Creativity | Thoughtwrestling

Category Archives: creativity

The next frontier is the unconscious mind

Written on May 2, 2011 by Mark Dykeman in creativity

Image by One From FM

My two thoughtwrestling obsessions at the moment are willpower and the unconscious mind. While I really didn’t learn a lot about them at SOBCon 2011 (which was wonderful and I’ll talk more about it tomorrow), the entire travel and conference experience has given me some ideas about what I can do with those two topics.

I firmly believe that the unconscious mind is the next frontier, the next area to be tamed and conquered.

Our hidden minds, if you will, are where the real creative magic happens and it’s a huge area of opportunity.

I’m making my map and setting “in” for the new frontier.

Two books on writing worth checking out

Written on April 26, 2011 by Mark Dykeman in creativity

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

I’m a sucker for bargain books. The Chapters books store – the one where I usually shop – had a couple of bargain books on writing that I’m enjoying quite a bit. I thought I’d share them with you.

Writing To Change The World – Mary Pipher

This book is less about technique but more about mindset, although it discusses both things. As the title suggests, Pipher’s book is aimed at people who want to make change through writing. It doesn’t dive deeply into any genre or style, but it does cover more types of non-fiction than fiction.

I like the little pearls and gems about writing that are sprinkled throughout the book, like how Anne Lamott or Natalie Goldberg combine bits of theory with anecdotes and tips. I don’t mark up many of the books that I read, but I’ve underlined and circled lots of stuff in this one. I particularly like one of her techniques for silencing her inner critic. Definitely worth checking out.

The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide To Creative Writing – Alice LaPlante

This book is a different beast that Pipher’s book but it’s got its own selling points. LaPlante’s book is clearly focused in fiction writing but it does discuss creative non-fiction in every section. I’m still working my way through this book (it’s three times longer than Pipher’s book) but I can tell it’s a good one.

The book is divided up into a number of sections, each of which discusses aspects of story. Each section follows the following structure:

Discussion of theory
Exercises for the reader to practice
Samples of (great) stories and essays to read and analyze afterwards

It’s an effective structure and it’s kind of a treat to see some things I haven’t read since my university English classes (come to think of it, some of those stories came from Norton fiction anthologies…)

# # #

So, there’s a couple of writing books for you to check out.

How about you? Do you have any books on writing that you’d like to recommend to our readers?

Thoughts on Cranking – Merlin Mann’s Essay

Written on April 23, 2011 by Mark Dykeman in creativity

8 Comments - Leave a comment!

[EDIT: May 2, 2011 - Merlin spoke at great length about his Cranking essay in Back To Work Ep. 13 and in the After Dark follow up podcast. Required listening.]

Cranking is definitely worth reading, especially if you’re in the depths of a huge creative project or if you’re thinking about diving in. It’s an engrossing post written by Merlin Mann (who is known for this Tweet, among other things).

Merlin Mann's Tweet on creativity and productivity

Merlin Dean Mann III (see links on his page to cool stuff like 43folders.com, You Look Nice Today, Kung Fu Grippe, The Merlin Show, and more) is one of those people that I follow – in a manner dangerously close to something resembling obsession – on the Web. He’s working on a book, somewhat based on his Inbox Zero work, although I get the feeling that the book is going to be more of its own original thing than everyone originally expected. That bodes well.

Cranking is a longish personal essay in which Merlin focuses on:

work (Merlin talks about writing his book)
family (Merlin has a young daughter and makes a connection to the fact that his own father died when Merlin was 7 years old)
responsibility and integrity (meeting his vision and sense of priorities vs. the contact he signed and the expectations of his publisher and editor)

Note: additional background and information can be found here (language NSFW or the innocent)

Summarized: instead of meeting his editor’s deadline for getting more stuff done on his book the way that the editor wants it done, he’s going home to spend time with his daughter and wife because he’s spent too much time away from them. Even if it costs him his book contract. But he does think his editor is awesome.

I admire that decision. I’m a husband and father who’s spent long stretches of time away from my family and it’s 80% brutal, 20% refreshing (let’s be honest…) I missed my son’s first Easter (it was that or miss his first birthday, but that’s another story) due to work. I’ve missed lots of other little things in the family for the same reasons.

The essay communicates a strong, moving story about love and family and how little time we have in this world for both when other things get in the way.

