[warm-up, creative parenting]

Did you play this game as a child? It bears repeating and is a great thing to do with your own kids. It’s non-competitive, free, interactive and instructive, for adults as well as children. Plus, if you bring a creative slant to it, it can be an experience that teaches about the close relationship between smell, memory and creativity.

THE GAME:

Place a series of smells under the noses of blindfolded people and ask them to name them.

Best played in the kitchen.

That’s it.

However, it’s not as easy as it would seem to be. Sometimes the smell is as familiar as your own name but the word for it will not come. This is probably because in order to do this we have to utilize two separate parts of the brain. The part that identifies smells as familiar and known—and the part that puts a word to that familiar and known smell, ordinarily with the assistance of sight.

It would be a great game to play at a Halloween party since this holiday is already so much about masks and the senses. Make it part of your “Haunted House” and have the kids identify a few ‘bad’ smells along with the good or neutral.

If you’re just playing this at home, talk to your kids about the brain and memory. Sit down with them and do a quick free-writing exercise just to see what the non-verbal sense of smell has aroused in your c-minds. If your children are too young to write, let them dictate their stories.

You can also use some of your game smells as the basis for art work. After you’ve played the Smell Game, tell your kids they can make art with the ingredients. Explain that this art work may not be as lasting as if you were using paint. It might be a good time to teach them words like “transient,” “ephemeral,” and “fleeting” and to talk about art and artists who make art that is intentionally so.

Smell Art Ideas:

Sprinkle jello on a paper and let them use their fingers to make art (this is a great sensory-rich way to help them learn to write their letters and numbers, but save that for another more structured time ) Enhance the smell factor by letting them dip their fingers in lemon juice first!

Dip paper in strong tea, coffee, fruit juice.

Use berries to make dyes, paint with them!

Finger paint with (a little) peanut butter. (Maybe even jelly, too?)

Put glue on the paper and use aromatic spices as you would glitter.

Take one item—how about a lemon?—and do a whole picture out using all parts of the lemon.

And, this is a whole other article, but don’t forget: edible art! Pancakes with food colouring, popcorn ball people, rice cake worlds.

LINKS

Here’s a lovely website
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110299/html/index.php made by three young people about the brain and the mind, including pages on creativity (take the How Creative are you? quiz), the senses and memory.

The Ephemeral Arts - check this one out. it’s all about ephemeral arts on the Indian sub-continent; here’s another link to the same site, one that gives examples of these kinds of art. Use them with your kids!

Stayed tuned for my own Ephemeral Arts article. Coming soon!

Have fun and never forget that anything you can do with kids and creativity, you should be doing for yourself anyway. Tapping into our childhood well, keeps creativity flowing strong!

[-warm-up, drawing-]

Here’s a creative warm-up exercise that uses categories.

Choose a category each day to draw in your journal. Divide your paper into 8 - 12 small sections. Decide on the length of time you want to devote to this. My suggestion is to start with no more than ten minutes. Quicker sketches will loosen you up. Later on, you may want to devote more time to the sketches.

Draw a version of your chosen category in each of the sections.

The idea is to warm-up your creative brain by doing quick, non-threatening, simple drawings. Doing a lot of drawings of one thing helps you explore your visual knowledge of that category. You will find that you’re going to learn a lot about yourself, your visual memory, your ability to express a simple thing quickly and you’ll find yourself being more observant of that category once you’ve done the exercise.

Here’s my “Fruit” category page:
As you see, this isn’t great art. They are quick simple, even iconic sketches. And yet, I found out a lot from doing them.

I found out quickly that to distinguish between a drawing of an apple, a peach, a plum and even a lemon is tricky, but can be done. I found out that though I have removed plenty of them, I couldn’t, when I started, remember what the stem of a pineapple looks like. I found out that in order to make a peach look like a peach, you have to turn your pencil on its side to get a softer edge. I remembered that the skin of a lemon is pitted and that’s a bit of a different pencil mark that the tiny seeds of a strawberry. I found out that in order to sketch a bunch of grapes, it’s easier (and more fun) to sketch the dark, negative spaces that just draw the overlapping grapes. I found that sometimes a fruit is best depicted by the drippy, wetness that ends up on the surface below it. I found out that it was hard for me to come up with twelve fruits and that I didn’t seem to have a clue what shape a fig is.

