Tag Archives: creativity

Saturday with the Spark

The Most Dangerous Thing Any Artist Can Do…

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…is lose faith in their ability to make art.

Seems too simple, or even nonsensical. How can someone who makes art of any kind lose faith in that ability? And how can that stop you from creating, if you’re truly an artist?

Oh, it can happen, and all too easily. I’m stuck in it right now, as a matter of fact. And there is more than one path to this stupidly terrible mire I find myself in these days:

  • Suffering from self-censorship, and/or the fear that your art is “not good enough” for others to see
  • Making “art creation time” feel more like work than fun–over-thinking it and over-planning it, especially
  • Allowing someone else to bully you into making the kind of art they like, rather than what you like

Any or all of these things can strike you, as an artist, and they can all make your passion for creating art shrivel up and die. And when you’ve lost your passion for your art, no more ideas will come to you till you get it back. Thus, you lose faith in your own ability to make art, because the ideas aren’t coming. And all too soon, you stop even identifying yourself as an artist entirely.

Remember, Only YOU Can Make Art That Expresses Yourself!

[/shameless parody of Smokey the Bear’s “forest fires” slogan]

It doesn’t matter what kind of art you make, whether it’s poetry, paintings, choreography, sculptures, dramas, or jewelry–you have to have faith and passion for your art, otherwise the creative juices just won’t be there. You have to remember that you have a unique voice, a unique spirit, which is expressed through your chosen art, whatever it may be. You must let that come forth however it will, if it’s going to be truly representative of you.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you push aside help from other people. Others can guide you along, give you advice, and act as sounding boards for your newborn ideas. But only YOU can create art from that advice. God gifted you an amazing ability; only you can bring forth that idea that sprouted in your brain.

How to Get Your Faith and Passion Back

So, what to do if you’ve found yourself suddenly without the fire for your art that you used to have? Here are two things that have helped me:

  1. Re-experience your own artworks. Try to re-create that beautiful painting you did a few years ago; play through that old song you loved writing so much. Do whatever it takes to reconnect with what made you love making art. For instance, I took to my digital keyboard and played through a few of my more involved compositions, playing them in different keys, experimenting with their forms.
  2. Show or talk about a few of your most recent artistic attempts to friends you trust and/or friends who do the same kind of art. They may be able to offer a fresh perspective on the work you’ve lost faith in. In my case, I’ve been talking about my novel with a few more trusted friends, and slowly gaining a little more pride in what I’ve created when they give their reactions.

Remember, art is your personal expression, mirroring your experience of the world. No one else has quite that expression–will you then hide it or push it aside because it’s not “as good as” someone else’s? I hope you choose to keep working at it…your efforts ARE worth it, as are mine, as are every artist’s. Be proud of your identity as an artist!

Saturday with the Spark

Using the Five Senses in Writing

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As a writer, sometimes I get WAY too caught up in telling the story, eager to get ahead to the next plot point. When I get in that impatient mode of writing, it’s hard to remember that I’m creating an experience for the reader, that I need to make the scene vibrate with life. I think all writers struggle, at some level, to make their stories have that kind of immediate life to them, like the readers are watching a movie unfold in their heads every time they read the printed words.

Putting Sensory Information Into Our Stories

One of the many ways we as writers can characterize that life–that rich, lush sense of a story being lived out in front of the reader–is to involve more of the five senses in the story.

Let me give you an example of prose without the five senses:

I walked out onto the front porch and went down the eight steps to my car, counting them as I went. I had to hurry–there was so little time left in the day to get my errand done.

This is a slice of very ordinary life, but it’s a very bland slice. Why does the person count the steps going down from the porch? Is this an OCD moment, or is there more purpose? Also, what time of day is this happening, that the narrator feels such a time pressure to get things done?

Sensory information can actually fill in the holes of this story, as well as describe the scene much better:

The breeze was a warm, moist breath along my arms as I opened the door to step outside onto the front porch. Summer’s humidity, along with the sharp, fresh tang of ozone, lay heavy on the air outside; it was this muggy air I’d been avoiding all day. But I couldn’t avoid the outdoors without ignoring my errand. Already I’d let so much of the day slip by that the eight front steps were darkened with auburn dusk and tree shadows. The velvet green leaves above my head swished a little as I made my way carefully down the steps, counting them so I wouldn’t slip.

The raspy voices of the crickets began tuning up all around me as I got into the car, popping a mint into my mouth and allowing myself to enjoy how the peppermint percolated on my tongue. If I just took care of it now, I reasoned, I’d have no reason to worry myself awake all night.

