Tag Archives: creativity

Engage with Your Story’s Events

October 1, 2011 Robin Leave a comment

Sometimes…*sigh* ideas just don’t come out of your pen (or flow from your fingertips into the computer keyboard) as easily as you might wish. Sometimes, you sit for hours trying to write; sometimes, you even bore yourself with the text you’re producing. Like the scene I’d been trying to write for the last six weeks in my novel: true, my computer’s been out of commission and I’m trying not to hog the family computer, but I found myself at a loss as to how to go on with the scene. It was stuck in dreary mundane details, and yet I felt I simply HAD to write those details in order to explain the scene properly.

I’m sure, as writers, we all face that type of difficulty–it’s not exactly writer’s block, but it’s something akin to hating what you’re producing and not understanding how to proceed. But how do we get around it?

…How about actually trying to DO the event you’re writing about?

Sounds novel (pardon the pun), and maybe a little strange. “You mean I should act out what I have the character doing?” No, not just acting it out–actually get up from what you’re writing and change your activity. If you’re writing a cooking scene, get up and whip something up in the kitchen, even if you’re only a master of the microwave. Being in the kitchen, preparing the food, smelling it cooking, can jog your senses and remind you of what’s really important in the scene. What scents arise from the food in your story? Are they pleasant or repulsive to your character? If they’re actively involved in cooking, how does the process of cooking feel to them (are they slaving over a hot stove, etc.)?

What about an action scene? Well, if you’re not afraid of knocking over priceless artifacts in your home, you can try out some of the kicks, punches, and dodges you’ve scripted for your character. See if that Chuck-Norris-esque roundhouse kick works for your character to do, or if it’s simply too awesome for your novice fighter to try at this point. And if you can’t do the motion for yourself, try watching some videos or asking knowledgeable friends. If you’re working with an unfamiliar weapon in your story, research is especially important, so you know the “proper” way the weapon is held, how it is used in combat, etc.

The point of engaging with your story’s events in a physical way is to pull yourself out of the mental rut you’ve gotten yourself into. If you’re this stuck on a story, something’s got to change, and actively trying out the event you’re writing could reveal just what it is about the event that is bothering you.

In my novel, for instance, the part of the story that dragged was a “packing up and leaving” scene; I tried tidying up my cluttered mess of a room to try to reproduce the event, and found that I was not writing about the FEELING of packing up–the feel of the items passing through my hands as I packed them, the heaviness of the bags in my hands and looped around my arms. The event felt dead to me because there was no physical sensation involved in the telling of the event. Once I added some sensory elements, the event of packing up came alive; it felt more involved than ever, and no longer was I so bored that I wanted to cry while reading the paragraph. It was a small change, but it helped get me over a hurdle!

Summary

Doing what you’re writing about can help you keep your interest in the story, as well as lend some real-life experience and sensory elements to your scene. While you might weird a few people out (especially if you try out that roundhouse kick in public), you’ll be doing yourself a favor if the act gets you out of sitting fruitlessly at your computer for hours!

Saturday with the Spark

Keyboard Musing

September 24, 2011 Robin 2 Comments

Learning to play piano, for me, came entwined with the desire to create my own music, which I often began to write while just “playing around” (pardon the pun) on the keyboard. I call this “keyboard musing”…just playing a snatch of a song here, a few bars of a melody or bass line here, until BAM!–there’s a new melody or chord progression, and my brain is off to the musical races!

If you’re a beginner to piano, or if you’re a frustrated composer, I would highly suggest doing a bit of keyboard musing for yourself. There’s a whole lot of wonder and magic still left in music, and this process proves it!

Keyboard Musing, Step 0: Don’t Try to Be Perfect. SERIOUSLY.

I have heard fellow composers often say that they’re stuck on a piece of music, saying that all that they play sounds “trite,” “overused,” “not good enough,” and doesn’t “flow.” For that matter, I’ve thought those same things myself about my own music.

Keyboard musing fixes that. After all, there’s no “right or wrong” way to play around on a keyboard when you’re not going by any sheet music! Before you even get started musing on your keyboard, don’t constrain yourself to what sounds “good,” or what sounds “original.” Just play SOMETHING. Play a few measures of a favorite song for inspiration; poke around playing notes together until you run across something that sounds COOL. Then, allow yourself to go further, exploring deeper into the melody or chord progressions you’re enjoying.

Step 1: Play Along with Recorded Music to Get You Started

This is a trick I use when trying to learn new music, but this is a great way to help you recreate a favorite melody, too. Listen to a favorite song using a CD, MP3, Youtube/Spotify/Pandora, etc., and figure out what note the melody starts on…and your ear should be able to take you on from there. Get the notes right first, then match the rhythms and tempo till you can play it pretty close to the recorded song.

