creativity | onewildword

Sep 12

Turning creative accidents into successful works of art

My massage therapist is an artist in every sense of the word—he does fantastic bodywork AND he’s a sculptor and painter. Recently, he told me a story about when he was in art school.

He was working on his first painting and between each layer of paint, he’d dip his brush in the varnish and then paint another layer. When he was done, the piece almost had a 3D effect with all the layers of paint and varnish. It was a beautiful accident.

During class, the instructor praised his work in front of the other students and mentioned the “intentional” effect he created. My massage therapist smiled and nodded, as if he meant to do that. Read more

Sep 10

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How artists make meaning through creativity

Last week, I wrote about how to acquire a creative mind via a short video by creativity coach Eric Maisel. In this 2-minute clip, Maisel discusses how artists make meaning from their lives through creativity. He says we cannot give up on our creativity without hurting ourselves.

A good point to keep in mind for those times when we feel like chucking our laptop out the window or feeding our latest work-in-progress to the garbage disposal.

http://vimeo.com/39102161

Sep 6

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Acquiring a Creative Mind

I’ve had a hectic couple of weeks and, as a consequence, have felt frustrated with the lack of progress on my current manuscript. Though I know what I need to do—set aside some quiet time, ditch the negative self-talk, and get more rest—sometimes it works better to hear it from somebody else.

In this 4-minute video, creativity expert Eric Maisel discusses a process for acquiring a creative mind. He explains how thinking small, unproductive thoughts can literally crowd our minds and prevent us from having those big brainstorming ideas.

Enjoy! Read more

Aug 17

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Let go and the words will come

A few weeks ago, my soon-to-be daughter-in-law asked me to give a toast at her and my son’s wedding this Saturday because in her words, “you’re a writer and good with words.” I thought sure. No problem. I’d be honored.

Then as the days went on and no ideas came except maybe reading a love poem (which would be nice but not very original), I began to panic. How do I gather up the events of our life together—mother and son—in two minutes? How do I convey the meaning of the journey my son and his bride are embarking on? Read more

Aug 10

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How artists can benefit from meditation

Earlier this week, Carly wrote a blog post featuring a talk David Lynch gave about the effects of meditation on creativity.

Meditation is a wonderful tool that has added immeasurable benefits to my life, including:

Increased awareness of myself and my motivations;
An expanding of consciousness—I see things more clearly than I used to;
Increase in creativity; Read more

Aug 7

Story tips: notice the unusual around you

In my post, “Six Elements of Great Short Stories,” I wrote about the six things literary agent April Eberhardt said we should think about in our stories: setting, character, point of view, conflict, plot, and theme.

She suggested carrying some index cards with these elements listed and using them when we see something in our daily life that sparks our interest.

She used the example of the day she was driving in the city and saw a car full of nuns next to her. What drew her interest was the unexpected–they were driving a new Lexus and laughing hysterically. She began to wonder about their story.

So, if I take her advice and list the elements of this situation on my index card, it could look something like this: Read more

Aug 6

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How filmmaker David Lynch boosts creativity through meditation

The creative process requires clarity and energy, says award-winning director David Lynch. He advocates meditation as a way of achieving a higher consciousness that leads to a deeper awareness and heightened sense of creativity.

In this 8-minute clip from a speech called “Consciousness, Creativity and the Brain,” Lynch speaks about the impact of meditation on his life and how it can help filmmakers and other artists boost their creativity.