On the next meta level, this essay is a continuation of Merlin’s ongoing arc about creativity and doing the creative work that matters. He’s focused a lot of time and attention to crank out a book (the word cranking has two meanings in Merlin’s essay, one of them heartbreakingly literal) and you pay a price for doing that. However, writing a book or doing a huge creative project is one of those ways to engrave your own pattern on the rock hard tablet of your life story, to program your own arc instead of treading through unrelated scenes.

Then, upstairs on another meta level, the essay is about staying true to your creative vision, where Merlin talks about his vision for his book versus what his editor and publisher want. This kind of fits in with stuff that Merlin’s been talking about on the Back to Work podcast, especially where he references Bruce Springsteen‘s creative struggles from the Born To Run era (forgive me if I don’t have the right album). Basically it’s about staying true to the vision of a project and resisting threats, requests or other stuff in order to get it right.

Cranking is a great essay, no question. It’s in the top three of my favorite things he’s written.

# # #

I’m of two minds about Cranking, though.

On one hand, I want to pump my first in the air and say “Yeah, Merlin. Sock it to the man! Fight the power! Stay true to your vision!” Sort like an Oprah audience member or something.

On the other hand, my fictional “other” mind is shaking his head and this mind is starting to overpower the first one.

A few things keep coming to mind:

Merlin’s an avid researcher of creating, writing in particular. His blog and podcasts literally drip with references to Stephen King, Anne Lamott, Twyla Tharp, Don Murray, etc. This should have given him some idea of what he was getting into.
Merlin’s been in business for himself for some time and should know a thing or two about contracts, statements of work, etc.
Merlin signed a three-book deal (so I understand) which would have, you know, obligations in it.
This isn’t the first book that Merlin’s written (or attempted to write), although it stands to be the first one that will be published.

Merlin’s been incredibly transparent about all of these points. This is the main reason why I don’t feel sorry for him now, nor will I feel sorry for Merlin if his publisher considers him to be in breach of contract and acts accordingly. It’s a business decision, as callous as that may be. Merlin’s making a creative (and life) decision which has business and life implications for a number of people, not the least of which is Merlin himself. ”So it goes.”

In many ways I see a cautionary tale in this, especially to those of us who aspire to being paid for writing words, especially in book form. A book contract is a business agreement, one that a new author has virtually no leverage over. I don’t know what’s in Merlin’s contract and it’s pointless to speculate. I don’t know what’s in the minds of his editor and publisher but they, like everyone else, have their reasons for doing what they do.

If there’s a point that I want to make, it’s this: entering into a contract is setting yourself up for compromise, if not capitulation. You do what’s in the contract, and accompanying agreements, or you can suffer through the consequences of such. I hope Merlin doesn’t have to go through a shitstorm (although I expect he’s running into it, not away from it). Maybe the fan reaction to Cranking, which seems quite positive so far, will help him make the case to hold out for the book he wants to finish writing.

But if he doesn’t get to go with the book that he wants for that publisher… it will be a shame, but unfortunately, tons of other published authors have had to make those compromises. Like Hiccup says about the danger of a Viking’s life in How To Train Your Dragon, it’s an occupational hazard.

I hope it all works out – I want to read the damned book now, even more than I did before. Intentionally or (I assume not – I don’t think he’s trying to use emotion to create sympathy), Cranking is a nice little piece of marketing for Merlin’s book.

# # #

What’s the purpose of writing this essay? Like most bloggers (or writers), I’m trying to get past my initial thoughts on something I’ve read to get to a deeper and accurate level of meaning. Hopefully we’ll all learn something along the way.

And, if hard work and fate thrusts me into a similar situation as Merlin’s in now, I’ll have both his essay and this post to refer to as I try to figure out what the hell to do.

P.S. It’s with no small amount of amusement that I note that I tried E-Mailing Merlin to interview him about a few things, including his book, before he published Cranking… I’ll understand if that’s not in the cards for the foreseeable future.

Tags: 43folders.com, back to work, book contracts, cranking, creative integrity, inbox zero, merlin mann, writing, you look nice today

Writing Tip: Forest and Trees Revision

Written on April 21, 2011 by Mark Dykeman in creativity

2 Comments - Leave a comment!

Image by Matt Hempel

Here’s a technique to use when you’re revising a longer piece of writing. I’ve just started using it and it’s helping me write better.

The working title that I have for this technique is “Forest and Trees Revision”. It’s a technique that you would use on an early draft of a longer piece of work (say at least 5,000 words, although I’ve tried it on a piece of writing that’s about 2,000 words long).

