Creative Play Newsletter Vol.2; Issue 11 – Perseverance
I wanted to write about perseverance this month because it’s so important for creativity and for art, but also because it’s what I am struggling with right now. I’m struggling to persevere at working as an artist and promoter of creative play because though I know it to be my …
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Creative Play Newsletter Vol.2, Issue 5 – With Gratitude
November is apparently “Gratitude Month.” I don’t remember when it was officially created, but I have seen announcements of that popping up more frequently over the last few years. With Thanksgiving occurring in a few weeks, “Gratitude Month” does make sense. So, I want to take the time to say …
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Creative Play Newsletter Vol. 2:Issue 4 – Play For Your Authentic Self
I started reading a book called “Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul” by Stuart Brown, M.D., founder of the National Institute for Play, (Who knew there was such a thing?) and Christopher Vaughan. I am completely riveted. I’m learning about all of the …
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Creative Play Newsletter Vol. 2: Issue 2 – When Inspiration Strikes
I never knew what that phrase “inspiration strikes” actually meant. Until recently, inspiration was really more perspiration for me. I’d decide to start a project and then I’d think through options until I planned what I wanted to do. I might start with a piece of fabric or a block …
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Creative Play Newsletter (Vol.1, Issue 12) – Create Your Creative Space
I’ve seen the recommendation in a couple of sources to spend at least 15 minutes a day in your creative work. It’s a great idea. Fifteen minutes a day is enough to keep your creative pump primed and enough to feed your soul on a daily basis. But, even 15 …
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Creative Play Newsletter (Vol.1, Issue 11)- Do Something Different
In March’s newsletter, I wrote about the importance of play time to stimulate your creative juices and how I have found the times when I have allowed time for play to be some of my most creative. But what if that still doesn’t work? There certainly are days when even …
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Creative Play Newsletter, (Vol. 1:Issue 10) – The Gift
I had an essay already written and all typed up for this month’s newsletter when I began reading The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde. (Thank you, Carol, for the introduction to this book.) Reading it has been so transformative that I felt like …
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Creative Play Newsletter (Vol.1: Issue 9) – Play Time
What is Creative Play and why do I keep talking about it? Well, I keep talking about it because after many, many years of fighting it, I have finally realized how very important it is. I stopped playing at about oh, two years of age. That’s probably a bit of …
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UFOs: Great Creativity Challenges
Many years ago, I was the charity quilt coordinator for my guild. In that role, I was the recipient of many, many donated UFOs. What absolutely surprised me was how much I loved dealing with other people’s UFOs. I have rarely felt as creative as I did when staring at …
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Creative Play Newsletter (Vol. 1: Issue 8) – Creativity is Innate
I have been thinking about the nature of creativity for years, but nothing has helped me understand the topic more than having a child. My daughter created fearlessly from the moment she could first hold a crayon. But, judging from the stacks of papers other parents took home with them …
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