Creative Every Day Theme for August: Fire

July 25th, 2010

At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. I've been wanting to do a theme about the elements for some time now, so for the month of August, the theme will be the element of Fire. It seemed like the perfect month to play with this element as August is blazing hot in this part of the world and it's also the month of the firey sign, Leo. As always, this month's theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge is totally optional. Use it if it sparks you (no pun intended), continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between.

I'm thinking of this theme in terms of exploring the idea of fire in creative ways. You could focus on the idea literally and make pieces using heat, focus on your own creative fire, or play with firey colors. There are endless ways you can play with the theme and I'm open to any interpretation.

I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month on the blog to help keep you inspired. You can use the posts here for jumping off points or interpret the theme in your own creative way. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:

  • *Write about your own creative fire, what sparks it, and how you keep it burning bright.
  • *Play with a medium that uses heat, like encaustic.
  • *Use firey colors in your work.
  • *Light something on fire! Play with burnt edges in your work.
  • *Note what fires you up, explore it in a piece of art or writing.
  • *Be a sun worshiper. Spend some time in the sun and notice what it inspires.
  • *Burn some candles while you work.
  • *Try a hot yoga class.

How to use the CED themes:

If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving. Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.

Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.

And have fun with it!

My candle burns at both ends.
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
It gives a lovely light.
~Edna St. Vincent Millay

16 Responses

Another great theme to ponder. I can’t believe it’s August already… Thanks for keeping us going Leah!

I just looked at this and saw the big bright sun with FIRE written across it – this after another day of about 100 degrees here in the south. July has been so hot! Love the theme! And the poetic lines by Edna St. Vincent Millay – so descriptive and beautiful!

Hello everyone I have been away for way too long. I also – dare I say – didn’t create for months. It was terrible. Work was very unpleasant for the last three months and once I was on vacation I got going again. I was set free to create. One thing, I will never let my job interfere with my creativity again. So, I hope to post more often and share. I see the theme is fire, so I have something to work with. Thanks, Leah for keeping the email notices coming. I would longingly look at your emails but couldn’t focus on them. Yeah, work really did a job on me. Sigh. Or I let them get me wound up and feeling very inadequate and wrong. Now with 3 blissful weeks of rest, recovery and art I feel renewed. So, cheers everyone.
http://www.astheartflies.blogspot.com

The sun has finally made an appearance here in the Pacific Northwest. Great theme and poem. I am on vacation right now so I’m feeling pretty good and rested except for the heat. A creative fire has been lit and I am trying to keep it stoked with creative projects during my vacation. I hope to finish another set of mini collages for a necklace. :) Cheers all!!

Though I wasn’t planning on following the themes unless I absolutely needed to, I am already working on a firefly project so I might get to contribute some (hopefully cute :x ) photos to this theme. :) This is a good one, I get a lot of emotion in relation to fire. August is my birth month, maybe fire will help me out of my rut. ;) I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!

This is a great theme for August, summer’s heat. Fire rules and it will be fun to explore this. I always enjoy the monthly themes, such fun!

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Leah Piken Kolidas, Isis Icefield. Isis Icefield said: RT @leah_art: The Creative Every Day Challenge's (totally optional) theme for August is the element of Fire! http://bit.ly/9EwjR1 #ced2010 [...]

Oh Leah, love the theme of FIRE!

oh good theme. it just conjures up lots of reds and oranges. fun.

Leah, it’s so apt that the new month’s theme will be fire. I’ve shared here a blog entry about a vest I created to honor Shiva, the bringer of Hatha Yoga. With physical hatha yoga, we create fire within us that can help to purify, burning off what we no longer need and leaving us with the gold that is our center.

Thank you for this opportunity to share!
http://tina-rathbone.blogspot.com/2010/07/so-shiva.html

I am a water sign. And I have a tendency to be very practical and down to earth. And I also can get pretty intellectual and airy… fire, however… I have a tendency to let that one slide. Maybe it would be interesting to see what happens when I focus on passion, inspiration and fire.

Excited about this months theme. I’m also a Leo and can be quite fiery myself. lol

Mmm, should be fun!

Great theme as usual. My birthday is this month so I’m a fire sign and a wild Leo. I think this will be fun to play with (don’t play with fire, my dearies). In this case, drag out the paints and play all you want.

I am Looking forward to working on this theme and sharing with everyone. Just got back from Barbados, where the temperatures got up to 32 degrees C (so caught lots of sunshine!) And its also my birthday as well this month – hear me roar all the way from wembley, UK….:D lol

Yes i like the theme.. It comes at a good time,(though the weather could use a little cooling) i needed a spark, or more like a kick in the but to get me to start painting again. Guess im tired of people asking me if I painted anything lately. But a little spark of inspiration is what got me motivated to start something. I hope to get back creating on a regular basis, no matter how small. Inspiration comes in all forms and in unlikely places. Its great to see what others have done. Keep up the creativity!!

http://jenniferbarrile.com/2010/08/08/in-my-head/

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