Creative Every Day

wow! I can hardly believe that it has been a whole year of Creative Every Day!!!! thanks for doing this Leah–and encouraging creativity in the world: “Crafting It Forward!” you have blessed us all with your blog and sharing your art and creativity and issues around all that…
virtual hugs to you
aurora

Posted by: Aurora | Dec 1, 2008 at 7:00 pm |

Hi Leah. I love the widget and Flckr components. The quotes were amazing. I think you should keep the names as they are. Thank you again for all you are doing.

Posted by: Ananda Leeke | Dec 1, 2008 at 7:34 pm |

Leah-
I love the idea of interviews. It’s inspiring to hear how others incorporate creativity into their daily lives. I also like the idea of a monthly theme or challenge. Although I didn’t link my creative efforts here much this year, just having your blog to visit was refreshing and helped me keep creativity as an intention throughout the year. So, thanks for all your efforts.

Posted by: Kim | Dec 1, 2008 at 7:47 pm |

I’m behind the times. Can I please join up for the 2009 Creative Every Day challenge – thanks so much. Can’t comment on what has happened this year as was not a participant is AEDM or CED

Posted by: Brenda M | Dec 1, 2008 at 8:01 pm |

Leah~
I’d love to participate in the Creative Everyday Challenge next year — I’d like to see interviews and monthly themes would be a awesome way to keep my focus every month. I think having a theme that changes periodically will help keep people who ‘drift off’ for a while to come back. Periodic monthly challenges would also be a great idea to help stretch my creative juices.

Looking forward to seeing what you organize! Thanks so much for your efforts!

Christy

Posted by: christy | Dec 1, 2008 at 8:09 pm |

Hi Leah
Love everything that you have done.
I like the ideas of challenges and themes for the CED. Interviews and how people get inspired would also be good.
Or Just leave every thing the way it is. I will be joining in what ever you do.
Thanks for an inspiring blog
Emma

Posted by: Emma | Dec 1, 2008 at 9:00 pm |

I like the themes for a month, too. I know it helps me to have a theme I am exploring.

Or maybe a weekly theme,, so we wouldn’t be stuck in one theme for a month.

Posted by: rowena | Dec 1, 2008 at 9:20 pm |

I was one of the original participants of the Creative Every Day challenge, but then i kind of fell off the bandwagon (life happens sometimes). While i am back and creating again, i have not been creating every day yet and probably won’t be till i’m settled in after moving. I really liked the idea of the CED 2008 challenge. I liked it’s freedom, and lack of pressure if we miss a day or something. I was not a participant of either monthly ones, so i cannot quite comment on that, or the difference between the two. As for new ideas, i like the ideas of having a theme. A prompt/MINI-challenge or two can be nice as well sometimes, but without losing the casual, no pressure feel of it.

I’m sure whatever you do with this will be fabulous. Thanks for keeping up with organizing this. It is so inspiring to see what everyone does.

Posted by: Dale | Dec 1, 2008 at 9:59 pm |

Thank you for all you do Leah–you are a true creative force amongst so many

I accomplished so many things this month, it almost amazes me. I’m happy with what I did. I didn’t finish things every day but I did do something artistic, even a small thing daily.

If you do themes for the month, I would leave them as loose as possible because there are so many different people that join in with your challenges and all with different mediums of choice. I love the interview portion, maybe have topics around the creative process, organization, marketing, defining your work, journaling–I could go on and on. I think that there are no limits as to what you can do with your challenges, but I do know that there are many many behind you in what ever direction you decide to take.

I enjoyed the creative process this month and hope to carry it forward in December

Posted by: lucy | Dec 1, 2008 at 10:00 pm |

Leah, I created probably three times the paintings in three weeks that I normally would have, thanks to AEDM. And I got ideas and energy from the group. So thanks, again, for posting the challenge – and for challenging us to post.

I’m with Kim and Christy, among others – I like the idea of the interviews, and the monthly challenges (a month allows time for an idea to percolate around and come out as something more complex – or even to become a series). And I think a little confusion about the names (AEDM/CED) is understandable, but I don’t think you ought to change the names… You’ve gotten some “brand recognition” at this point.

I plan to participate in CED 2009 and I may join the tail end of 2008.

Posted by: Steve | Dec 1, 2008 at 10:41 pm |

I think the distinction between AEDM and CED is really very clear. AEDM is basically a subset of your creative life, a special time when you focus intently for a month. I find the idea of CED intimidating (a whole year!) but I can easily dive in for 30 days and really focus. I am creative, every day actually, as I raise my daughter, but I don’t want to officially join CED because I would create stress for myself. I agree with Steve about the “brand recognition.” No need to change names. And maybe you can “market” the difference as a way to appeal to people like me who find the idea of a whole year daunting.

I find the weekly prompts with Illustration Friday fun and feel no pressure from myself to do something every week. If it appeals and I am inspired, I play. So maybe CED could offer a weekly exercise for creative exploration and invite people to share what comes of it.

You know, the more I think about this, the more aware I am that the “every day” concept is what scares me off. It pushes a button for me that creates anxiety. *sigh*

One last thought: maybe have a weekly guest blogger — a participant — write a post on what they do, make, insights they’ve had, etc.