Assuming that you’ve naturally divided up your writing into paragraphs, create a precis (a summary) of your document. Try writing the essence of each paragraph into one sentence. You can list each sentence down your page or screen as bullet points, in the same order as the paragraphs in your piece of writing.

Once you’ve got the list, read down through each sentence and ask yourself the following questions:

Does the sentence (summarizing the paragraph) make sense? If not, this is a target for revision and editing.
Does the sentence move the writing towards its overall subject or theme? If not, maybe you should cut the original paragraph completely.
Was it easy to summarize the paragraph? If it wasn’t, maybe that paragraph really needs to be split up into multiple paragraphs.
Does any sentence in the precis closely resemble any other sentence in the precis? If it does, maybe you should try to combine the original paragraphs and edit them to cut out any unnecessary words.
Do the sentences occur in a logical sequence? Do they need to be rearranged to make more sense? The answer to this question may lead you to move your paragraphs around. Of course, if you do that, you’ll probably need to make further revisions in the paragraph.

As I mentioned above, this technique can really be beneficial when you’re writing a longer piece of work, especially if you’re following one of those writing practices where you “just write” and “just keep the pen moving”. ”Just writing” is helping me to write a longer piece because I already know that it’s going to require a significant amount of revision and editing.

Forest and Trees Revision can help you avoid the trap of getting lost in the details and forgetting to ensure that your piece as a whole makes sense. Revise the forest and edit the trees, in other words. Just remember to edit those trees afterward, OK?

How about you? Do you have any tips or tricks for making sure your writing makes sense from a high level?

Creative Secrets Part III: David Ross Macdonald

Written on March 30, 2011 by Susan Murphy in creativity

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

Creative Secrets is a series of posts that features interviews with artists from all walks of life in an effort to delve more deeply into how the creative process works. You can read PartI featuring Sheri Braunstein here and Part II featuring Tracey “Halyma” Vibert here.

I’d never been to a house concert before, until one day, my friend Bob invited me to his place. An Australian musician, David Ross Macdonald, was performing a solo show – just Dave and his guitar. I showed up, not knowing at all what to expect, and it turned out to be one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen. From that moment on, not only was I hooked on house concerts – but I was hooked on David’s music too. I think you’ll feel the same (you can listen and buy it here!). Here’s his take on music, creativity and doing the work.

1) Tell me how you first got involved in music.

It’s a kinda round about story, you got time?

I suppose my earliest memories go back to when I was a young child sitting around the piano with my sisters and brother watching, listening and singing along while my father, who at the time was a local jazz pianist, trumpeter and dentist, improvised over ragtime and jazz standards to our collective delight. At the age of three and a half or four, singing along to Fats Waller on the phonogram while being equally enchanted and incredulous of the LP players’ mechanisms is, to this day, still a vivid memory. “Your Feets Too Big”, “Joint Is Jumpin’“, “Hold Tight, Seafood Mama” … I just LOVED those songs.

After that, things pretty much got off to an underwhelming and rocky start musically. My first official introduction was private piano lessons at the age of 9 or 10 which I pretty much despised, coupled with a compulsory primary school recorder choir, which I mocked while underachieving in, followed by trumpet tuition at 13 which ended when my teacher had some kind of breakdown midway through our lesson. It wasn’t until getting into classical guitar at fourteen that some pennies started to drop. But, I was an incredibly nervous and self conscious student, and when my end of year recital came I chickened out, didn’t show, and shamefully didn’t have the nerve nor stomach to face my teacher. I dropped out, and goofed around on electric guitar, got a rock trio going for a few years during university and even though I had high hopes and it was a real blast, it never amounted to more than a few dozen pub gigs and back yard party jams.

You never can predict these things, but time passed and I became a geologist and had put the guitar aside until one day I was watching a TV broadcast of a jazz band. The camera was situated behind the drummer, the group was a local Perth contemporary trio or piano quartet and the music (even though at the time I had no idea) was in the style of Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans and Thelonius Monk. It had nothing to do with guitar, but the drummers bewildering and graceful technique and melodic improvisations coupled with the dense harmonics and improvisations of the piano just floored me. It took me sixteen months of obsessive compulsive practise, but then I recklessly ditched a very respectable research position in the government and passed the audition for jazz conservatorial studies … as a drummer.

