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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

My 100th Post

I have been very neglectful of my blog, but I've been so busy. I also realized a couple of weeks ago that I had reached my 100th post, and well, look at that 100 posts. I must have had a lot to say. It was only a short time ago I was congratulating my friend Serena on her 100th post...and here I am doing the same thing. Although this is a minor accomplishment compared to blogs around the world, for me it's a big thing, so I celebrate the moment.
I was trying to think of how I would make this post special and decided that a little bit of my feelings about my favourite topic was in order. I love to talk about, read about and listen to my muse pushing me into creative moments. It's such a huge topic, there is no end to it, precisely what creativity is...endless. It's what you view it to be, it's a personal journey with no end. One thing leads to another and another and if you open your mind to it, it will take you down a path that will make you have one "WOW" moment after another.
Many many times, what I try doesn't work the way I expected or hoped, but that's no big deal. It just teaches me to be more patient and don't be in such a hurry to get to the end of it. The other side of that is that you don't want to spend so much time that you allow your sensible brain to kick in and tell you that this or that could be better. It's finding that balance that makes it all come together for you. It also doesn't matter if you're the only one that likes the finished product, that creative moment was all yours and nobody can take that away from you....

A few quotes I found express how I feel about creativity:

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” George Bernard Shaw

“Another word for creativity is courage” George Prince

"Creativity - like human life itself - begins in darkness.” Julia Cameron

and this one I have on a rubber stamp and for me says it all.......
“It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life” Barthold Georg Niebuhr

There is a great magazine out just now. It's a special edition for Cloth Paper Scissors. The title is Studios - A spa for the Creative Soul. It is totally full of creative peoples studios, how they have them arranged, their personal philosophies of what it means to them to be creative and how they express that. The colours in the articles are what really got me going, I love bright bold beautiful colours and each and everyone of these studios has that and more. There are also 10 quick and easy projects at the back, one of which I will be using for a swap... That was a bonus find, just in time to. Here is a picture of the cover. It should be on all newstands and if you can't find it, just click over to
Joggles, I think Barb has copies.

Keep in mind that there will always be those who don't understand the creative mind and will try to sway you from what you believe or do, but don't let them. Those are dreamstealers, and you don't have to worry about them, you just press on and enjoy yourself. Whatever is in front of you that you want to try, go for it. You don't know what you can do unless you try....
Below is a little thing I thought you might like. I had this little tin I picked up at Starbucks one day (not because I like their coffee-blah!!!! Give me Tim Hortons coffee any day, I was with a friend and spotted these mints) Rather than toss away the little tin I decided it was worthy of being functional. I have dressed it up, and cut little slips of paper and tucked them inside. What's a pretty tin full of papers, without a pretty pen to go with it. So, I did one of those too. Again, click on over to
Joggles, scroll down the page to nearly the bottom and you'll find a tutorial to make a fancy pen for yourself.
Now when I'm out driving and an idea for something creative pops into my mind, I can quickly jot that down on a slip of paper and not worry that I might forget that great idea I just had. The tin and pen to me, seem to be a more natural way to remember to write things down, knowing that they were created for that purpose.
The little face on the front of the tin is a bit hard to see, but if you click on it, the bigger image will be better. Soooooo, what are you waiting for. Get busy and do something nice for yourself. If you don't drive, make a set like this and carry it in your purse. Think of all the people you'll impress with your tiny treasures. Things don't always have to be big and flashy to be appreciated... Enjoy

3 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your 100th post, Ro!!! Your little treasures are fabulous and very creative...LOVE the colours! Great post on creativity....I carry around a little notebook to jot down any creative ideas that pop into my head and, after seeing your little treasures, I'm thinking my notebook could do with a little sprucing up. :)

    What sort of glue did you use to stick the beads to the pen and also the embellishments on the tin?

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  2. Hi Serena, Thanks so much. If you click on the Joggles link and go to the tutorials, you'll see what I used for the pen. Failing the ability to find that tape where you are (try a rubber stamp place or scrapbooking), the other way to go would be to brush some white glue ( I use the Ultimate Glue)onto the pen and sprinkle the beads on. Do it in sections and gently press them in place. Or you could paint the glue on in patterns and apply the beads that way to...Have fun, Ro

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  3. Thanks, Ro, that's been a big help ~ :)

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