Try it. It’s fun and you’ll be amazed how much it will stretch you.

Here’s a list to get you going:

I threw in the last three to remind you that these don’t have to be solid objects. But stick with the simpler ones at first. See what happens. After doing these for a while, revisit a category so you can see how the first sketches compare with ones you do after sensitizing yourself to this process and to thinking visually.

And, let us know what you learned by doing this exercise!

[-crackles!, c-mindfulness-]

by Nancy Waldman

I am in the process of writing an article on using the non-dominant hand in journaling as a way to reach the R-mind. In doing so, I decided that my icon and ’short-hand’ talk of R-mindfulness, based on Betty Edwards work regarding the use of brain hemisphere dominance to teach art, is at the least out-of-date and at the most, offensive to the small percentage of left-sided creative brains out there. The good news is that those people don’t know they’re offended because most of us haven’t had our brains examined.

The traditionally-dubbed *creative side* of the brain is usually but not always the right side. The dominant hemisphere of a person’s brain is not necessarily the left side although research supports an estimate of left brain dominance in at least 70% of people. And in looking at this today, I’m reminded that ‘dominance’ isn’t always about language but frequently about motor skills. Handedness is one of the ways this has been studied and, researchers have found that not all left-handed people (approximately 15% of the population) are right brain dominant even in motor skills. This is an area of research that has no definitive answers but there are some studies that have suggested that the more firmly dominant the left-handedness is, the more likely that person is to be right brain dominant at least in terms of language.

Confused? Me too. Every time I wade into the marshy bog of *Creative Sides of the Brain* I feel that I’ll soon be up to my elbows in a thick peaty mush of ideas that do not have scientific studies to back them up. So why bother? Because it’s fascinating! Because we all have brains and because conventional wisdom is that we use a fraction of the power of the brain in our everyday life. Because the kinds of exercises that I’ve been calling “R-mindfulness” do work on some level for most people to trick the dominant, organizing, practical side of our brains into letting go for a while, so that we can put the non-verbal, metaphorical, visual sides at the forefront while we’re creating.

But because not everyone accesses the right side of the brain when they do my R-mindfulness exercises, my referring to the R-mind is—what shall I call it?—hemispherism? leftism?

Wikipedia in talking about the historical and cultural bigotry surrounding left-handedness (or just ‘left’) points out:

Even the word “ambidexterity” reflects the bias. Its intended meaning is, “skillful on both sides.” However, since it keeps the Latin root “dexter,” which means “right,” it ends up conveying the idea of being “right-handed at both sides.” This bias is also apparent in the lesser-known antonym “ambisinistrous,” which means “clumsy on both sides” and derives from the Latin root “sinister.”

So from now on, the articles about R-mindfulness will have to reflect my newly raised-consciousness about this. However, the phenomenon discussed in these articles is the same whatever side of the brain is less dominant. The point is to access the lesser used portions in tricky ways so as to circumvent the normal functions. It’s complicated so I have to call it something simple!

How about…full-mindfulness? F-mind? ooh. Not so good. The innocent letter “F” has an undeserved and much more negative bias even than left-handers. There’s mind-fully or, quite appropriate in a metaphorical sense, fully-mined. Well…that probably gets us off-track. Fully-mindful is too fully-mouthful. Whole-mind is used in other ways to teach reading and such. Non-dom, short for non-dominant? That’s a bit negative. Alternate-mind. Alternate-hemisphere? Alt-mind? That sounds like a keystroke shortcut. Oh, there you go: Alt-control! Hmmm. Alt-hemi? Demi-hemi? Semi-demi-hemi?

Okay. This is a total illustration of how my creativity works (or more specifically: does not work).

For now I will settle on C-mind—short for Creative Mind—until, unless, I can think of a better iconic term.

Any suggestions?

June 16: This article was withdrawn and re-written after its first posting, evidently to illustrate more fully my personal brain’s challenges.

For a brief description of what I’m talking about, here’s the first article I wrote about the R-mind.
Here’s another one called Changing States.
Click on C-mind tag to get a full-listing or go to our Topics list and click on C-mindfulness

[-photography, science-]

Heart Chakra

Originally uploaded by Solitaire Miles.

