Category: creativity

10 Brand Spanking New Idioms

As I was driving home from my day job (I’m a PR Manager for a home improvement company) I had an epiphany involving candy and the old idiom “the best things in life aren’t things.” Such sage advice was pouring forth from my muse that I had to do something with my newfound wisdom.

What do we do with new idioms and epiphanies in the digital age? We tweet ’em…

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It’s true. Can’t really argue with that. Perhaps non-candy lovers might argue with it…but I’ll never understand why someone wouldn’t love candy. Never.

It got me to thinking of a few more new idioms that have potential to change the world. And by “change the world” I mean “maybe make you smile.” (Add your own in the comments below and I’ll tweet it out this weekend!)

1. It takes two to tango, but one person can look ridiculous too.

2. Actions speak louder than words, but then nobody gets to hear you yell.

3. Clothes don’t make the man unless she’s a woman dressed up like a man, then they kinda do. (Tweet that)

4. One man’s trash is another man’s Craigslist. Continue reading “10 Brand Spanking New Idioms”

The Dichotomy of Focus

As creatives, we’re tasked with the privilege of seeing our creative projects evolve in three basic stages: getting the initial idea, implementing the idea into our medium and then producing the finished work.

Along this path is the dichotomy of focus.

  • We must be open to change, but not get too distracted.
  • We embrace playfulness, yet need to be responsible.
  • We often create in solitude, but we need community and connection.
TodaysArt 2005 - Nederlands Dans Theater
Maurice via Compfight

The dichotomy of focus reminds me of ballet. As many of my acting gigs involved choreography, I wanted to learn the basics of movement, so I signed up for ballet classes.

The teacher would say seemingly incongruent instructions to help us learn the physical and mental demands of the artform.

Elongate. Tuck.

Push. Pull.

Relax. Tighten.

Such a dichotomy of terms that it seemed the teacher was schizophrenic, yet when she demonstrated we saw exactly what she meant.

What ballet taught me to do in all of my creative work was to enjoy several disciplines at once. As the term “focus” implies being intent on only one thing, it’s too narrow a word for our type of work.

I enjoy embracing the whole of the process rather than just a part.

How about you? How do you strike the balance?

6.5 Ideas For You to Steal

Steal these ideas…consider them yours.

But before I share these multi-million dollar (or these “fall-flat-on-your-face-and-don’t-tell-anyone-you-got-the-idea-from-me”) ideas, here’s why I’m sharing…

  • I have a list of too many and by sharing them, I’ve narrowed down my list. So thank you.
  • I need to see if I’ve done anything on my ‘ideas’ list.
  • Sharing is better than hoarding.
  • You only get to keep what you give away. Marinate on that one.

So here goes. Continue reading “6.5 Ideas For You to Steal”

How Happiness Happens

I’ve been pondering happiness a lot over the past few weeks. It could be for a number of reasons that happiness has come to mind…

  • We’re a few months away from having our first child! Happy.
  • I just changed jobs at work to a position that is more in line with who I am and what I love. Happy.
  • I published a book on Amazon* and am working on a second with two fellow writers. Happy.

I was so interested in happiness that I watched this documentary, aptly called “Happy”.* It chronicles the lives of a cross-section of people and cultures and finds several common denominators among them relating to happiness.

It’s worth your time.

Money and Happiness

Even a smile is an act of charity
Farrukh via Compfight

The documentary found that there is a threshold to money creating happiness…and it’s a surprisingly low threshold.  

Above and beyond meeting basic needs (food, water, shelter), happiness levels for the whole of life don’t generally increase with a higher income.

Although Forbes reported that money could buy happiness, it’s findings were directed toward happiness in vocation, not for all of life in general.

Simply put: money can buy happiness, but only while you’re at work.

Conclusion: since the majority of our time is not spent at work, money doesn’t buy happiness. Continue reading “How Happiness Happens”

10 Reasons Your CURRENT Day Job is Creative (Really)

In a couple hours, I will don my costume for the day. I call it ‘business casual.’

I will sport a professional, corporate look.

I shall spend the morning in a sales meeting and the afternoon strategizing, making phone calls and working with the marketing department.

Ladies and gentlemen: I am a public relations manager.

Yet, I still consider myself a creative. Are you in the same boat? You’re waiting tables at the diner. You’re answering phone calls in a cubicle. You’re picking up endless messes from the kiddos.

We are all creative.

Today, our jobs are creative because like every prolific artist:

  1. We will influence the way people see something.
  2. We will share joy.
  3. We will connect rather than just exist.
  4. We will employ our mediums, whatever they may be, to communicate our ideas.
  5. We will think as creatives think.
  6. We will bring life to our workplace.
  7. We will entertain.
  8. We will believe that our work is good.
  9. We will help.
  10. We will contribute.

Time to put on that costume now, and I’m thankful. Thankful that it’s my choice to see this day job as an artist does. Continue reading “10 Reasons Your CURRENT Day Job is Creative (Really)”

Creating the Intangible

For years I didn’t know why I was creative.

Why I wanted to act, sing or dance. Why I wanted to put thoughts and emotions into something tangible. Why I struggled with my artist friends to give shape and form to make the unseen seen.

I just knew that I had to create.

Then I read this quote… 

Continue reading “Creating the Intangible”

17 Ways to Inspire Creativity

1. Do something that scares you…like making pasta from scratch.

2. Visit The Creativity Post. I love this blog.

3. Give away something you made…that you normally don’t give away.

4. Charge for something you normally give away.

5. Read an inspiring book. Here’s a list of my favorites. Continue reading “17 Ways to Inspire Creativity”

Freebie for Your Artist

I have a special gift for you, but first I wanted to thank you.

The Creatives blog has been up and running for a little over a year now and I’ve enjoyed interacting with each one of you and learning from you.

The discipline that it takes to write and be part of the creative community of artists makes me better.

You challenge me. You inspire me. You encourage me to keep creating. Thank you!

Onto the Gift…

The best Black Friday sales is the one you don’t have to pay for right?

Amazon has allowed me to give away my ebook, Ten Commandments for Creatives, completely free.

You pay nada. Zip. Zilch.

(Tweet this info to share the freebie-ness) Continue reading “Freebie for Your Artist”

Your Biggest Creative Risk

We are the risk-takers.

We are the tightrope-walking plate-spinners.

We are the stake-raisers.

But what if we’re not?

The biggest creative risk we can make is to not create. (Tweet this)

Why?

Because when we don’t create our artist dies. Like a once-growing vibrant houseplant stashed in the corner of a dark, dank basement, we wither under the poor conditions of apathy, blame and denial of responsibility.

The remedy? Continue reading “Your Biggest Creative Risk”