I’m sorry this comment is so very disorganized and rambling. I want to join CED 2009, I really do. What prevents me? (Rhetorical question, and maybe I just need a little encouragement or “permission”) Hugs to you

Posted by: Kathryn | Dec 1, 2008 at 11:40 pm |

Yay, happy to hear you are doing CED for 2009. Sign me up!

I love the idea of weekly/monthly themes or challenges. Little suggestions for trying something new (maybe even each week from a different participant) would be a great way for us to get more out of it, I think. Perhaps interviewees could also suggest the challenges?

I’d be happy to help with organization if you’d like.

Posted by: Jul | Dec 2, 2008 at 6:33 am |

Hi Leah. About a week into the AEDM my life took a weird turn (which I won’t go into) and besides computer problems other things interfered big time. I sure enjoyed starting the project though.

I will try my best at the beginning of the year to join in on your new 2009 one.

What would motivate me would be a challenge every month…or something like that.

I need to catch up here and go look at your past posts when I get a chance…haven’t had much time.

Posted by: sandyz | Dec 2, 2008 at 12:49 pm |

A whole year? Already? OMG!

Leah, I can’t thank you enough for your inspiration both in Art Every Day and Creative Every Day. It was my wanting to participate in Creative Every Day 2008 that got me to begin blogging – and oh what a wonderful experience that has been! I have met some absolutely wonderful people I would not have encountered otherwise. And I’ve discovered that I really enjoy this thing called blogging – Who Knew?

I think people do get confused with Creative Every Day – thinking it means they have to create some tangible thing each day – when that is not at all your intent if I understand it correctly. There are many ways to be creative – and perhaps you can use a monthly theme and/ or interview to make that clearer for folks. Consider: practicing creativity, in some manner or other, makes it more possible for someone to dedicate a whole month to daily art making later in the year, actually.

I like the name Creative Every Day – and Art Every Day Month – I think you did a superb job of naming.

All I know for sure is that I will continue to participate in 2009 in whatever you create throughout the coming year….ought to be very interesting.

I was so looking forward to AEDM and then life happened and I was unable to do it – but that’s ok – there’ll be another year…and hey, in fact another whole year !!

Posted by: Rebecca | Dec 2, 2008 at 2:00 pm |

Actually, I like the way things are over here right now. Leah, you area doing a great job! I do like the idea of featuring interviews with creative people. I’d like to know how others overcome their own problems and still be creative in many ways.

Thanks for all you’ve done for CED 2008. I look forward to another year of fun and creativity

Posted by: Y.H | Dec 3, 2008 at 10:28 am |

I feel like both of these are like jumping rope for me… you remember how there would be two friends twirling two jump ropes and you stand outside of it waiting waiting for the right moment to jump in? I have been doing that with both CED and AEDM. And for 2008, I think I missed all of my opportunities to jump!

But now, this is my work, my mission. This is how I live my life and the work I do in the world. I jumped in a big way this year, by leaving my paid job and leaping into the world of self employment. I am an artist, photographer, writer and healer. I create every single day. There are no more restraints on my time, I don’t have to squeeze 30 minutes of creating here and 15 minutes there. I have the freedom and blessing of being able to indulge days… DAYS at a time to a project without having to look at the clock.

So I’m jumping in! I’m taking the badge now, and becoming part of your amazing community. Interviews, challenges, and maybe even a forum where we can all share our discoveries, questions, and need for support on. These would all be awesome.

I also want to honor you for your commitment to creativity and your commitment to community. What you are creating here is nothing short of magical and so so healing for the world. The more time we spend on creativity, the more authentic we each become as human beings. So so revolutionary.

Muah!
e

Posted by: LunarMusings | Dec 3, 2008 at 1:44 pm |

I also think that interviews would be a great addition. It’s always interesting to find out how others work, are inspired, and view the world. The theme idea is cool as well. That way people can either do that theme for the whole month, for a specific project each month or just use it as inspiration for the future.

Posted by: Wendy Edsall-Kerwin | Dec 3, 2008 at 1:55 pm |

I’m so glad to have participated this past year & want to continue. Your new ideas are good, but I’d be happy to see things continue on as they have been. So I’ll following along regardless.
For anyone who sees CED as a burden, they should not. It’s just an awareness of the artistic spirit and applying it in our lives. It can be as simple as stopping a moment to really take in what you see and making a mental note of some aspect of it. Those moments add up & add to the times we actively make art.

Posted by: Regina | Dec 3, 2008 at 5:07 pm |

Guess all that I offer has already been said, but I, too, like periodic themes and challenges, times to stretch and grow (also good motivation:)
Interviews are also good sources of inspiration and I love technique sharing…
Thanks for all you do – I appreciate it!!
Looking forward to CED 2009!

Posted by: Altered Attic / Patti Edmon | Dec 4, 2008 at 10:28 am |

I second (third? gazillion?) the interviews. I’d love to get to know the other participants – their inspirations, their tools, their methods. I think themes would be wonderful, everything from artsy technical stuff like -monochrome, to spiritual themes like heart and family. I too am a fan of the link widget and the flickr group It was really nice to “meet” up with new people as we went along.
Can’t wait! now an organising binge before the new year I think and perhaps a binding binge so the sketchbooks are ready and no more shop bought books is one of my resolutions for the new year!

Posted by: JaniceMarie | Dec 7, 2008 at 2:16 am |