The reason behind doing this? Once you know how to pick out the melody of various songs, then you’ll be better equipped to pick out the melody that’s been bouncing around in your head!

Step 2: Try New Variations on an Old Familiar Melody

Now that you know how to play a favorite melody like it was originally written, try varying it up. Extend that short note out a little longer, or put in a little playful riff here and there–innovate and see what new creation you can make. Allow yourself the freedom to play in a musical sandbox.

I suggest this not to condone plagiarism, but to give your imagination a jumping-off point. Put that favorite melody through some permutations, find new chords to put with it, and eventually you will be inspired to create your own song!

Step 3: Keep Trying if You Come Up with Nothing the First Time

You may not come up with anything on your first keyboard-musing session–but then again, you might come up with something AWESOME! Allow yourself more chances to dig down into your imagination, even if nothing appeared the last time you tried.

Step 4: Listen for Inspiration in Weird Places

Especially if you’re stuck and feel like you have no “inner song,” allow your environment to inspire you. Keep your ears open for beautiful new melodies, neat chord progressions, etc., wherever you go. Sometimes even non-musical sounds like car engine roars, bird chirps, refrigerator hums, crowds of people talking, fan blades, etc. can inspire a new tune. (Don’t look at your screen like that, I’m not crazy! LOL)

When you hear inspiring sounds, try to record them if you can, or at least get to your keyboard as quick as you can. Then, try to replicate the sound you heard with the musical notes in front of you. It might feel a bit stupid at first, but don’t give up on it, even if you have to walk away from your keyboard and try again later!

Summary

Keyboard musing is a magical retreat for me, a way I can reconnect with the sheer joy of just playing music for music’s sake. If you’ve never tried music, or if you’ve found yourself stuck for a long time, just give this a shot. You might be surprised what you come up with!

Saturday with the Spark

“But I’m Not Good Enough to be an Artist”

September 17, 2011 Robin 4 Comments

Okay, first of all, I want to refute the statement in my title. When someone says “But I’m not good enough to be an artist,” I want to say back, “Who says??”

Breaking the Art/Artist Stereotype

For too long, art has been given this elevated, almost holier-than-anything status in our culture. And people we call “artists,” stereotypically speaking, are people who dress in “artsy”-looking clothes (all black and berets are the cliche), who claim that no one understands their art, who seem to be just a little bit unhinged at times, who rarely go out into the world so as not to disturb their “creative process.” Right?

NOPE. Artists are everywhere, talented in many different art forms, and they are not all intensely focused people, or all hoity-toity about their art. And art can be found in all parts of life. In fact, Grandma’s herb garden is just as much an art form as any painting or dance performance.

Art is Everywhere

Our whole culture is full of art. Art is self-expression, not just talent in a particular subject that seems “artsy.”

It pains me to say this, being a math-phobe as I am, but even math has artistic qualities–ever heard of fractal geometry, for instance? And even the symmetry of a perfectly-solved equation has beauty in it (even though I might have no idea how in the world it got solved that way). People who create beauty in their worlds are artists, whether they are organizing the clutter out of your apartment or rescuing your workplace’s database from certain cyber-doom.

Art is Approachable

Art does not have to be created in a vacuum void of anything except your own thoughts. In fact, art can be created as a result of human interaction, even as a result of crowds of people. The susurrus of many people talking can sound like a bumblebee’s whirring wings, which might just put you in mind of “Flight of the Bumblebee,” and inspire you to create something based on that, for instance.

You also don’t have to be a particular kind of “focused person” to create art. Sometimes, the random doodles you make on a paper napkin could be inspiration for a design you end up using in your home office, for instance. Art is everyday and yet it transcends the everyday. I like to think art just makes regular life a little bit spiffier. ^_^

Art Can Be Done by Anybody

You can become an artist even if you don’t think of yourself as creative. Anything you do well, whether at your job, at home, or out and about, can be art. Shopping can be an art. Fixing computers or cars can be an art. Whatever you do that you have great instincts for and a large amount of technical knowledge of, you can transform that into art by lending your passion for it into every action and thought. If it expresses who you are (like if your ability to organize and save money lends itself to shopping on a budget), that is part of your art.

And you don’t have to have just one type of art in your life, either–I am expressed by many different kinds of art, from songwriting to blogging, from beading to web designing, and on beyond.

Try a Little Art for Yourself

Even if you don’t think you’re creative, even if you think art is for elementary school kids, how about trying some of the artistic pursuits available to you? The following list is a starter list, but feel free to come up with your own!