2) What is it about your craft that keeps you interested and motivated?

I am not too sure how to answer that Susan.

In many unknowable ways, music chooses you and gets into your bones, blood and so forth. My love and delight of music has always been with me. I pretty much think that must be true for practically everyone though, performer or not. Music is a deep and profound human need, it is manifest everywhere and in all cultures to my understanding. I would probably contort your question by saying that experiencing other peoples’ interests and motivations in music helps me greatly … to hear and see what other people do with instruments, music, words, voice and live performance feeds directly the place that I endeavour to reach when making music.

3) Do you ever have times when you are uninspired to create? If so, how do you overcome this?

Often. Always? Too often, I am in an uninspired state. But just like the 18 months of obsessive drumming lessons and practice that got me into the con or the 3 months straight in 1999 when I practically didn’t take the guitar out of my hands, for me the inspired state is an unfathomable and uncontrollable one. Maybe it’s a lot like falling in love? I believe there is very little known about the science of being ‘inspired’ … but it’s different to being creative and is in my opinion not the opposite of being uninspired.

To overcome this?

Well, if there was a surefire and simple way, then we’d all be writing symphonies, painting masterworks and have the beginnings of a truly enlightened society.

But this is obviously not the case.

Honestly, I have no idea. So it boils down to doing the work. If you manage to overcome the emotional and physical barriers that resist the disciplined and time consuming realities of learning an instrument and its’ art (and it’s always ‘learning’ as you never get ‘there’) then eventually you will find yourself experiencing moments where the ‘gifts’ start to manifest in your playing, performance, writing and so forth. The more mindful work you do in being engaged with music, your art, instrument, practice, listening widely, checking out performers and so forth, chances are, the higher the probability that you will experience fleeting windows of ‘inspiration’ or seemingly divine creativity, which you must also seize in that moment. Plenty of sleep probably helps to and taking note of what activities and times of day tend to spark your spirit. But, I suppose my point here is that being inspired is a very rare thing and not necessarily an enduring space so you must be prepared to be able to act on those occasions when inspiration ‘strikes’ by having done the work and continue to do that work … whereas if you are in a truly inspired state, then you have no say in the matter, like love, it sweeps you off of your feet and takes you where it wishes.

4) At what point did you decide that you wanted to make a living as a musician? What made you take the leap?

December 1998. After a musical back packing 6 month sabbatical overseas (having just left part time opportunities in geology to keep the wolves from my door), I got the gig drumming for the Waifs and at that point having saved some money felt confident that I could go full time touring with the band while filling in the time off of the road working at guitar and creating some solo opportunities. What made me take the leap?,well, it just had to be that way.

5) What has been your biggest challenge as an artist?

Honestly, the biggest challenges are many fold. In my case, having made the decision not to live anywhere these past years and prevail upon the fortunes and happenstances of moving from one musical opportunity to the next, the challenge is just keeping mind, body and soul together. I also struggle with the necessity to commodify, commercialize and market my artistic wares while simultaneously competing with fellow artists in a business realm … which I don’t enjoy doing, at all. These things impinge deeply on ones abilities to ‘do the work’ that I mentioned earlier and honour that art, that in many ways, defines you. As a self promoting artist, there are all too many ways of not doing that work and I am yet to meet a same such musician that hasn’t at some stage in their careers not been completely overwhelmed by this dilemma. I am also sure most people reading this probably experience very similar conflicts in various facets of their own working and personal lives, given how time poor and stressed out many folks seem to be these days. Did I answer your question? It feels like I was monologuing then!

6) Do you find value in connecting with other artists, and if so, what are some of the ways you stay connected to your community?

Of course, it is essential to build and nourish connections between fellow artists, just like within your own family and tribe. In regards to keeping connected there is a sliding scale starting with Facebook and ending at music festivals and gigs. Musician family reunions might not be annual affairs but when chance finds you shoulder to shoulder with one of your kin on stage, at the festival bar or watching an amazing and inspirational artist, then those moments are golden and top up the fuel in your tank to weather the fallow seasons and artistic yard work.

7) What’s your next creative step?

To do more of the work.

Creative Secrets Part II: Tracey “Halyma” Vibert

Written on March 16, 2011 by Susan Murphy in creativity

2 Comments - Leave a comment!

Creative Secrets is a series of posts that will appear here over the next several weeks. Susan Murphy is interviewing artists from all walks of life in an effort to delve more deeply into how the creative process works.

