Angela Mack's Momentum Posted Jun-30-2005
As a fan of Angela Mack's Chronic Creativity series, and now musical talent, I’m delighted to mention the release of her new instrumental CD Momentum. She sent me a copy earlier this week and I was just wowwed at what I heard. The beautiful 'works of art' this musician 'painted' on a sound wave canvas blew me away and deepened my appreciation for the creative process involved in music composition. ...

A Man I was Honored to Meet Posted Jun-29-2005
Last September I met a World War Two veteran named Lawrence Spialek at a WWII re-enactment event. I wrote about the experience in an Inner Diablog entry on the Creativity Portal.

Last night I was contacted by a great-niece of Lawrence who informed me that he passed away Tuesday. With a heavy heart I think back to the moment I met Lawrence and wrote about it almost a year ago:

The highlight of Saturday came after I pondered over a display of famous newspaper headlines, and turned the corner to make eye contact with a gentle looking elderly man in a uniform. I asked if I could take his picture, and he immediately smiled and posed with a quiet sense of pride. Lawrence Spialek is a World War II veteran, who served in the Army Air Corps from 1943-1945. Surrounding him was his collection of wartime mementos, medals, and accolades, including those of his brother who died in the war from stepping on a land mine.

I approached Lawrence to thank him for the picture, and he looked into my eyes and reflected back something I found quite overwhelming. Perhaps it was my own thoughts about his life in the context of surviving a world war and living out his golden years reliving the history that he helped to create. For a split second I wished his life had been different, and not included the pain and suffering of war. I was happy to see him there, full of life and vigor while so many others never had the chance. I could sense that he learned how to take life in stride.

Rest in peace, Mr. Spialek. •

Kid's Art Camp Posted Jun-27-2005
One of my creative dreams is to work with kids in an art-creativity capacity. I don't necessarily want to become an elementary school art teacher, but would like to experience a similar role in a not so 9-to-3 kind of way.

To test this dream of mine, I decided to do some volunteer work this summer with the park district kids' program or similar venue that featured art and craft activities. My interest lead me to an opportunity at a non-profit center in a neighboring town as a teacher's assistant in a week-long art camp for pre-teens.

Today was the first day of the program. The classes run all week from 9-11:30 a.m. and feature about a dozen 9 to 11-year-olds. The week-long projects will include clay, painting, drawing, and sculpture.

As the week progresses, I'll make note of my observations and experiences and share them later on after the camp is over. For now, I'm excited about the opportunity to be a "fly on the wall" doing something I've always wanted to try.

One way to begin exploring our dreams is to, as author SARK encourages, MicroMOVE towards them. If we never begin, how will we ever know if we want to make them come true? •

Creative Slush Concept Poster (2005) Posted Jun-24-2005
The first piece of conceptual art I designed for Creative Slush was this poster. ...

My Exclusive Interview with Popeye Posted Jun-23-2005
I yam what I yam...
On June 23, 2005, I had the privilege of interviewing Popeye the Sailor Man. Since 1929, Popeye has embedded himself into the American consciousness as an underdog who found power and strength in a lowly green vegetable called spinach. He became the forerunner to other superheroes who went onto spin webs, grow green, and save the world. Yes, Popeye may be a pop icon from yesteryear, but he will always be my special hero. ...

Bake 'mmm Bagels Posted Jun-22-2005
Sleep: the founding mother of invention.
I love reading about other people's serendipitous experiences. Featured on Yahoo!'s news teaser today is the headline "Accidental invention leads to chewy bagel" (Article by Calvin Woodward, Associated Press Writer). The story is about a woman named Janet Dob who accidentally found a better way to boil a bagel by overcooking it — producing a delicious product. She turned her idea into a business called Agnes' Very Very and a product line called Bake 'mmm BAGELS.

How'd it all happen? The article says:

Distracted during one simmering session in the late 1980s, she left a few bubbling in her crock pot too long and discovered when she extracted them that they did not collapse or look distressed, but rather inviting. These unintended prototypes got thrown out, but "I just started playing with it." ... "The initial mistake really was the founding mother of this invention," she said. "All by necessity. The necessity to sleep in."

Experiences like this give testimony to the value of innovation in business. Who would have thought a bagel could be improved? Well, Krispy Kreme did it with donuts. And Dob did it with bagels. There's serendipity for you. •

Alan Cohen's Frozone Posted Jun-21-2005
I ran across an interesting article by Alan Cohen in the June 2005 print issue of The Monthly Aspectarian titled "Stay Out of the Frozone."

"Frozone" is Cohen's wordplay combination of frozen and zone; his definition noted in the first paragraph: "If you do something that gets you into the Zone and you cling to that behavior beyond the time it is ripe, you end up frozen in the Zone, trapped, we might say, in 'the Frozone.' " ...

An Exercise to Stimulate Your Creativity Posted Jun-20-2005
Stand on your head and draw your non-dominant hand.
Last week I attended a workshop designed to "Stimulate Creative Thinking." Part of the presentation included information from the book "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day" by Michael J. Gelb. ...

Physically Meeting New People Posted Jun-18-2005
Application of Creativity Tip #3
Creativity Tip #3 is "Make it a point to meet new people outside of your demographic."

People inspire me. All kinds of people. Not just those who share the same interests, passions, and beliefs. I enjoy meeting people of all ages who come from a variety of backgrounds and traditions because they teach me. ...

In a Creative World... Posted Jun-15-2005
Quoteworthy

"I like to think that in the Creative World — in its purest form — there isn't any competition." — Julie Jordan Scott

I loved this this thought expressed by Julie Jordan Scott during a discussion on "why we write."

Such an impact this statement would make if it were true:

• What if nobody would criticize, judge, or compare your creative work?

• What if you could simply manifest the ideas rolling around in your imagination without fear?

• What if you just followed your heART's desire?

• What if you just adopted the idea that when comes to expressing YOUR creativity, 'there isn't any competition?'

What if? Make it so. And just see where it leads you. •

Looking for Creative Baby Names? Posted Jun-12-2005
Spam Humor
Here's a list of hilarious subject line names I collected from spam e-mail messages sent to me last year. I started the list after noticing that "clever" spammers were stringing together modified words to create a "from" person's name in the subject line to fool spam filters. ...

EleMENTAL Interpretation Posted Jun-5-2005
One way to explore your creativity...
In my recent article, Yes, You ARE Creative!, I challenged those who claimed not to have a 'creative bone in their body' to try one of three creativity exercises I guaranteed would help them to discover their hidden creative selves. ...

Just Coffee Art Posted Jun-3-2005
100% Pure Creativity
Other people's ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. The first time I came across the Just Coffee Art Web site, I was literally wowwed. Who would have thought that dipping a paintbrush in your morning coffee would produce such creatively 'filtered' works of art?

From the site:

Andy and Angel have been painting with coffee for several years, and have completed hundreds of original artworks. Curious people who view the work are amazed that the artwork is painted entirely in coffee — no additives, just 100% pure coffee.

And to go with your coffee art, here's a complimentary quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.:

The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce. •