Challenge #20 - Words as Art

Some words for all artists to consider:
"Fear not the voice of the critic,
for no man ever erected a status in honour of a critic."
- Finnish composer

Create a poem or a word picture this week. Share your offering by next Monday.

#19 Introspection on Creativity

1. What is the first creative moment you remember?
Cooking with my mother, playing dress up, coloring, making up my own stories
2. Was anyone there to witness or appreciate it?
My parents
3. What is the best idea you've ever had?
To never let “hard things” hold me back
4. What made it great in your mind?
It gave me courage and confidence that I can accomplish almost anything if I’m willing to work for it
5. What is the dumbest idea?
Worrying more about what others think than what you think for yourself
6. What made it stupid?
You live in a constant worry of not being accepted
7. Can you connect the dots that led you to this idea?
I got tired of wondering what others thought of me, wanted me to do; I got more courageous and confident
8. What is your creative ambition?
To live more freely, less restrained, more boldly
9. What are the obstacles to this ambition?
Myself, perceived rules and social conventions
10. What are the vital steps to achieving this ambition?
Letting go of things; daring to live with less restraint
11. How do you begin your day?
With a prayer of thanks and an early-morning run
12. What are your habits? What patterns do you repeat?
I am a creature of habit – I often eat the same things for meals, I pray every day, walk to work along pretty much the same route daily, read scriptures daily, workout daily, write a short note in my journal each night, church weekly, listen to music whenever possible, travel frequently
13. Describe your first successful creative act?
Not sure this is the first or second, but these are two early ones: sewed a pillow and blanket for my dolls
14. Describe your second successful creative act?
Made cookies
15. Compare them.
Home based, simple pleasures, combination of materials
16. What are your attitudes toward: money, power, praise, rivals, work, play?
I think of money as a tool. I like internal power, but not power than harms others. I love praise and think it is underutilized. I wish people would compete against themselves rather than others. I love work (all sorts) and am comfortable doing it. I have a hard time playing.
17. Which artists do you admire most?
Painters, dancers, writers
18. Why are they your role models?
I love artists’ discipline and ability to tell stories and express emotions with their bodies, words, and/or paintings. I also love the way they can affect others who witness their art.
19. What do you and your role models have in common?
The intense desire to express ourselves through art and delight others
20. Does anyone in your life regularly inspire you?
Yes, many – good people all around who serve others; dedicated parents; prophets
21. Who is your muse?
I don’t believe I have just one – lots of people
22. Define muse.
A motivator; someone who compels me to do more, or be creative, or be more than I currently am
23. When confronted with superior intelligence or talent, how do you respond?
I am impressed.
24. When faced with stupidity, hostility, intransigence, laziness, or indifference in others, how do you respond?
I often feel badly for the person; sometimes I am frustrated with him or her.
25. When faced with impending success or the threat of failure, how do you respond?
Work hard to succeed
26. When you work, do you love the process or result?
Both – I love the process because that’s where the learning takes place. I love the result because you can see the output of your and others’ efforts.
27. At what moments do you feel your reach exceeds your grasp?
Yes
28. What is your ideal creative activity?
No one answer - reading (because it spawns my thinking, writing, baking, sewing, teaching
29. What is your greatest fear?
Being with someone in person, but not connecting completely with them mentally, spiritually, or emotionally
30. What is the likelihood of your above answer happening?
Hopefully, not very likely
31. Which of your answers would you most like to change?
Being able to identify a specific creative ambition to pursure
32. What is your idea of mastery?
Attainment of perfection
33. What is your greatest dream?
Traveling everywhere in the world I want to go

#19 crazy hard to do

1. What is the first creative moment you remember?

I can think of many, not sure which was the first. Making a wooden shelf for my collection of plastic animals, playing with my mom’s sewing supplies, painting a picture of cats for my mom, rearranging my bedroom furniture.

2. Was anyone there to witness or appreciate it?

My parents

3. What is the best idea you've ever had?

To come back to life after my divorce

4. What made it great in your mind?

I found myself again

5. What is the dumbest idea?

To live for someone else

6. What made it stupid?

I lost years

7. Can you connect the dots that led you to this idea?

It was slow and subtle changes, not taking time to evaluate or take care of myself

8. What is your creative ambition?

To break through my creative blocks around rules and structure. To live the creative life I visualize for myself

9. What are the obstacles to this ambition?

Habits, Fears, Other commitments

10. What are the vital steps to achieving this ambition?

Accepting imperfection, spending more time creating, setting goals, visualizing, changing habits

11. How do you begin your day?

Nurse my son, throw on clothes, make breakfast for my son and myself, feed the cats, pack up for the day, leave for work

12. What are your habits? What patterns do you repeat?

Personal care routine, putting my son to sleep by singing (same songs, same order), Process for designing landscapes always the same (site visit, photos, layout, site visit, planting, revisions), when creating my habit is to clean the space first, then be super messy creating, leave the mess for later.