Part II of the series features Tracey “Halyma” Vibert. Tracey is a multi-faceted artist, making a career of sewing through her company, T.A.V. Creations, and as a belly dance performer and instructor. Tracey successfully combines two very different creative passions into one complete package.

1) Tell me how you first got involved in both sewing and dancing.

It all started so early in my life that I don’t remember ever not sewing/crafting/drawing/ creating in some way. I was always the kid handed the scissors in crafts. Hours were spent trying new crafting techniques from my mom’s set of crafting books- I loved macrame! And I would make clothes for my female action figures – I had Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman, along with a standard blonde Barbie to whom I gave a bad hair cut to early on! I progressed quickly from a beginner sewing machine to using my mom’s – and am still very grateful that she let me take it to design school when I left home.

As for dancing, I was less sure of myself in that realm. While I did a lot of improv and general bouncing around as a kid to whatever rock music my older siblings played – I also sang along- I did not explore any structured classes until I moved to Ottawa for school and took Ballroom. But I was in dance clubs in Hull as often as I could be, and just loved moving! It wasn’t until I was making a wedding dress for a friend, who kept dancing in front of the full length mirror, that I even knew about the possibility of belly dance classes in Ottawa. I signed up and fell in love! I began teaching in 1998 and haven’t stopped!

2) What is it about your creative pursuits that keep you interested and motivated?

With my sewing, I have long used the term “co-creation” when referring to the custom work I make. When working to bring someone else’s ideas to life, there is always a fresh infusion of energy and passion that comes from the other person/client. And that energy balances out the times when I am designing for myself, or making ready made pieces for an event, having given me some ideas to build upon!

In dance, teaching both Belly dance and Bellywood allow me to maintain a good foundation of movements and as students return and advance, I am always trying to make sure I keep it new and fresh for them. I am constantly impressed by the joy that can be found in dance – watching students progress, and challenging myself to keep learning are such positive reinforcements!

As I perform at events as a soloist or with my dance colleagues, we also seek ways to keep it fun for both us and the audience. And when I feel I am lagging, I know I can seek more knowledge as there is always something new to learn – or something previously learned and forgotten!

3) Do you ever have times when you are uninspired to create? If so, how do you overcome this?

I tend to bounce from one arena of creativity to the next, so that I can always try to keep producing “something”. If my sewing is lagging,and I can take the time to go work on something dance related or planning my next event, that’s what I do. If I have a deadline and cannot take that break, I go technical. I seek ways to break the job down into smaller parts to allow me to progress, one step at a time. That way, as I complete each step, I know I am making progress and the next step seems ouch more approachable.

In dance, the creativity comes in different ways. If I am preparing for a show, and working on a solo routine, I will listen to the music as I do other stuff – sewing/cleaning/sorting paperwork. When I perform as a solo dancer, I usually improvise for the entire song. In order to do that in an effective way, I have to know the song. I have to know where the accents will be, where the song gets lively, where it gets subtle. So, I listen. I may not actually know what the words mean with many of the Arabic and Hindi songs I use, but the gist of the songs are understandable in many cases with a bit of research.

If I am creating a choreography, again I go technical. I break down the song into smaller parts and test drives moves to see what feels right. Then I’ll present it to my students or colleagues and open things up for tweaking – again it’s part of my nature to co-create, even if I do most of the work myself.

Mainly, I love to dance and just let myself go whenever I can – I love class for that, as the students also benefit from seeing the movements in action and how to put them together!

4) At what point did you decide that you wanted to make a living sewing and dancing? What made you take the leap?

I knew in grade 9/10 that I was going to be a fashion designer. I was able to plan my courses accordingly, taking technical drawing, art, and home economics, of course. I loved math and english as well, so that the math involved in sewing doesn’t scare me. I also took music in school, so while I did not plan to become a musician, having that knowledge and playing piano “by ear” growing up [ until I took music and learned to read sheet music], help greatly as I interpret the music I use for dance!

I again came to dancing as a way to make a living later in life, but I have always held to the idea that I wanted to do something I love as my career choice{s} and I have been blessed with positive results of following through with that! And since I already had my first business already set up, it was less of a big leap to just start teaching and performing, and getting paid for it!

Every step has it’s fears attached to it, but I try to take baby steps when trying something new, giving myself the chance to try it on a smaller scale and letting it grow to a comfortable level of commitment for my life at any given time. There are ebbs and flows, and it always seems that when one aspect of income is lower, the others pick up the slack. Or I find something new to try!