Jewelry designing (beading, etc.)
Painting and modeling gaming pieces
Fabric crafting (sewing, fabric painting, etc.)
Woodworking
Painting
Gardening
Drawing/sketching
Interior designing
Acting
Cooking
Car detailing/finishing
Composing poetry
Couponing (just not the “extreme,” lawbreaking kind)
Short story writing
Organizing
Computer building
Novel writing
Web designing
Dancing (ballet, modern dance, etc.)

Saturday with the Spark

C-Sharp (aka D-flat): A Key of Many Moods

September 10, 2011 Robin 5 Comments

As I’ve related in earlier posts, C-sharp/D-flat is my favorite key to hear music played in. Since I am a sound-color synesthete with perfect pitch, I experience C-sharp as sparkling crystals on deep violet backgrounds, and the feeling of velvet. It feels like HOME. Strange word to describe a musical key, I know, but it just feels stable, strong, resonant…beautiful. F-sharp is a nice place to visit, a vacation home, perhaps, but C-sharp is truly home.

C-Sharp: Expressive and Flexible

I also find C-sharp to be a wonderful key for exploring and expressing all different types of moods, more so than any other key. I’m a composer (have been since sixth grade), and I’ve loved using C-sharp major and minor for many of my songs, because it just seemed to fit them. For me, the keys of F and B-flat seem stuck in celebratory modes, while G and E are for country songs, and C is so ubiquitous as to be too simple. (Of course, there are exceptions to every rule and every perception, but I’m speaking rather generally.) C-sharp, by contrast, seems to be endlessly flexible in every emotional direction, which delights me.

(This preference of one key over another may seem to many like a preference of spaghetti over linguine–isn’t it all still music, just as spaghetti and linguine are both still pasta? Well, like the kids who insist that the two types of pasta just TASTE different, I insist that a song played in a different key lends the song a whole new “vibe,” an entirely different feeling. When radio stations play songs a half-step higher to speed up the song slightly, it changes the song, however subtly.)

Examples of Musical Moods in C-Sharp

When I was considering all my favorite aspects of C-sharp for this blog post, I listened through my iTunes playlist of “C-sharp Major and Minor” songs (yep, I’ve set aside an entire playlist for it). As I listened, it occurred to me–it seems I’m not alone in perceiving C-sharp as a flexible and beautiful key, at least among composers and musical artists! Take the following list, compiled of several of my favorite songs in C-sharp major of minor, that describe vastly differing moods and sounds:

Anger: “Harder to Breathe” – Maroon 5

Joy: “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” – Stevie Wonder

Drama: “Hindi Sad Diamonds” from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack

Love: “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera – Sarah Brightman & Steve Barton

Pleading: “Goin’ Crazy” – Natalie

Tranquility: “Rainsong (Fortune’s Lullaby)” – George Winston

Fear/Anxiety: “Somebody’s Watching Me” – Rockwell

Passion/Drive: “Fantaisie Impromptu” – Frederic Chopin

Desire: “Whine Up (feat. Elephant Man)” – Kat DeLuna

There’s a fairly wide range of genres and subject matters in that list, and that’s just taken from my personal song collection. Who knows how many other composers have found C-sharp to be as lovely a key as I do?

Saturday with the Spark

Making My Own Movie Soundtracks

September 3, 2011 Robin 1 Comment

I’ve been doing movie soundtracks since I was about 10 years old–it was a natural outgrowth, for me, of watching movies. Sometimes I’d be sitting in the movie theater watching a movie, and think, “Wow, this scene would be AWESOME with [insert title of song] playing in the background.”

(Note: Before you are overly awed by my prowess, let me say that I haven’t actually dubbed any film over with my own choices of music. Rather, I have done personal movie soundtracks in an easier and much lower-tech way, detailed)

When I had long summer days to kill, I’d often spend them doing endless retakes of movie soundtracks, over and over again until I got just the right timing and just the right song. I’d lay across the bed, headphones on and CD player running, remote in hand, pausing either the music or the video to sync them together so that the climax of the song went perfectly with the action onscreen, or so the meaningful lyrics melded seamlessly with the characters’ faces and dialogue. (Several of my old VCR tapes are a little damaged from being paused in the same place over and over again…yeah, that’s how into this I got.) It was a great thrill to me to match music and visual together, to heighten the movie’s effect with cool music (that was also cool to listen to by itself). Here’s how I did it:

Tools:

TV
VCR/DVD player
CD Player/iPod
Remote control with pause button
Movie of your choice
Sense of what music goes with which scene the best

I don’t do this as often anymore due to time constraints, but over the years I’ve refined a couple of my music choices to be presentable enough to other people (LOL). Though this has been a largely solitary craft for me, people generally find my choices to be appropriate (if perhaps oddly fitting).