This image gets to me, leaving me a little bit breathless. I’m not sure why. I have a nursing background so it has nothing to do with seeing someone’s insides. It has more to do with making something visible that we almost never see and therefore, often don’t think about.

The artist, Solitaire Miles is using the scans and medical procedures that she’s had to undergo as art– with beautiful results.

The image is striking. I’m struck by how close the heart is to the brain. I’m struck by how strong the arteries look. I’m interested in the fact that there’s symmetry but there’s also asymmetry within. And it fascinates me that the heart is clearly visible but the brain isn’t.

The image stimulates both my mind and my heart.

Art is about making the internal, the secret, the little understood, the inexpressible, the unarticulated, the unknown–visible.

Thanks Solitaire for the ultimate in personal art.

See more of Solitaire’s art at her flickr site.
Consider joining the Practically Creative flickr group

See my essay on my inconsistent bloggedness here.
Here’s another post and work of art - by arlee - based on the heart

[-art, tutorial-]

Here’s a drawing tutorial for anyone who’s ever actually uttered the words, “I can’t draw a straight line” as well as for others who know they can, but who are out of practice.

HOW TO DRAW

by Nancy S.M. Waldman

Becoming aware of Negative Space will help you to be able to beautifully reproduce anything you can see.

What exactly IS Negative Space? The easiest way to think of it is the space around whatever solid object you’re trying to draw. Here’s an example. In the photo on the right we’ve pointed out some of the negative spaces.

See the spaces between the back rungs (the yellow arrows)? That is negative space. The spaces in-between the rungs at the bottom of the chair (green arrows) is also negative space. Around the edges of the photograph - outlined in purple - you can see that the total space around the chair is also negative space. Seeing it in a photograph is easier than if the chair were sitting in your room. Then, you would have to imagine the edges of your paper as the outer edge of the negative space around the chair. See below for a hint about how to make this easier.

Notice that each one of those negative spaces has a specific shape. This is what you would need to tune into if you were going to draw this particular chair in this particular position. Does this feel too complicated?

Here’s another example. The second photo has some of the negative spaces outlined. Anything you can see that isn’t candle or candlestick is negative space.

Now look what happens when we put the candlestick in a more natural setting. What you notice immediately is that the background is more complicated and one object overlaps another. That is precisely why paying attention to the space around objects is so important.In drawing what we see, we must overcome the part of our mind - the L-mode - that tells us “this is too hard!” Entering into a state of R-mindfulness will help to stop thinking about how we aren’t up to the task and will, instead, allow our eyes to take in what is actually in front of us and translate those lines, edges, shadows and colours to our paper.

When we SEE the space around what we’re drawing, the 3-dimensional picture in front of us flattens out.
Take a look at the candlestick still life again.
Some of the negative spaces are outlined so that you can see them more easily.
Look at the curved space showing through the back of the chair (outlined in purple). If you began there and drew that space, then allowed your eye to travel to the next space - say the space that is made by the edges of the window, chair rungs and table just below the curved space (outlined in yellow) and so on to the next and the next space without worrying too much about how it was turning out, you would be doing several important things at once.

First, you would be paying attention - truly seeing - what’s in front of you rather than thinking, “There’s too much! What do I draw first? How do I show that light edge? I can’t do this!” — all of which would be worse than useless to what you’re trying to do. Getting away from L-mode wordiness is an important step.

Second, you would be transcending your L-mode and getting into your R-mode, the creatively friendly part of your mind.
The reason this happens is that the L-mode is confused by paying attention to what isn’t there. When the L-mode gets frustrated that’s a clue to you that your R-mode can kick in. Once you become familiar with that frustrated feeling, you’ll begin to welcome it - it means you’re on the right track!

Third, you would be seeing what’s in front of you in a new way… more as puzzle pieces than as objects with 3-dimensions. In order to draw what you see, it’s necessary to flatten out the picture.

In this way, it is actually easier to draw a complicated picture with many overlapping details - such as the second candlestick still life. The candlestick with the white background has such a large negative space in comparison to the object that it’s easier to lose your way than it is with the smaller negative spaces of the second candlestick. Here’s something very complicated for you to imagine drawing:

Can you begin to see the negative spaces? Remember from our candlestick example that the seemingly more complicated scene became easy when we looked for the spaces around the objects and thought of them as puzzle pieces. Let’s move in closer to the plant so you can see that the same principle applies.