See how this prose is so much richer, and yet the story still moves along, despite the added description? The sentences are longer, and there are more of them, but each piece of sensory description adds life to the story and pulls it along. There are lush sights and sounds, distinctive scents, real sensations, and even a bit of taste thrown in, too–and all this brings the scene more vividly to life.

I’m not sure if this falls into the category of “show, don’t tell,” but I think the second selection of writing definitely outshines the first in terms of quality. What do you think? Which was the more engaging to read, for you?

To Make Your Writing Sing of the Senses:

  • Picture the scene in your mind. What colors are present? What visible textures? What kind of shadows, and what kind of light? Describe these for your reader, especially if they’re meaningful to the plot, or to the character’s state of mind.
  • Are there any sounds in the environment you’re writing about? If so, are they instantly recognizable (like music, laughter, or language), or are they randomly noisy (like cars rushing by, rattling, etc.)? Put a line or two in about these, if it makes any difference to your story’s plot or characters.
  • Any smells or tastes which are important to the story? If so, go ahead and include them–these are the two senses that get left out of a story all too easily. Just a few words about scents and tastes, however, can conjure up emotions and scenes of their own.
  • Don’t forget the sense of touch! Are there any important textures that you can feel in the scene you’re describing? What about anything in the environment that affects your character (like the breeze in my example paragraphs)? What does the environment feel like?
  • Include just enough of these details to paint a scene, but not so many that you forget to move your plot along. This is where it’s helpful to have someone else read it, to see if they get the same “mind-picture” you do without crowding out your story.
Saturday with the Spark

How The Right Music Makes Things Weirdly Funny

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Today, I wanted to feature a very creative video from Youtube that’s always made me laugh, but has also puzzled me.

This is a scene from the 2005 film War of the Worlds (loosely adapted from the book by H.G. Wells), but instead of the original musical track for this scene, someone has put the theme music for The Benny Hill Show, a comedy variety show, in its place.

For some reason, this combination of scary/serious events plus this upbeat, whimsical music makes for hilarity–I find myself giggling even though I know I shouldn’t.

I’ve shown this to people who know what kind of show the music’s from, as well as people who’ve never even heard of Benny Hill, and both groups responded with laughter the same way I did. What is it about this music that makes this grim scene so funny?

I think it has something to do with how the music and visuals combine in a movie to affect our perception of the events. The original scene is terrifying and dramatic, not just because of the visuals, but because of the ominous, grand music in the background; putting the more comical music with it helps us take the visuals less seriously.

What do you think? What are some other reasons this video might make us laugh?

Saturday with the Spark

Why Write Fanfiction?

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Most people might assume, after learning that I am a writer, that I have been writing stories with original characters all my life. That is, at best, only partially true.

In fact, for a very long time, I struggled with creating characters, naming them, everything. I had no problem coming up with great plotlines–it’s just that the character creation part was difficult, for whatever reason. Especially as a young writer (referring to single-digits ages), I never could seem to come up with original characters that were good enough for my plotlines, but I could always match plotlines with established stories, taking old stories in new directions.

And so, quite by accident, I became an author of what I now know as fanfiction, at a very young age. (For instance: somewhere in my house, there is a very old fanfiction about Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty hanging out and playing games, written on steno notebook paper in blue highlighter because I was about six-and-a-half and thought the blue ink was “pretty.” xD)

What Exactly IS Fanfiction?

Fanfiction is basically a new work of written fiction based off a movie, TV show, video game, or book; fanfiction authors can borrow nearly all, some, or nearly none of the original work’s characters, settings, and plotline in order to shape their own creation.

Fanfiction’s Slightly Bad Reputation

However, fanfiction in general has gotten a bad rap, for two reasons:

  1. It is usually considered a type of “derivative work,” which is kinda-sorta-not plagiarism–you are borrowing someone else’s characters to act out your plot;
  2. The fanfiction form has been used more for writing pornographic scenes than really doing anything new with the established characters.

Some established authors hate that their works get fanfic’ed, some are fine with it, and some are indifferent entirely. But many writers and literature lovers dislike the field of fanfic authors greatly, mostly because of these two reasons. They even go so far as to say that fanfic authors are not “real” writers at all, since they borrow rather than create their own characters.

Why Fanfiction Is Actually Not So Bad

However, this criticism misses part of the point of fanfiction: doing something new with established characters. It’s kind of like playing in a literary “sandbox,” just trying new things, seeing what happens. It can free creativity (and inspire new plotlines) in a way that struggling to create original characters can stifle.