Some Examples from My Personal Soundtracks

Movie: Mary Poppins
- Scene: Mr. Banks (David Tomlinson) walking the darkened street to the bank, where he knows he will be fired
- Song: “Hello” – Evanescence
- Why: The song is brooding and dark, beautiful in its sadness; the scene is lonely and just as darkly filmed. Mood and lyrics both match up well.
Movie: Super Mario Bros.
- Scene: Mario (Bob Hoskins) and the missing Brooklyn girls escape King Koopa’s Goomba force by sliding down a frozen heating pipe on a mattress.
- Song: “Wipeout” – The Surfaris
- Why: A surfing song for a mattress-sled-ride? Why not? This is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS when matched up!!
Movie: Disney’s Cinderella
- Scene: Cinderella is trapped in the attic room while her stepsisters try on the glass slipper, and all the mice and birds try to help her escape while her stepmother, stepsisters, and Lucifer the cat want to keep her trapped.
- Song: “C*m On Feel The Noize” – Quiet Riot
- Why: This is a rousing call-to-arms song (for partiers, anyway); this scene falls right before Cinderella is finally vindicated, and all her mouse and bird friends are trying to help her, so it works as a fist-pumping anthem. Not to mention that there’s a lot of noise going on as the mice and birds fight Lucifer the cat! The drum-and-voices climax of the song can match up beautifully with either Bruno (the dog) finally chasing Lucifer out, or with Cinderella finally being freed.

Summary

If you’ve never tried making your own movie soundtracks, I find it a lovely and fun pastime to try. All you need is a song you think would match up to a movie scene, a way to play both the song and the movie, and a few minutes to set it up!

Saturday with the Spark

Expanding the World Inside Your Book

August 27, 2011 Robin 1 Comment

As I’ve progressed further and further in writing my first novel, I’ve found myself thinking about the world my characters live in rather than just about the characters themselves. After all, a book with great characters is one thing, but if they live on blank pages rather than a colorful fictional world with its own backgrounds and settings, the characters feel a little flat. We as authors have to provide information about our book’s “world” so that its characters’ actions make sense.

The following parts of a fictional world, in my experience, need to be fleshed out:

Geography/Topography

What does your book’s world look like? Where are the mountains, beaches, deserts/plains, forests, oceans, volcanoes, and so on? This information impacts the characters’ ability to travel and adds to the mythos of the world you’re creating.

Political Divisions of Land

How is the land divided up, politically? Are there separate countries, states, provinces, regions, etc.? Determine where these boundaries fall in your fictional landscape, and what that means for your characters.

Weather Patterns and Seasons

If your book’s world has different seasons than our Earth’s, you have to note that in your book, otherwise readers will be very confused! Also, any weather patterns that impact your characters’ travel plans and daily lives should be described.

Governments, Social Classes, and Social Structures

Is your book’s world largely governed by representatives, a monarchy, or some other structure? What about the social classes–is there just “rich” and “poor”, or are there subtler divisions, like “upper middle class,” “lower middle class,” etc.

Also, think about how people’s jobs might divide the population into classes, such as those dedicated to a particular deity, those who work in service industries, etc.

Races, Ethnicities, and Genders

How diverse is the population of your book’s world? Is it largely the same as our world, or are there more or fewer races/ethnicities? Are there just two genders, or are there more? (Hey, in fantasy worlds, you never know!). These decisions will impact your characters either indirectly or directly, depending on your book’s events.

Society Type

Is your fictional world based in an agricultural or technological society? In other words, are they mostly farmers or mostly not-farmers? This will determine what all types of conveniences your characters have available to them, such as running water, toilet facilities, and electricity, among other things.

Technology

What kind of technology is available to your characters? You’ll have to determine that too, and note that for your readers so that they know what parameters your characters are working within. It’d be weird, for instance, to be reading a book that’s supposedly about an alternate reality of ancient Greece, and then come across a Facebook reference in there somewhere.

Religion(s)

What religion(s) are present? Are there even multiple religions? What is the deity or pantheon of deities like? What are the rituals associated with each religion? Outlining your world’s basic belief systems will be very helpful in determining how your characters will interact with each other on a spiritual basis; it may not be necessary for all plotlines, but a subplot or two may require it, so it’s good to have it fleshed out beforehand.

Where to Contain All This Information?