5) What has been your biggest challenge as an artist?

Putting a dollar value to the work I do has always been one of the hardest areas for me. I really prefer being an artist to being a business woman. So, I try to explore what others in my fields, or related fields, are choosing to charge for their services, and set my own rates based on a comparison of experience and quality. What a pain! But it’s part of the entire package and allows me to feel more confident about the rates I am charging. In conjunction with that, I also used to have more trouble saying “no” or having a more “take it or leave it ” attitude. This fortitude is necessary in the business side of things. Otherwise, I was lowering my prices to help out everyone who wanted my services and going crazy trying to accommodate unrealistic expectations. I am much better at respecting my own value now!

6) Do you find value in connecting with other artists, and if so, what are some of the ways you stay connected to your community?

With dance, immediately: yes. From the beginning, my journey into belly dance, bollywood dance and bellywood has been strongly influenced by friends and colleagues within the Ottawa area and beyond. Early on, there had been an association within which I met many women who are now friends, along with those I met when I was studying have added such dimension to my life. It was those women who helped me get through a divorce and moving on to my presently amazing life!

I strive to give back as much as I can to this community with a community newsletter, and 4 annual belly dance dance events to which I invite members of the community to participate. These events and my weekly email/online information page help to bring folks together who might not see each other on a regular basis and allow different teachers and students to mingle and see what new ideas each group might be trying out. We have fun and support each other in a way that apparently is not normal for other city’s dance communities. I always hope that the folks who visit us from other cities get inspired and open us their own dance realm to a bit more sharing!

With regards to my sewing business, I have actually been pretty closed off from a larger community. I was hired by another local designer while I was in my final years at design school, and worked with her for over 20 years. We are still friends and I still help her out if she needs sewing done, and we’ve been able to maintain a very organic work relationship over the decades.

Rather than choose to seek out a community, I was blessed with a mentor and some great ladies who worked there as well, and learned and brainstormed with them throughout the years.

The internet has I suppose been my one source of sewing community. I have found there are a great number of folks online who are happy to share and assist, and I have also sought ways to contribute when I can!

My website went up in June of 1999 and has been an incredibly potent source of clientele. And the word of mouth, online reference system that is in place has created a foundation of promotion for me that is wonderful!

I do have friends who sew, both as hobbyists and professionally, but, we just don’t really talk about it that much! We do our thing and enjoy our time socializing!

7) What’s your next creative step?

My work is constantly shifting/ growing and changing so this year’s adventures include connecting with a local bridal salon and providing services to their clients as an “Alterations Specialist”.

I am also still in the first six months or so of my newly developed Bellywood classes, a fusion of belly dance and Bollywood dance that is totally challenging me to be creative and is such fun!

For now, I think I will allow myself some time to nurse these seedlings. I still have my regular belly dance classes, my participation in Bollywood For Fun dance troupe, my Eco-TAV products and my wonderful TAV Creations clientele to focus on. So, ya know, I’m good.

Oh, wait! There’s more sewing videos on my horizon as I am just finishing teaching a few runs of basic sewing lessons and see the topics that need to be better addressed online… Oh crap…Time to get to work!

Creative Secrets Part I: Sheri Braunstein

Written on March 2, 2011 by Susan Murphy in creativity

4 Comments - Leave a comment!

Part I of the series features jewelry artist Sheri Braunstein. Sheri has been making jewelry for several years, and her passion for her craft led her to begin her company, Wyvern’s Whims. She is a designer and a teacher who is living her creative life to the fullest.

1) Tell me how you first got involved in your jewelry making art.

I’ve always been a crafter, one of the earliest gifts from my Mom that I can remember is a box filled with beads, feathers, sequins, glue, and other things – and no instructions!! That kept me amused for months, and was probably the start of my love affair with creating jewelry.

The reason I became involved with wire sculptured jewelry is also in part the name of my business – it was purely on a Whim. I was working on a contract as an account rep for an online marketing business, and one of our clients was this company in the US that was promoting their wire sculptured jewelry DVD’s. I thought it looked like fun, ordered the beginner series and was completely hooked, and that was the start of Wyvern’s Whims.

2) What is it about your craft that keeps you interested and motivated?

