily photo prompter might be nearing the end of the calendar year, but it will continue to cycle on! If you're curious about the creative talent this prompt machine is pulling from during the month of December, here they are, alphabetically.
Virginia Spiegel: Stubborn is Good! December-16-2009
"Wild at the Edges: Inspiration from a Creative Life"
Being stubborn is usually a trait coupled with the image of a resistant mule — first impressions typically not favorable to the jack-nass sort. Interestingly, as creative thinking usually yields, such a trait of firm determination can produce satisfying results when applied "stubbornly" in our own creative life.
Fiber artist Virginia Spiegel (virginiaspiegel.com) opened my mind to this useful twist in her essay "Stubborn is Good!" taken right from a page in her new book "Wild at the Edges: Inspiration from a Creative Life."
"Are we, as artists, stubborn enough in our studios? Do we show up at our studio at the appointed time, every time? Are we 100% committed to sweat out the tough times. laugh at the disasters, be immune to what others might think and work, work, work?"
Though individual expectations and intensity apply here, Spiegel imparts a gold nugget of wisdom — perhaps one we can further mine with a picket axe and shovel in our own private caverns. Be aware, as any miner knows, once you strike that rich vein of ore you'll need that load-bearing burrow to help you. •
Creative Empowerment Coach Diana Rivera December-13-2009
Boop-ing Around
Here's two Sunday night confessions: 1) I'm thrilled over the re-emergence of Dave Duggins on Creativity Portal this week with his new article: On Starting...Shall We Begin?. I just love, love, love Dave's writing style, wisdom, and wit, and the way he leaves me at the end of an article feeling like, "Hey, I'm not ready for you to go yet!" He's a gem, for sure, and I'm so grateful for all of his contributions to the site. I'm looking forward to seeing more in 2010 (hint, hint, Dave!).
So many people, including me, are intent on beginning new projects, ventures, and personal journeys come January 1, 2010, and Dave's article really speaks to this, and with a different plate of thoughtful food to digest on the whole process of beginning...anything.
Even knowing at the other spectrum of beginnings are usually endings, I was still puzzled when Dave informed me he will be shutting down his "Write Your Short Story" Web site and moving his virtual stuff over to a new blog instead. Well, I did have the momentary malaise of the now-I-have-to-go-change-all-his-links, but quickly recovered when his message on beginnings started sinking in.
I liked this:
"Beginnings are perfect, no matter what your ideology. A beginning is a little miracle. It is something from nothing. You cannot go wrong. Just start."
This is why Kaizen-Muse creativity coaching is so effective. It not only focuses on taking small steps (even absurdly 2-second small) but it also works with the next beginning step. Yes Dave, it's a miracle. It's perfect.
2) I'm taken in with new C-P author, Diana Rivera. If you missed either of her first two articles, The Transformative Wisdom of Sand or How Rage Grew from 'The Tango Lesson', I implore you to treat yourself...now. She's an amazing writer and creative who, according to her bio, "teaches the art of Drama to children, arts integration to teachers and creative empowerment/success to individuals in the creative industry as a Creative Empowerment Coach." She also "develops original content for children’s TV, children's books and professionally for the theatre." That's some serious stuff to be involved in, and I'm thrilled to gather and share more wisdom from the creative community.
More articles are forthcoming. Meanwhile, follow Diana on her blog: creativeempowermentcoaching.wordpress.com. •
Print my 12-Month 2010 calendar FREE!
New CD Jewel Case-Sized Format with Free Printable 2010 Calendar December-9-2009
Props to the Desktop Calendar Display-Loving Crowd
Did you know that a common CD jewel case makes a great desktop calendar stand? It's true — try this: grab one of your old CDs and slide out the tray cards and booklets, pop off the molded disc holder, fold the case into an "L" shape (in the opposite direction of closing it) and set it on your desktop. See how it props up nicely?
Next, download and print the CD jewel case format option of my free 2010 calendar on regular printer paper or card stock. (Note each month is formatted with special crop marks for a finished trim size of 4.75 x 4.75", which you can accomplish by using an office paper trimmer.) Trim and stack the month pages evenly, and slide them into the CD case cover under the four tabs. Depending on the thickness of your card stock, you may not be able to slide all the months in together under the tabs for storage, so keep that in mind or consider the following "closed case" adaptation.
If you're not keen on displaying the calendar in the open, propped up "L" shape, consider closing the jewel case into a nice calendar-protecting square and leaning it against something instead. It works nicely that way too. Enjoy! •
Rita Farin on The Role of Relationships in the Creative Process December-6-2009
Gleaning from Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz
I also watched that Lifetime drama about Georgia O'Keeffe. Previous to that, I've read about her life's work and have seen many of her original flower paintings close-up at the Art Institute in Chicago and elsewhere. Yes, Georgia's life, including the creative and relationship parts with Alfred Stieglitz, is intriguing.
What's more is my appreciation for Rita Farin's (ritafarin.com) new piece on Creativity Portal reflecting on "the role of relationships, love and solitude in the creative process" thanks to her own gleanings from O'Keeffe's creative- and love-journeys intermixed with her own.
Break-ups in relationships can be devastating. I wonder if highly-creative people (often highly-sensitive as well) are more prone to the intense sadness and loss that lingers, sometimes even for years. I still have dreams about my 5th grade boyfriend, Bryan. Odd is that in my dreams we're both grown up, and I haven't seen him since junior high school. And I won't even get started (too late!) on the recurring dreams I have about loves and friends who walked along with me at some point earlier in my life and are now absent. My heart's investments last a lifetime. Love is a delicate thing...like a flower.
Quoteworthy from Rita's Article:
“In the aftermath of my relationship, Georgia’s story reminds me that a creative life has a progression of its own, independent of relationships. And sometimes it requires a deep silence to move past the copper bowls and rabbits to our greatest potential.” — Rita Farin •
SearchWord.com's Free Blank Printable 1-Month Calendar Template December-3-2009
No Calendar Competition
In our fast-paced, schedule-every-minute age, it seems we can't have enough time- and schedule-tracking devices to keep up. I just learned how to input an appointment into my plain ol' cell phone last week, thanks to asking a simple question to my other half: "Honey, can you show me how to schedule this appointment on my phone?" I've had this capability available to me for three years and never used it. I know I can figure it out — sometimes I'm just lazy.
I confess: I walked away before he was through thumb-typing the 10 characters I requested (he's really slow). So I really didn't learn how to after all. And I guess he got me back — the next day when the alarm went off it was an hour early.
Anyway, just from where I'm sitting, I see three professionally-printed 2009 calendars I've used all year long. That's not counting the one on my computer. Or the other ones in my house. I've concluded this week that one can never have enough calendars around. My dad recently told me that when he was in the army on a tour of duty in France, he'd pull out one bristle of his shoe-shine brush each day to keep track of the weeks and months he was away. He still has that brush, and with a few empty holes to show for history passing. He could have used a calendar.
And so while I was busy designing my 12-month 2010 calendar this week, tech-hublet designed a much simpler, stripped-down blank 1-month version for download and print here, great for the 3-ring binder, refrigerator door, and bulletin board crowd. •
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