For instance, my old story about Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty hanging out as friends might sound silly. But I was willing to step outside the box of traditional thought, even then, and try something new with the characters. It made writing a whole lot more fun; I got to toy around like a chemist mixing chemicals and substances in a lab. It wasn’t the best story on earth, but it wasn’t meant to be–it was done for fun, and for the experience of trying new ideas.

I think of fanfiction primarily as flattery to the original author of the work; after all, they’ve made awesome characters in a well-designed world, otherwise people would not respond by trying to work with those characters in that world. I don’t believe that fanfic authors are trying to steal anybody’s credit (I certainly don’t approach it that way, at least); it’s just that sometimes, your creativity gets to boiling when a great author’s work has struck a chord within you.

I also believe that fanfiction can be a good training ground for new authors. Certainly I cut my teeth as a writer by writing fanfic! Where I once struggled with creating good original characters, I have now become good enough to trust my instincts while pulling together characters for my own novel. Where I once worried that my style was too trite and boring, I have now tightened up my writing style through practice with fanfictions of all sorts.

I do agree that some fanfics are a little difficult to read because they seem so personal to the fanfic author; I also agree that some fanfic authors go a little overboard. But one cannot become a better writer without practice and input from readers, and fanfiction sites can be great places to get feedback and share the stories that have been bubbling inside your brain. And after all, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to read it! 🙂

To Learn More about Fanfiction

The potential legal pitfalls of publishing fanfiction online is well covered by ChillingEffects.org’s Fanfiction article–you do have to be careful publishing it!

But, on the positive side, there are many fanfiction archive websites online, as well as numerous fanfic author communities through Livejournal, Tumblr, WordPress, and many others. Here are just a few links I know of:

WARNING: Not all may be safe for work, and some may have more adult-themed stories, as discussed earlier in this article.

Most-Recommended

Fanfiction.net
MediaMiner.org
FictionPress.com

Other Excellent Sites

Archive Of Our Own
Mibba.com
Figment.com
ImagineFanfiction.com
Wattpad.com
Fictionesque.com
ForeverFandom.net
FanficAuthors.net
MyFandoms.com (also for fan videos and art)
FicWad.com

Lists of Fanfiction Sites

Fanfiction Directory
Fanfiction Sites: A List on Squidoo.com

Saturday with the Spark

Chord Colors: Perfect Pitch and Synesthesia

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Last year, I referred to colors and music as being completely intertwined in my head–it’s a positive condition known as synesthesia, or as I like to refer to it, my “brain feature.” Every time I listen to music, my inner sight explodes in colors; it has always been this way, even when I was a very little girl and wasn’t as involved with the production of music as I am these days.

Though I’ve shared this particular picture with you before, here is my complete, colored piano scale, created by my combination of perfect pitch and synesthesia:

This pitch-color connection is an instantaneous response to music, something I don’t have to think about to “see;” it’s just there. And today, I thought I’d share some of that experience, in the form of created images capturing the colors of various musical chords.

(Before we begin, please excuse the relatively low artistic quality of these images; I can’t quite seem to recapture exactly how each chord “looks” to me when it is played, but I have done my best. :P)

B-flat Major


To me, B-flat, whether major or minor, has always had a little shade of darkness to it on the “left” side of the pitch; it’s not sad or evil darkness, just kind of shaded. Here, the B-flat major chord is described, with shadowy teal, light blue, and bright green (B-flat, D, and F, respectively).

B Minor


The 80s called and said they want their pastel palette back. LOL! This is how B minor looks in my head–a wash of lilac and white in the background (the note of B, with the lightness of the major chord), with a little light blue (D) and deep blue-green (F-sharp) mixed in. It’s a gracefully beautiful key, but also somewhat reserved and icy-feeling.

C Major


C major has always appeared bright and colorful in my head–almost too colorful! The golden-yellow C, the pale pink E, and the bright red G are a bit jarring together; this color combination is probably why I associate C major with childhood, especially toys. But you can’t say C major isn’t cheerful enough! 😛

C Minor


In stark contrast to the brightness of C major, C minor has always seemed broodingly dark, even a little slinky, especially with the red of G combined with the red-orange of E-flat and the gold-to-black gradient in the background. (The added darkness in the background is nearly always present in my head when minor chords are played, excepting B minor.)

C-Sharp Major


This is the only key for which very bright silver sparkles appear scattered across the background; I’ve done a poor imitation here, but this gives some idea. The bright green of F and the rich blue of A-flat do not overpower the deep violet and silvery shimmer of the background, which is possibly one reason this is my favorite key to hear music in.

