#creativity is fun

[cupofjellyfish]

Update on kin art! I just have a little left to do. Pleased with it so far.

[brightlotusmoon]

LOL, anonymous troll messages are fun. It's silly when they want me to write stories just for them because they're dissatisfied with what I write and they want me to change things to fit their wants. (My favorite so far: "you write X character as better and stronger than they're portrayed in the show/game/comic/series, you shouldn't do that, they'll be too powerful and I don't like mary sues." Oh, pumpkin. I don't care.) Its fandom, it's alternate universes, it's play time, it's individuals enjoying ourselves and honing our creative skills. Also, this isn't high school, I'm not your writing teacher, and unless you give me your name I'm not spending time on you. I've been out of school for twenty years, no need to return. Ah, I'm old and I have shit to do, you damn troll kids get away from my windows.

[speedytherandom]

If you’ve ever just chilled with your friend and written a song, I recommend it. 

[valoriedouglas]

Developing Creative Muscle

Creativity is a skill, and like other skills it can grow or atrophy depending on how it is used or not. There is a tremendous market for all things craft and creativity related: beautiful papers, paints, markers, kits, coloring books, journals, stencils, shape cutters, embellishments, albums, beads, baubles, and upcycled items. There’s magazines and podcasts and websites and blogs committed to amazing DIY creative projects. Pinterest! Etsy! YouTube! With all these terrific and low cost resources for building creative muscle, why should it ever get flabby?

 I can think of a couple answers: time and expectations. Creative projects take time, and for many of us, it’s not just the time of doing the project, it’s the time of gathering supplies and deciding what to do, and really, isn’t there something else we should be doing? On top of that is the feeling that the output doesn’t justify the time invested; this is where expectations can be a bummer. If I paint for two hours, what do I have to show for it? Certainly not that stunning artwork I saw a friend share on Instagram. Stories? Poems? Oh my, the inner critic says, these are not good.

 Remind the inner critic that perfection is not the point. Excellence or even proficiency is not the point. The point is to do it, to let go and keep that hand moving. It can be terrible stuff; who cares? Creativity is not something that - POOF - appears to the lucky; it is grown by the determined and exercised to remain strong. There are many ways to be creative, and some may be more active than others (think dancing or performing), but all share a joy of creation and deliberate presence. Yes, I am here! Yes, I am letting something of my inner vision shape my external world! Yes, yes, yes!

So with that being said, here’s some ideas:

Draw a picture – if you’ve never sketched before, start with step by step instructions using simple shapes like the Lee J. Ames series or Ed Emberley

Start a “moving hand” journal – open to a page and doodle, paste pictures and phrases from magazines, throw in a flower, a leaf, a ticket stub; let your hands move and NO CRITIQUING

Find a poem written the day you were born. Write a response

Paint a rainbow with childrens’ watercolor paints

Gather some paint sample sheets and match colors to the sky, to different trees, to your favorite flower….

Plant some seeds. If tiny plants do appear, it feels like magic

Wear headphones while you do chores around the house and samba while you sweep

Reread one of your favorite childhood books. Have a discussion with one of the characters 10 years after the story ends

When you buy a used book, imagine the life it had before it came to you

Identify 10 colors each day. Make up a name or two

My latest creative projects are collages and other card designs. I’m making “one a day” calendar stacks to celebrate creative works and designs for some of my favorite topics (science, art, literature). You can find these and more on my website: http://www.ofgoodcheer.com/GiftCenter.html and http://www.ofgoodcheer.com/GetCreative.html

One a days:

Spectacular science:

The artist’s eye:

Lovely literary:

[ownyourart]

“All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.” — Albert Camus Creativity FTW and, thankfully, creativity is contagious. 😛 [mug raised to doublequotes.net |_|)]

[jaimer]

I may or may not have spent several hours of my day making a silverflint fan video....it has been four years since the last time I tried to make a video....fuuuu, I can’t tell if I like it bc it’s decent or bc I love black sails and my two pirate boyfriends

[ilovsmethemacca]

i’m using of Stairway to Heaven as an allegory in one of my college essays