13. Describe your first successful creative act?

‘Make it yourself with wool’ competition

14. Describe your second successful creative act?

Growing a strawberry garden

15. Compare them.

Both were systematic, both included help from my mother, both I was fiercely proud of

16. What are your attitudes toward: money, power, praise, rivals, work, play?

Money: Don’t care, wish it didn’t exist

Power: I like to be in control of myself and situations

Praise: thrive on it, work for it

Rivals: try to make them friends, jealousy, ignore

Work: don’t mind hard work if I enjoy or believe in what I’m doing. Work harder on projects for other people then for myself

Play: Big priority, important part of my life and beliefs

17. Which artist do you admire most?

Matisse, T.S. Eliot, Wolfgang Oehme & James Van Sweden

18. Why are they your role models?

Vision, breaking rules, use of color, understanding of texture

19. What do you and your role models have in common?

Vision, style

20. Does anyone in your life regularly inspire you?

Tonja, Wendy, Steph, Patty, Keenan, Lisa Marie,

21. Who is your muse?

Always changing

22. Define muse.

Someone/something who/that gets me thinking and prompts me to act

23. When confronted with superior intelligence or talent, how do you respond?

I’m confronted. I feel jealous and try to prove to them that I am just as intelligent or talented.

24. When faced with stupidity, hostility, intransigence, laziness, or indifference in others, how do you respond?

Usually complain to someone else about it. It makes me irritated and sad.

25. When faced with impending success or the threat of failure, how do you respond?

I push through to succeed

26. When you work, do you love the process or result?

Process, this is why I never make things more than once, I’m bored once I figure it out

27. At what moments do you feel your reach exceeds your grasp?

Time always creates these moments for me. I usually have too many projects for the amount of time available and usually procrastinate until the last minute.

28. What is your ideal creative activity?

I think I have a few: teaching, sewing, systemizing, design

29. What is your greatest fear?

I won’t live the life I want to.

30. What is the likelihood of your above answer happening?

Not sure

31. Which of your answers would you most like to change?

#23

32. What is your idea of mastery?

Having enough skill to teach others, but knowing you’ve only scratched the surface and need to continually keep learning, trying, exploring

33. What is your greatest dream?

To feel complete and at ease with myself and life.

#17 Celebrate - a little late

The traditional 2nd anniversary gift is 'cloth'. Although we said no gifts, how could I pass that one up. So, just a quick small laptop cover for my honey. I even bypassed all my fun fabrics for these really manly picks! I used a tutorial from the 'sew mama sew' blog

#19 Your Creative Autobiography

Take a breath
Say how you feel
Walk away
Ask for help
(I was taken by this conflict resolution mantra this week)

I am currently reading 'The Creative Habit, learn it and use it for life' by Twyla Tharp. The book is a work book for creativity. As the challenge this week complete Twyla's 'Creative Autobiography'.



1. What is the first creative moment you remember?
2. Was anyone there to witness or appreciate it?
3. What is the best idea you've ever had?
4. What made it great in your mind?
5. What is the dumbest idea?
6. What made it stupid?
7. Can you connect the dots that led you to this idea?
8. What is your creative ambition?
9. What are the obstacles to this ambition?
10. What are the vital steps to achieving this ambition?
11. How do you begin your day?
12. What are your habits? What patterns do you repeat?
13. Describe your first successful creative act?
14. Describe your second successful creative act?
15. Compare them.
16. What are your attitudes toward: money, power, praise, rivals, work, play?
17. Which artist do you admire most?
18. Why are they your role models?
19. What do you and your role models have in common?
20. Does anyone in your life regularly inspire you?
21. Who is your muse?
22. Define muse.
23. When confronted with superior intelligence or talent, how do you respond?
24. When faced with stupidity, hostility, intransigence, laziness, or indifference in others, how do you respond?
25. When faced with impending success or the threat of failure, how do you resond?
26. When you work, do you love the process or result?
27. At what moments do you feel your reach exceeds your grasp?
28. What is your ideal creative activity?
29. What is your greatest fear?
30. What is the likelihood of your above answer happening?
31. Which of your answers would you most like to change?
32. What is your idea of mastery?
33. What is your greatest dream?

Once you post your answers to the above questions also post what you took away from the exercise.

#18 Giving

Great article. I sent the link to a few of my friends working in the 'not for profit' world, who are dependent on the generosity of others to continue the amazing work they do.

Two things really came to me in reading the article. First, to start thinking about how to involve my son in our volunteering and financial giving in the future.

Second, it solidified my desire to continue our support of Colorado Youth at Risk monetarily. Particularly in this financial climate when writing the check each quarter becomes more difficult.

www.coloradoyouthatrisk.org

Challenge 18 - Giving Is Good

This week read or listen to an address about giving by Dr. Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, in February of 2009 at a BYU forum. You can either listen to it or read it. Write your thoughts about the address and one thing you're going to do differently because of reading and/or listening to it.