I love the way the stones (and pearls, and cameos) speak to me. Like people, they all have their histories, their lore, and their own personality. I’ve learned so much, not just about the stones themselves, but the countries they’ve come from, the different cultures who used them, and the different properties (metaphysical and physical) they are said to have. People often ask me where I get my ideas, and the most honest answer I’ve come up with is that my fingers are what the stone uses to speak with. The next time you’re at a craft or gem and mineral show, pick up a stone, and really look at it – like us, they are all so unique and beautiful in their own way.

3) Do you ever have a time when you are uninspired to create? If so, how do you overcome this?

I think every creator has a time when inspiration won’t come, and the muse deserts them. A writer’s characters won’t behave the way they should, a sculptor’s clay feels lifeless, and for me, the stones aren’t speaking. The flip side of this is those periods when the ideas and inspirations tumble in your head so fast you can barely keep up. I always carry around a small sketchpad and pen – everything goes into this book, whethers it’s a rough sketch or just scribbled thoughts. When I’m uninspired, the book comes out, and something will always grab me. Other times, and this is advice I give my students, I just walk away. Leaving a project on the shelf to rest for a few days lets you come to it with new eyes and new inspiration.

4) At what point did you decide that you wanted to turn your creative pursuits into a business? What made you take the leap?

When I started wire sculpture, it was just another hobby for me, something to have fun with. I was totally astounded the first time a woman stopped me in the grocery store to ask where I’d gotten a pendant I was wearing, and flabbergasted that she offered me money for it!!! Then I met another jewelry maker who does the most intricate bead work. She is now a good friend of mine, and she is the one who introduced me to the guild she belonged to, and the idea that I could actually sell my work. Then I was invited to become an instructor of design, and I loved the whole idea of sharing my knowledge, and I suppose that’s when I realized this could be a business as well as a creative outlet.

5) What has been your biggest challenge as an artist?

The biggest challenge I think an artist has, and certainly my biggest challenge is keeping it fresh. It’s so easy to stay in your comfort zone and just do what you are good at. I think this is where stagnation sets in, and you don’t grow as a creator. Taking the time to say ”I wonder what would happen if……….” or, ” I wonder if I can do this with that…” is not always comfortable, but it’s necessary to grow as an artisan. I love to test out new techniques because of this – I don’t fall in love with all of them, but it’s sure a lot of fun.

6) Do you find value in connecting with other artists, and if so, what are some of the ways you stay connected to your community?

Connecting with other artists is like getting a draft of pure oxygen for me – there are several people who feed my mind and soul on a constant basis, we share ideas, thoughts, problems, solutions, and so much more. I don’t mean that we copy each other’s ideas, we are all very different. But sometimes just having the chance to share your thoughts spurs you on to the next level, or next inspiration. My artist friends are made up of photographers, painters, purse makers, jewelry designers, writers and more. I have several students who have challenged me as well, and I belong to two wonderful Ottawa area guilds which meet once a month. All of these people are a great source of support in many ways.

7) What’s your next creative step?

Besides creating jewelry, I have always had a passion for my community – it seems there are so many outstretched hand, and resources are stretched so thin. I’m developing a new line that is geared towards addressing this need for funds, and hope to have it available in the Fall, as initial feedback on it has been positive. I’m also stretching myself a bit, experimenting with a new medium (polymer clay) and want to build another side to my business that will appeal to both sexes.

Sir Ken Robinson – The Element – Creativity and Imagination

Written on February 28, 2011 by Mark Dykeman in creativity

3 Comments - Leave a comment!

Sir Ken Robinson

Today we’re taking a look at creativity as defined by a famous educator and expert on creativity, Sir Ken Robinson.

The following excerpt comes from Robinson’s 2009 book The Element (written with Lou Aronica).

Here is the quote from page 67 of my copy, the first paragraph of the section titled The Power of Creativity:

Imagination is not the same as creativity. Creativity takes the process of imagination to another level. My definition of creativity is “the process of having original ideas that have value.” Imagination can be entirely internal. You could be imaginative all day long without anyone noticing. But you never say that someone was creative if that person never did anything. To be creative you actually have to do something. It involves putting your imagination to work to make something new, to come up with new solutions to problems, even to think of new problems or questions.

You can think of creativity as applied imagination.

One thing that I really like about Robinson’s definition is the distinction he makes between imagination and creativity. There’s a difference between thinking and doing. Creativity requires you to do things and to make things.