C-Sharp Minor


I love both the major and minor keys of C-sharp, and with good reason–the tones are beautiful, as are the color combinations in my head. In its minor form, C-sharp’s violet is darker, with less emphasis on the sparkles in the background, and the light-pink E adds a more monochromatic dimension to the chord color. I can become wrapped in the chord very easily…it’s melancholy and yet beautiful.

F Major


F major, like C major, is very bright and happy, with the off-white A and deep golden C accenting the vibrant green F. It feels festive and unapologetic, which might be one reason I’ve always associated the key of F major with celebrations and lots of people.

G Major


Can’t miss G major! :O What an explosion of nearly-patriotic colors, with the powerful red G, soft lavender B, and bright blue D. This key feels energetic and powerful, even when it’s used for an easygoing song–I guess it’s all that red. xD (Odd fact: as American as this particular chord palette looks, it’s interesting to note that our national anthem is usually sung in A-flat major instead of G major. Oh well, there’s no accounting for my brain’s sound-color associations!)

To Learn More About Synesthesia

Synesthesia @ Wikipedia.org
Mixed Signals–for synesthetes and non-synesthetes alike
American Synesthesia Association
The Synesthesia Battery of Tests–find out if you’re a synesthete, too!

Saturday with the Spark

Delicate Beaded Jewelry: Not an Oxymoron

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With the current beaded jewelry trend tending towards huge rocks strung on string (I’m not kidding), those of us who are drawn toward more delicate, light creations may feel somewhat at a loss.

But there is no need to despair: there are several ways to bead necklaces, bracelets, and even earrings and rings that don’t look like you just went to a jewel mine and dug something out of the wall. I was honestly quite surprised to find several tutorials and ideas for such beautiful beaded jewelry styles, so I collected my favorites and have shared them here. No heavy multi-stranded necklaces or chunky earrings here–just truly lovely pieces of wearable art!


Ombre Crystal Necklace Tutorial
Pearl Drop Earrings Tutorial

Lacy Clover Bracelet Tutorial
Beaded Rings Idea Post
(you have to “like” the Facebook page to get the tutorial)

Blue Beaded Bracelet Idea Post
Beaded Flower Necklace Idea Post
(you can purchase the tutorial)

…and I am definitely going to try the beaded rings and pearl-drop earrings tutorials. 😀 😀

Saturday with the Spark

The Stupidity of Trying to Produce Art Alone

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For weeks–maybe months, now–I’ve been trying to bring my novel to fruition by myself, trying to continue the story I was once bursting to tell. Sadly, it’s not working out that great. It almost seems like I’ve lost the fire for it. Some days, I just look at the filename and feel sad; I feel like nobody will like it, or that nobody will want to read it.

During the years I’ve been writing this novel, I’ve been scared to show more people what I’ve written, either for fear it’ll get stolen/ripped off, or afraid that others won’t like it. It’s a ludicrous feeling, like a pregnant woman being afraid to give birth because she fears her baby will be ugly, while at the same time she fears that her baby will be stolen. And yet…it’s a valid feeling, too; this half-finished novel is a product of my hard work, and I don’t want that hard work credited to someone else, or cast aside as unworthy.

Why Artists Can’t Create in Complete Solitude

Pop culture (and even some art about artists) generally paints artists as loners, but that’s at least partially untrue. As much as we might need peace and quiet to finalize our ideas, we actually can’t produce art in a vacuum–other people help and influence us, even if they never realize how much they’ve helped.

So many times I’ve been in public, for instance, and heard an exchange between people that reminds me of something in my novel, or reminds me that I should put something similar in a certain scene. Not to mention my friends’ opinions on the bits of novel I do share with them, the snapshots of scenes I’m not too scared to share with them. Talking about our art with other people is a way to keep us believing in what we’re doing; isolating ourselves, or our art, slowly kills the budding artistic expression.

And yet, creating in isolation is precisely what I’ve been trying to do for the last few months. I love my little novel baby, but I’m afraid she’s not good enough for others, or that she will be stolen from me, so I’ve isolated her and hidden her from the world. How silly and stupid of me, in retrospect. No wonder I can’t write anymore; no wonder I get sad when I look at even just the filename. The novel is becoming synonymous with failure and sadness instead of joy, because I only have my opinion to go on, and my opinion becomes more negative by the day.

