Creativity – Page 2 – Andrew Zahn

24 Hour Plays: Lessons in Fear, Control, and Joy

Why dive into a creative process involving fear, anxiety, the unknown, the uncontrollable? The payoff is incredible. This past weekend, my wife and I participated in an event called 24 Hour Plays. Here’s the rundown of the events that transpire in a mere day at one of these creative explosions: It’s an exercise in organized insanity in… Continue reading 24 Hour Plays: Lessons in Fear, Control, and Joy

Creativity, Rule Breaking, and Growing Down

Mastering the art of when to break and not break the rules is a never-ending exercise in creativity. As creatives, we live with the privilege of learning that tightrope walk. Today’s my birthday. I’m 36. I used my birthday money to buy this… Yes, it’s a remote control toy helicopter. Yes, I’ve played with it a lot. Yes, it’s amazing.… Continue reading Creativity, Rule Breaking, and Growing Down

Timelessness: Social Media, Pompeii, Creativity, and Romeo and Juliet

Facebook. Twitter. Linked In. Google+. Its a social media perfect storm out there isn’t it? Even outside the ever increasing social media realm, it seems there’s something new every day. The new technology. The new procedure. The new method. The new ideology. The new initiative. The new leader. The new diet. The new relationship. The… Continue reading Timelessness: Social Media, Pompeii, Creativity, and Romeo and Juliet

Creativity Victories (and Fails) from This Past Week

Here’s some good food for your creativity from this past week (and leave your favorite link in the comments for all of us to enjoy!)… For photographers and videographers: 500 people in 100 seconds. For writers and readers: Great blog post.Created to grow. For eaters: Cesar Salad Cotton Candy. For trekkies and geekers: Watch. This.… Continue reading Creativity Victories (and Fails) from This Past Week

Friday Light: A Craigslist Halloween Horror Story

Once upon a time there lived a happy husband and a happy wife who lived in a happy home. This happy couple made their living acting, singing, and (sometimes to the mild dismay of the happy husband) dancing. Being actors, they were frequently between jobs and needed their ingenuity and creativity to create revenue for… Continue reading Friday Light: A Craigslist Halloween Horror Story

Celebrating Mistakes

There are multiple mediums of artistic expression: oil on canvas, word on paper, film on screen, status update on Facebook. Regardless of the medium, at times our initial vision may get distorted by a glitch (or two) during the creative process. The clay is too dry. The paint is low quality. Writer block. Fear. In… Continue reading Celebrating Mistakes

Creative Juices: Monday Begins on Sunday

Monday blues. Case of the Monday’s. I’ve even heard it said that “Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.” It’s a cute and clever statement, yet some actually believe this. Why waste 1/7th of our lives? As whole and complete creatives our Mondays must begin on our Sundays with a basic… Continue reading Creative Juices: Monday Begins on Sunday

Friday Light: McDonald’s Dollar Menu Temptations

I’m weak. Like a girl at a hip-swiveling Elvis concert. Can’t say no. Willpower shot. I hear from within me a whisper of sinister rationalization: You deserve a break today. To which I answer “yes. Yes indeed I DO deserve a break today.” And then another voice… You want it, you need it. Another answer… Continue reading Friday Light: McDonald’s Dollar Menu Temptations

An Actor in the Office: Tips to Making Your Day Job Creative

6 Similarities of Working in an Office and Working on a Cruise Ship I used to do this: Now I do this: As creatives, we have a challenge before us: to live a life filled with joy, connection, and fearlessness, and share those traits with others via our chosen medium of expression. How do we… Continue reading An Actor in the Office: Tips to Making Your Day Job Creative