Keep a written record somewhere of this world-building information–for instance, I have several digital files on my computer with these details, kept separate from my novel but backed up in the same places. But you might find it easier to build your fictional world using a journal, notepad, or even a visual inspiration board to help you remember what places look like, etc. Whatever helps you access this information and reference it most easily!

Summary

Certainly, building a fictional world is difficult and requires a lot of questions to be answered. But if you want to make your book a fully-enriched experience, this background work will help readers appreciate your plot and characters.

(And even if your book is largely set in our world, it still helps to directly express the truth of the world as you experience it–other readers will be approaching your book with a different take on the world and will need to know how you see it to understand your book!)

Saturday with the Spark

Papercrafting Post #2: Ornare

August 20, 2011 Robin 2 Comments

Though the word “ornare” may look exotic and strange, it’s actually the word for piercing paper to “draw” cool patterns and designs.

I never knew this crafting art existed until I was researching my first papercrafting post and happened across supplies for “ornare” among the listings at various papercraft websites. “What in the world is ornare?” I wondered. Then I clicked and found out!

Ornare the Professional (More Expensive) Way

You can buy actual ornare kits, complete with special foam board, all kinds of pretty paper, and special needles to poke the holes with. Along with Creative Papercrafts’ page, I discovered a couple of other interesting sites where you can pick up ornare supplies, like pattern templates, piercing pads (to protect the surface underneath your pierced paper as well as to give you a cleaner punch), needle tools, etc. They appear listed below:

Kamya.com Ornare Templates
EcstasyCrafts’ Ornare Section
TerryficTimes.com Ornare Introduction
PaperWishes.com Ornare Template

Ornare the Cheap Way

However, while looking at all of this, a thought kept popping to mind: “Why couldn’t I just do this with regular printer paper of any color, a few pieces of foam core or flat styrofoam, and a regular sewing needle?”

So, here’s what I brainstormed (and my theory is backed up by this post over at Gem’s Cottage):

Find an outline of a picture you like (nothing too detailed or you’ll go crazy trying to copy it).
Lightly draw your chosen pattern on your printer paper with pencil. Make sure the outline can erase neatly!
Lay your paper pattern on top of some foam core or flat styrofoam. Likely you will need to affix it using either some sort of clip, or even a piece of easily-removable tape or pins.
With your needle, begin to punch holes at small regular intervals along the lines of your pattern–almost like Connect the Dots in reverse!
Once you’re finished piercing the pattern out, erase all the light pencil marks.
Now, you can leave the paper as is, cut out your pattern and layer a contrasting color of paper underneath it, or whatever your crafting heart desires!

With these kinds of instructions, ornare is an approachable and easy art form for making delicate and beautiful paper art!

To Learn More

The Search Press Book of Traditional Papercrafts offers even more insight on how to start doing crafts featuring ornare. Try it and let your imagination pierce through the paper!

Saturday with the Spark

Play-Doh: An Exercise in Mooshy Creativity

August 13, 2011 Robin 1 Comment

For most of us, Play-Doh is a product probably best left in our childhoods, due to the messes we made (remember that mixture of blue and orange Play-Doh that would never get un-mixed, or the bright green blotch in the beige carpet?). Not to mention the unintentional hair extensions we might have made with purple Play-Doh (I was 3 1/2 and thought it was pretty…the adults around me weren’t quite so enthusiastic, as I recall). 😀

But I loved playing with the stuff, because it was just so delightfully MOOSHY in my hands (“mooshy” being a word our family came up with to describe the unique texture of Play-Doh and other similar products). I loved squeezing the slightly-cool mass through my fingers, the smell of it lingering long after the little yellow tubs were put away for the day. And most of all, I liked making strange little shapes, even if they were just really long, skinny snakes that particular day.

I’m sure you have your own childhood memories, positive or not, which involve Play-Doh or another type of soft molding clay. Trouble is, they’re just memories. As adults, we don’t often let ourselves have the time to just mess with something fun. Fun has to be educational or possibly work-related, fun has to be multi-tasking or going towards an eventual goal, because we’re adults and we’re too old to play.

…Or are we?

I would venture to say that if given the chance, we should all play a little more. Not just play with a computer or a video game controller, but really play with our hands, interacting directly with our environment. In fact, there’s a few things Play-Doh can teach us about living in and reacting to our world, lessons we might need to relearn.

Things Play-Doh Can Teach Us

#1: You Can Make ANYTHING With Your Imagination

We tell our children this all the time, but do we really believe it?

With Play-Doh or something else that is infinitely moldable (even Legos), we can form anything that we wish to. Even though my Lego-building expertise sort of stopped with building skinny skyscraper-looking “buildings,” I still had fun doing it, because that’s what I imagined. Even though I couldn’t sculpt a David or a Venus de Milo out of Play-Doh, I still had fun making fake hair and funny face shapes.