However, imagination is a crucial part of creativity. Imagination allows divergent thinking, idea generation and the ability to conceive something that’s not there.

So here’s a thought for you to ponder today: can you be creative without using your imagination?

Wrestling a Reality TV Show…and Winning

Written on February 16, 2011 by Susan Murphy in creativity

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

There’s a lot of stigma around Reality TV. When we think of most Reality-based shows, “reality” is hardly the first word that comes to mind. Shows like Jersey Shore are hardly “real life”.

Thankfully, that’s not the kind of Reality TV show I make.

For the past four years, my business partner and I have been producing a home renovation reality series called “The House Healers“. Season 3 is currently airing on our local cable channel here in Ottawa.

I’ve been producing TV shows for over 20 years, but until this show, I’ve never done reality TV. I can tell you, it’s different than any other type of show I’ve produced. Every week, we need to view hours and hours of footage to find the parts that tell the story in the most compelling way. It’s no small feat. When it comes to TV, you see, you have about 22 minutes to cover what is sometimes days’ worth of a story. Days of a story often takes between 5 and 8 hours of footage or more to capture. Why? Because real life isn’t that interesting, especially on a renovation site. It may take 3 days to put a roof on a house, but we have about 4 minutes of show-time to make it captivating. We need to extract the best bits of our footage, and toss the rest. We need to make every nail of that roof install seem like the most interesting thing in the world.

It takes a lot of effort, and a tremendous amount of creative thought and patience. I thought I’d share the process here, because I think it may offer some insight not only into what it takes to make a Reality TV show, but that you may glean some tips for dealing with your own mountain of thoughts and ideas.

Begin with the End in Mind

We have to know, before we even start shooting, what parts of the story we need to tell. We plan out the schedule based on what will be happening when, and arrange our video shoots around important events (the roof going on, the back wall being demolished for an addition, a bathtub being installed). As with anything, there’s always a level of uncertainty. As you know if you’ve ever renovated anything, factors such as weather, materials delays, and slow tradespeople can significantly impact a renovation plan. So as much planning as we do, we need to always be prepared to not only deal with, but embrace the unexpected. Because it’s often the unexpected (like a torrential flood in the house mid-way through the renovation) that makes for the best story.

Plan your project as much as you can, but ALWAYS leave room for the unexpected, and wrap your arms around it not if, but when it happens.

Spend Time With The Story

As I mentioned, we often have hours and hours of footage to go through in order to find the best 22 minutes to use in the episode. We have to spend a LOT of time with our footage, watching clips over and over again, to be able to understand the story we need to tell.

Whether you’re writing a book, a TV show, or a blog post, you need to spend some quality time with your content before you can really find the story that’s hidden within it. Be supremely patient with this process. Rushing through your content to get to the end result will always result in a weaker story.

Get Some Eyeballs on It

We don’t have the huge crews that some reality shows do. We run a lean, mean production team. But the full responsibility of the show never rides on only one person’s shoulders.

I generally will do the first cut of the show – a rough cut, or assemble edit, where I’m going through all of the footage and extracting the best parts that tell the story well. I’ll include notes in the rough cut to outline to the rest of the team what I’m thinking for some of the story-lines.

Then, the rough cut gets handed off to my partner (who is also the host of the show, and the one who does all of the renovations) and she will compile the script, including writing voice-over narration and graphic elements and fleshing out any parts that need massaging. We often collaborate on the rough cut and writing, and the end result is a reflection of not only the story we want to tell, but of our vision for the show. (Ever wondered what a Producer does? There you go!)

Once we’ve got the script nailed, we record the narration tracks, and hand everything over to our editors, who then compile the “online” edit – including all graphics, narration, music, and sound effects. They also tweak the edit to make sure that everything is tight and flows well.

Between the four of us, we are able to ensure a clean, well told, and entertaining story. It’s not a job one person can do well. It takes a team.

Always get other eyeballs on your stuff. Adding others’ perspectives to your work will only serve to make your end product better.

I’ve always maintained that it doesn’t matter what kind of medium you use to create – written word, visuals or graphics, video, or audio, it’s all about telling a story well. The basic principles of storytelling hold true no matter what kind of media you use.

By keeping your end goal in mind, getting up close and personal with the story you want to tell, and incorporating others’ perspectives to your work, your creative projects will continue to shine.

Want to see a few episodes of The House Healers? Check out http://househealers.blip.tv.

[photo credit: gbaku on Flickr]