Can’t start a fire without a Spark…
August 3rd, 2010, 17 Comments
I woke up with that line in my head, part of a Bruce Springsteen song. How true! And what a fitting way to start the month of Fire, talking about what sparks our imagination, what fires us up creatively, the ways small and large that we move from idea to creation.
Just the way that I woke up with this song in my head is a good example of where my ideas come from. The hypnagogic state, that fuzzy land between sleep and being awake, where the mind is more open and ideas often come fast and furious. I love to keep some paper and pens on my nightstand so that I can jot them down while half asleep, because sometimes I will remember the ideas and other times, they slip away as I'm waking up.
Bits of song, dream images, short phrases, little bits of shadow, and memory will often be the spark behind an idea that leads to a creation. A spark is just the starting point. It won't always develop the way it first began, just like a fire won't always spread the way you expect. I like that bit of surprise that happens as an idea transitions from spark to form. But it's also just interesting to see where ideas come from. Sometimes the most unexpected places, like the shape of a leaf or the color combination on a billboard. And sometimes ideas seem to come out of nowhere.
Where do your sparks of inspiration come from?
Pay special attention this month, catch them as they come like the girl in "Catching Stars" above, and see which sparks become full fires!
Creative Every Day Check-In: August 2 – 8
August 2nd, 2010, 26 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 8/2/10 - 8/8/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for August is the element of Fire. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with August's theme here.
Happy Creating!
The most tangible of all visible mysteries – fire. Leigh Hunt
Happy Friday!
July 30th, 2010, 7 Comments
Happy Friday! I've been working on some creative things, but nothing to share yet, so in the meantime, enjoy this picture of my sweet Emma, enjoying Animal Planet, up close and personal. Hehe.
And get ready for the month of Fire! I'm excited about it and hope you are as well!
Creative Every Day Check-In: July 26 – August 1
July 26th, 2010, 24 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 7/26/10 - 8/1/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for July's theme is Life. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with June's theme here. August's theme is the element of Fire. You can read more about August's (totally optional) theme here.
Happy Creating!
Love is the Fire of Life; it either consumes or purifies. ~author unknown
Creative Every Day Theme for August: Fire
July 25th, 2010, 16 Comments
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
Life Outdoors
July 23rd, 2010, 10 Comments
I've spent a lot more time outdoors in the mornings this summer as I've been jogging and it's just too hot to go later in the day. But no matter what time I'm out, I'm often using my iphone to snap little shots here and there of things that catch my eye. A gorgeous skyline, a fluffy pink flower, a path lines with eye-poppingly green ferns.
I think the summer heat sometimes makes you slow down and notice these beautiful little moments around you. What beautiful moments have caught your eye this month?
Tree of Life
July 20th, 2010, 16 Comments
Here's what the layers painting became, a tree of life, drawn with ink over the layers of paint.
Last night the hubster and I watched an installment of Through the Wormhole, a program on the Science Channel, narrated by Morgan Freeman. The program was all about how life began on earth and it was fascinating. Life is truly miraculous. In the program, they talked about the tree of life and how all living things on earth are connected. After awhile, it all starts to blow your mind!
Creative Every Day Check-In: July 19 – 25
July 19th, 2010, 23 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 7/19/10 - 7/25/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for July's theme is Life. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with June's theme here.
Happy Creating!
"What we need is more sense of the wonder of life." ~ Robert Henri
Layers
July 14th, 2010, 14 Comments
Life has many layers, does it not? I thought of this as I played today, making layer after layer of paint. I was thinking of water and sky as I worked. I've had different ideas of where this piece is going as I worked, but at the moment, I'm not sure, so I'm going to let it sit in this layered water-sky state for a bit.
Creative Every Day Check-In: July 12 – 18
July 12th, 2010, 21 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 7/12/10 - 7/18/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for July's theme is Life. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with June's theme here.
Happy Creating!
I am unable to make any distinction between the feeling I get from life and the way I translate that feeling into painting. ~Henry Matisse