But as adults, we tend to lock ourselves into a traditional mode of doing things. We might do something the same way every time because it’s easier–it involves no thinking, perhaps, or it’s just comfortable. We might also do something the same way every time because we were taught that way, and we aren’t sure how to innovate.

Play-Doh teaches that you don’t have to do anything any particular way, because it begins as just a nearly-formless mass. Feeling and instinct, therefore, guides us, where intellect and reason would only keep us away from possible new ways of doing things. We can look at that little blue or red ball and just start squeezing and mooshing at it rather than planning every step.

#2: If It Ain’t Right, Moosh It Up and Try Again

Ever seen a kid playing with Play-Doh? They might spend a lot of time sculpting something, only to look at it, shake their heads, and merrily mash it all into a vaguely potato-shaped mass again. When the Play-Doh doesn’t match what they were thinking of, they think nothing of just mooshing it all back together, and more importantly, trying again.

Here again, as adults, we forget that lesson. We get so attached to our creations, knowing the effort and knowledge that it took to make it, that we can’t fathom just erasing it all and starting again, even when we’ve reached an impasse. But when what we have created doesn’t match our vision and is not successful, we must either tweak what we’ve got, or mentally moosh it all up and start again.

Play-Doh represents the flexibility of our brains to visualize, tweak, re-vision, and if necessary, totally reshape. If we can let go of our pride long enough to moosh up our failed ideas and mix them all up again, maybe with some fresh thinking added to the mix, we just might come up with the solution.

#3: There Are Endless Ways to Tweak

Once we have an idea we like, we tend to be obstinate about changing things. Somebody else thinks your work project ought to be done this way? “Not on my watch; I worked hard on this design and I don’t think it needs to be changed.” Young children often think in similar ways–“it’s MY Play-Doh and it’s MY shape, and you don’t touch it!” We are very protective of our ideas and don’t usually like to hear criticism or suggestions of change.

But Play-Doh teaches us that there are endless ways to pinch, curl, flatten, and roll your ideas without changing the basic essence of what you have created. That smiley face made of purple and green Play-Doh is great, but what if it had a blue nose instead of a pink one? And what if its nose wasn’t a long, skinny shape, but a squat flat one? No matter what the nose looks like, you’ve still got a smiley face, haven’t you? When we are open to tweaking (open to compromise), we allow others to be part of the creative process, and in so doing, experience a bonding that usually doesn’t escape the kindergarten classroom.

#4: Just Because It’s Dried Up Doesn’t Mean It’s Trash

We’ve all had it happen–one of the little yellow canisters gets left open overnight, and we’re greeted with the sight of crumbly, dry Play-Doh the next morning. Usually, such sad lumps get tossed in the trash, because there’s no way to revive it, right?

As adults, we can feel the same way about our old, tired ideas. We’ve run them around so much in our minds that we’re sick of them; we’ve tried to make them work so many times that we’ve lost count. The idea feels dry, crumbled, lifeless in our mental hands. Sometimes, we end up just throwing them away, tossing them aside as failed projects that will never, ever work.

But even Play-Doh can be brought back from the brink of crumbling death. I remember one morning, when I was about six or seven, trying to figure out how to get my beloved blue Play-Doh to be springy and full of life again–I’d left it open two nights before and it resembled blue scrambled eggs that morning, falling apart in my hands.

I tried working at it and working at it with no success, and finally I went to the sink and washed my hands because they were coated in little bitty blue crumbs. I didn’t dry my hands very well (I was too impatient for that), so I returned to work on the Play-Doh with slightly damp hands. Imagine my surprise when the dried pieces began to feel just a bit softer, and began to stick together again!

Inspired, I went to the sink and got a few more drops of water directly on the Play-Doh, and then a few more, until it felt just a bit slick in my hands. I ended up kneading it and kneading it, and I worked that dried-up old mess into a moldable ball of blue beauty in about 30 minutes. (I’m still not sure what exactly happened, but I think the combination of the water and the oils from my hands and the hand soap helped rehydrate it.)

Believe it or not, we can do the same with our ideas. We may not be able to “just add water” and get everything working again, but we can add new inspiration, new research, or even other people’s input to help us try to revive our old, dried-up concepts. Sometimes, it just takes someone else’s eyes on the page to help; sometimes, it just takes being away from the idea for several days (or weeks) for us to regain some perspective.

Summary

We might not be kids anymore, but sometimes we ought to allow our brains to play instead of chaining them to desks and computers. We might be surprised at what we can come up with when we aren’t hindered by tradition, pride, tiredness, and lack of compromise.

