Book Review – Living the Creative Life

February 12, 2009 in Article by Mira, Book Review | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Living the Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery

Living the Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery

Living the Creative Life, Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists is an image packed paperback that’s definately worth a read.  It’s also beautiful (and sweet) enough to make a great gift for your favorite artist.

Long before I began writing about creativity, I was researching it.  Not because I wanted more creativity.  Mostly, because I have so many ideas, I could spend a life time lost in them.   This book is kind of like that.  There are numerous images, thoughts and ideas from various artists, there is a little something for everyone.

Some of my favorites artwork in the book included:  Pg. 24, a colorful image of a quilted diary by Susan Shie.  Shie is featured again on page 105. The puppets by Scott Radke on page 85, 111 and 120 are surreal and sublime.  The first puppet he made was to woo his wife.  How romantic is that?

My favorite suggestion from Rice:  “Today, have as many sensory experiences as you can.  Divide a piece of paper or a page in your journal into six columns:  Tasted, Touched, Heard, Saw, Smelled, Did.  Then, for one day, list the things you experience.” It’s amazing all that we experience in one day!

The book is full of ideas, tidbits from artists, and suggestions of things to try.  I think of this type of book as bathtub reading — you can pick it up, plop it open at any page and read as much, or as little, as you like.  It does not have to be read from cover to cover to be useful and inspiring.

I’d rate this book a 4 out of 5 with the only suggestion that it could be longer.  At 140 small pages, it leaves you wanting for more, but that’s a good thing.

I’m not an Amazon affiliate, but here’s a link just in case you’d like more info.

Your Brain – On Color

February 8, 2009 in Article by Mira, Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Glass Abstraction, by Mira Woodworth

Glass Abstraction, by Mira Woodworth

It’s probably no surprise that color can affect the way we think and process ideas.  Laran Neergaard recently published an article through the Associated Press on the topic.  When I saw it at Yahoo News, I thought I’d write about it.  But, when a reader also pointed out the article, I thought I’d write about it now.

Lead researcher Juliet Zhu of the University of British Columbia reported on a study that has proven that the color blue increases creativity, while red increases attention to detail.

I’m wondering if these influences are caused from learned behavior.  We learn to pay attention to warnings written in red, red stop signs, red traffic signals, or a red tie worn with a black suit.  Red gets our attention.  Marketers have taught us that anything in green must be healthy.  Yellow and orange seem happy and cheery like the sun.

I suppose it makes sense that blue spurs creativity.  Blue conjurs serene thoughts of the ocean and the sky; both are  seemingly endless and boundary free.  My only question:  Would I be more creative if I painted my studio Tiffany Blue, Robin’s Egg Blue or Royal Blue?


Make Do Monday – ReArt

February 2, 2009 in make do monday | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

As a Make Do Artsit, ReArt (real name unknown) enjoys junk shops, salvage yards, yard sales and cast offs in general.  ReArt is a great example of last week’s fieldtrip friday.

ReArt states, “As a designer, pack rat and enthusiastic recycler, making ReArt pieces allows me to play with some of my favorite things, and expand my awareness of the beautiful in the ordinary and discarded. ReArt is a convergence of personal joys, skills, visions and idiosyncracies and I am delighted to share it.”

ReArt is an excellent example of an artist Making and Doing with what is already available.  Check out her site!

Cool Supplier!

January 28, 2009 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I haven’t posted suppliers yet, so this is the first.  And, it’s a good follow up to last week’s Fieldtrip Friday on turning junk mail into art.

xxxcookie on etsy punches and sells junk mail.  This picture shows some trees, ready for use in your scrapbooking, collage or other artwork.  Seriously, at less than a quarter, go to her site and help stimulate the economy.  You’ll be helping the environment too!