This is, as I have unfortunately discovered, dangerous territory for me, and indeed it’s dangerous for any artist. We who make art simply can’t hoard it to ourselves; art is for sharing with other humans, whether that’s a small group of people to a worldwide audience. I have big dreams of this novel going worldwide and brightening lives everywhere, and I would wager a guess that other artists dream of showing off their works, too. But in order to get our art to completion, it’s almost necessary to let a few, trusted friends see it, to help us shape it and better it. And, much as a mother-to-be needs help from others in the last months of pregnancy, an artist’s friends surround him or her and help keep the process grounded.

Breaking Out of the Isolation Shell

As artists, we have to realize that it’s okay to share the knowledge of our unfinished art “babies,” even if we’re afraid of the feedback. I suppose it’s much like an expectant parent showing off ultrasound pictures–people will still ooh and ahh, even though the little one is not yet fully formed, because we respect and admire the miraculous process.

Likewise, people at least know a little about the artistic process, and sometimes are willing to help, to offer feedback that will bring our baby projects into the world at last. We just have to be brave enough to let someone else see the ultrasound pictures first. Others, and others’ opinions, are not to be feared; that fear is actually the enemy of art itself.

Saturday with the Spark

Keyboard Barf (a poem)

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It is not my day for writing,
Though the “New File” button waits
It’s just not the day for writing,
‘Cause my brain is not in gear

I’ve begun to type a couple of lines,
But can’t continue my thoughts
So the Backspace key is my best friend
And the document remains blank

How am I supposed to create like this?
How am I supposed to write?
My brain won’t ignite, and will not take
The spark I’m trying to light

No plainer words can I state it in:
I’m well and truly stuck
Because every word that I’ve written so far
Just sounds like keyboard barf

…and ironically, this is probably the coolest poem I’ve written all year. My Muse has a maddening sense of humor.

Saturday with the Spark

Being a Newb at Art: Not a Bad Thing

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Most people look at newbies or people who are new to something, negatively. Newbies are seen as lacking knowledge, always needing help, and not worth the time of experienced people. This most certainly goes for artistic pursuits; many times, I’ve seen experienced artists of every type look down on the “newbs” in their field, as if they have no talent or aren’t worth even talking to.

But, in my opinion, being a “newb” at something doesn’t mean you won’t have any talent for it. In fact, I’ve found that instead of my own newbish-ness getting in the way of learning more, I feel freer to explore whatever I’m trying to learn. I’m not yet so “experienced” that I’m locked into thinking a certain way or always doing things a certain way. Creatively speaking, being a newb can actually be more fun and more enlightening.

Newbs Have More Fun! (And Make Better Art)

Why do I say that being a newb is more creative and enlightening? Because as artists, as creative people, we can get sucked into the trap of “creating what other people like” or “creating art that sells” instead of “creating what we want.” We can easily fall for doing things the way other people have done them, just because the other people were successful and we want to be successful, too.

The bad thing about following the crowd in this way is that it can kill your desire to do art for yourself, as I have found out with my novel and my webdesign. Try to please others too often and for too long, and you end up completely dissatisfied with your soulless work.

But allowing yourself to be a newb, or getting back to a newb state of mind, can free you from this constrained thinking, and thus get you back into creating what makes you happy and what expresses your thinking the best. For example:

  1. Visual Art: Being an art newb means you can paint, draw, sketch, and/or sculpt any way you please; you aren’t constrained by the “laws of the Masters” or what’s currently avant-garde.
  2. Music: Being a music newb means you can put chords and melodies together according to what sounds good to YOU, not what sounds good to some dusty expert, or even what other musicians think.
  3. Dance: Being a dance newb means you can try out different poses and motions without worrying that it’s not part of a “traditional” dance routine, and without trying to do moves that you physically can’t do yet.
  4. Drama/Theater: Being a drama/theater newb means you are free to play any kind of role you want and explore many different characters without being typecast yet.

Creativity is All About “Thinking Outside the Box”–Why Put Your Art in a Box, Then?

In essence, being a “newb” at art means that you’re still defining your style, still exploring your art, and still having fun with it. The moment you lose that sense of wonder and exploration for your art is the moment the artistic sense in you wilts, in my opinion. See: my novel, and my increasing difficulty with writing it because I’m afraid nobody will “like it enough.” As soon as that fear crept in, writing slowed to a crawl for me.

But it is possible to get your “newb groove” back, as I have written about recently. Just allow yourself to experience art the way you used to, allow yourself to be childlike and “newbish” all over again. You’d be surprised how well this works! After all, yours truly just wrote a new page in her novel. 🙂