Saturday with the Spark

Papercrafting Post #1: Greeting Cards

July 30, 2011 Robin 5 Comments

When we think of paper, we usually just think of writing something on it, or perhaps cutting shapes out of it. Maybe back in our childhood heydays of Elmer’s Glue and pipe cleaners, we did something more with paper, but as adults, we likely don’t give much thought to the material. It merely carries messages for us most of the time.

But there’s a whole section of crafting that just involves paper. It’s not just kid stuff, either–papercrafts can turn out some of the most astounding creations, and you’ll never believe it’s just made of paper. Today, I’ll cover one of the more accessible forms of papercraft–greeting cards.

Why Make Greeting Cards?

In these tough economic times, who wants to pay tons of money for greeting cards and gift tags that will more than likely just be thrown out with the gift wrap? Not to mention that it’s difficult to find just the right message amid the sea of overly obnoxious or generic cards.

So, instead of trying to buy the right card, we can make some ourselves–that way, they can be treasured items!

Robin’s Homemade Greeting Card Solution

You will need:

1 sheet of card stock, color of your choice (available in large packs at most office supply stores)
(optional) Construction paper or printer paper in different colors
Markers, colored pencils, or crayons (whatever you have handy that has a color other than blue or black)
Regular ink pen and/or pencil
Scissors
Calligraphy markers and/or access to a printer
Glue stick or double-sided tape

4 Styles of Greeting Cards

Basically, a greeting card needs 3 things: originality, a fitting picture on the front, and a meaningful message inside. I personally like to draw simple, almost clipart-style images and write pretty poetry on the front of my card and then extend the poetry into the inside message, because I write better poetry than I draw.

You, on the other hand, may love to draw but hate to write, or you may feel that neither your drawing skills nor your writing skills can match up to the people at Hallmark. Don’t fret: there are solutions for every level of artist.

Folding/Sizing The Card Stock

Fold the card stock either in half width-wise to form a larger card, or fold twice into quarters to make a smaller, thicker-feeling card.
Alternatively, you can cut the card stock down to a specific size you want.

If You’re Creating Everything From Scratch

Sketch the appropriate picture for the occasion, either on a separate sheet of paper or directly onto the front of the card. If you’re sketching on the card itself, use light pencil lines first so you can place your picture appropriately (you don’t want to end up with something lovely but off-center!)
Once you’re satisfied with the drawing, go over its lines with an ink pen or marker (whichever thickness of line you prefer)
Then, color it in using your favorite medium, or leave it colorless as desired.
Write out your message on a scrap sheet of paper, checking wording and spelling.
Letter your finished message directly onto the card, or print it in a cool font, cut it out, and attach with glue stick or double-sided tape.
If your art was on a separate sheet of paper, cut it out and attach it to the front of the card.
Sign the card inside, and you’re done!

If You’re Drawing but Not Writing

Follow the first three steps of the “do-it-yourself” instructions above.
Search the Internet for a meaningful poem or quote that would mean a lot to the person you’re giving the card to. Great resources for poetry and quotes: Bartleby.com, BrainyQuote.com.
Letter your finished message directly onto the card, or print it in a cool font, cut it out, and attach with glue stick or double-sided tape.
Sign the card inside, and you’re done!

If You’re Writing but Not Drawing

Search the Internet for fitting (and free-usage) clipart, images, or photographs; alternatively, you can use your own photographs.
Print your image(s) out on regular paper or glossy photo paper, cut them out, and attach to the front of the card using double-sided tape (glue stick won’t hold photo paper as strong).
Write out your message on a scrap sheet of paper, checking wording and spelling.
Letter your finished message directly onto the card, or print it in a cool font, cut it out, and attach with glue stick or double-sided tape.
Sign the card inside, and you’re done!

Super-Quick-Style Greeting Card

Search for a free-usage image or two on the internet, and a poem or quote that works well with the person and occasion, and print both of them out.
Cut out the image and message, and attach to the card using glue stick or double-sided tape.
Sign the card, and you’re finished in record time!

Optional Steps for Extra Care

If you want to, use the scissors to trim out a pretty border on the card (gentle curving waves look pretty, as do pinking-shear-style edges). You could trim out just the front three edges of the card, or all six edges (front and back cover).
You can layer a different color of printer or construction paper in the interior or exterior of the card, cut to either the exact same width and height of the card stock, or cut to leave a border of the card stock color around the edges. Attach with a few swipes of a glue stick or double-sided tape.

Saturday with the Spark

Becoming Creative

July 23, 2011 Robin 1 Comment

Because I’m naturally so creative, I often forget that for some, creativity is not the instinctual, natural process that it is for me. When I talk to others who don’t do a lot of creative stuff, they’re sometimes puzzled or amazed by how much time I devote to these activities, or how I come up with the ideas for poems, music, jewelry, web layouts, etc.

This disconnect got me thinking. Might there be a way to become creative? Is there a way to tap into creativity you never knew was there? I find it hard to believe that there are people who do not have any creativity whatsoever–when I taught in a city middle school, I was actually able to help some students find creative expression that they never knew they had, and they were energized by that.

Working off my teaching experience as well as my social experience, I think there are ways to tug out your creativity. The following two exercises might just tease out a few creative fibers in your spirit!

Exercise #1: The “Meh” Object

Have you got an object in your house that you’re kind of “meh” about? It’s okay, but it’s not exactly your style, not exactly your favorite color, etc. You may not even be sure why you don’t like it a whole lot, but it’s just kind of…there, and it doesn’t do much for you.

If you could change this object, how would you change it to make it fit your personality/style better?

For Instance…

In my freshman dorm room, I had the standard orangey-brown desk, dresser, wardrobe, and bed, and while the furniture was really basic, I had done pretty well with most of it. I had decorated my desk with some personal pictures, had dressed the bed with my favorite blue bedclothes, and had even hung cute little decorations on the front of the wardrobe, but the dresser was just…BLAH. It had to hold my TV and DVD player on the top, leaving no room for anything else that was purely decorative.

Finally, I found myself thinking one day, “If I could just put something on it that was navy blue, it would match everything else, at least.” Then my eyes drifted over to my desk chair, where I had a navy chenille throw with delicate fringe draped across the back of the chair. The throw always bunched into uncomfortable shapes against my back, and usually ended up in the floor anyway.

Inspiration struck, and struck hard. In a few minutes, I cleaned off and dusted the top of the dresser, and settled the narrow throw longways across the top of the dresser, letting the fringed edges dangle gracefully to either side. The previously-plain dresser was transformed, and I still had room for the TV and DVD player!

What Does This Have to Do With Creativity?

Creative people see the world around them and see how they could make it better. For example, they might dress up a plain, clear bud vase with a decorative bow affixed to the front of it; they might throw a bright, solid-colored tablecloth across a beat-up card table to make it fit for company. They might even take a bunch of wooden candlesticks of different heights and group them together, tying them together to create a fun, multileveled centerpiece for a table.

And it doesn’t have to be just decorating things, either. You can make your personal world better through arranging your desktop icons in fun shapes, fixing up your profile picture with some color or text, or rewriting your profile information to portray your sense of humor. Anything you see in your world that you wish was better, try something new to fix it up and make it better!

Exercise #2: The Room

Look around your personal space, and answer the following questions (mentally, ’cause this ain’t a test):

How would you describe it?
What is most special to you in this room?
Where do you spend the most time in your room?
What colors/lighting/fabrics are used?
How do you feel when you’re in your personal space?
What does this space mean to you?

Make a quick list of your answers to these questions. Now, how would you describe all of what your personal space is and what it means to someone who’s never been in your room? Would you use words, pictures, sound, gestures, etc.?

For Instance…

shaded dappled light filters
through old lacy curtains;
too lazy to try climbing down the wall,
it instead splays itself across the ceiling,
echoing my sprawl across the bed,
luxuriating in the fan breeze,
the cool crisp sheets under my body,
and the rare quiet of this afternoon room

This short poem I wrote describes my room as I experience it–quite simply, a haven. Each description in the poem (such as the lazy light, low breeze, crisp sheets, and rare quiet) creates an image of rest and ease, and oozes the enjoyment I have in just kicking back and relaxing in my room.

What Does This Have to Do With Creativity?

Creative people describe their world through their creations. Writing, art, music, drama–all those arts describe, celebrate, or seek to change the world they experience. My poem both describes and celebrates my room; if I was instead unhappy with my room, I would write about how all the junk on the floor and in the closet really depresses me every time I look at it. (Well, it kinda does, but that’s beside the point at the moment. LOL) I would then write about how I want to change it.

Many artists of all types make art about the things they see in the world that they want to change, or they make art celebrating the world they came from, viewing it with pride and encouraging others to take pride in it as well. Beginning with your room or your world, you can choose your favorite medium for art, and then use that art to talk about your experience. That’s definitely part of creative expression!

Summary

Being creative, and becoming creative, doesn’t just mean making a bunch of decorative “junk” or spending your days with your head in the clouds. Seeing your world for what it is–or what it could be–and describing it to others through all sorts of mediums is creative, too!