Look at the beautiful negative spaces! When drawing something this complicated, an artist does make decisions about what details can be left out.
You can do a magnificent drawing of a complex subject like this without drawing every single leaf or space. However, what never works is to allow your L-mode brain to instruct you while you’re drawing as to what a Swedish Ivy looks like. If you do, the end result will not look like the plant in front of you. It will look generic at best.

In order to draw faces, people, plants, hands, landscapes, interiors, trees - in fact anything you can see - using negative space will make you believe in your own artistic talent! Of course there are other skills in learning how to draw what you see but learning to use Negative Space is an essential tool to have under your belt. Have fun!
Picturing Frames

Make yourself a picture frame in order to envision the edge of your drawing and see the negative space more easily. Out of stiff piece of 8″ X 10″ cardboard, cut a rectangle out of the center, leaving a 1″ to 2″ frame. There’s no magic to the size of the opening.
In fact, try two, one with a 5″ X 6″ opening and another with a 4″ X 5″ opening. Hold them up to the scene that you want to draw in order to picture those outer edges of your negative space. This is also a great tool for getting the best composition before you begin.

© 2005 - 2007 nancy sm waldman; all rights reserved

Originally published in the July 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: space and spaces

[-practices, tips-]

a Quick Creative Practice
~simple practices have profound impacts~

Need Inspiration? Learn something new

Choose either a fairly simple skill - for example, how to do stencilling or beginning knitting - or - choose a skill that will take time and effort and one that you have, therefore, been putting off your whole life - like playing an instrument or learning a language. Either way, you’ll reap unforeseen benefits far beyond what you’re learning.

Question: “Do you know how old I’ll be by the time I learn to play the piano?”

Answer: “The same age you’ll be if you don’t learn to play the piano.”

Start now. Your efforts will be rewarded.

Learning something new inspires because:

• * it ignites the mind, firing up sluggish brain cells
• * new skill sets have bearing on what we already know in ways we can’t predict - for example, working with sumptuous wool yarn might provide a new connection to painting or composing
• * it reminds us that we are creative beings capable of continual evolution.

Originally published in the July 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: space and spaces

[-essay, creativity-]

by guest contributor, Bob Baker

Whether it’s the second gunman on the grassy knoll, the alien mystery at Roswell or what really is hidden within the high-security confines of Area 51… conspiracy theories abound. Many of us are amused by the speculation, while hardcore buffs examine every nuance looking for clues to support their version of the story.

If you’ll notice, all of these conspiracy theories involve some type of dastardly deed or cover-up. Someone is out to brainwash us or hide the facts from the public. After all, “the truth is out there,” according to X-Files scripture. I never seem to hear people suspecting, for instance, a conspiracy by furniture salesman to stuff money into the nooks and crannies of the couches they sell. Yet I always find change under the cushions when I clean. Hmm… maybe they’re secretly… Oh, never mind.

There’s another kind of conspiracy conjurer. You know the type. The artist, musician or writer who believes the deck has been stacked against him or that nobody will ever give her a break. “This town is just not artist-friendly,” he/she proclaims. “This sucks. Why bother?”

To listen to these people, you’d think the radio stations, theatre groups, art galleries (or whatever venue applies) were all part of a sick joke, trying to obliterate creative growth. And just like the bigger conspiracy nuts, they find clues and plenty of ammo to support their claims.

“See, that guy never returned my call,” they announce. “I can’t buy a job in this town.” Anything even remotely inconvenient that happens to them lends credence to the devious master plot.

Here’s a fun little game that I challenge you to play. It’s called the Inverse Conspiracy Game. For one entire day, I encourage you to go through the day believing wholeheartedly that there is a conspiracy involving you. Only with this Inverse Conspiracy, the whole world and everyone in it are involved in a conspiracy to help you succeed.

If you’re familiar with the recent Jim Carey movie “The Truman Show,” you know what I mean. In the film, everything that happens to the main character is a preplanned scene — only he has no idea it’s fabricated.

So for one day, imagine that everyone is pitching in on a secret mission to help you. There’s a positive reason behind everything that happens to you. Even seemingly negative events are put into action in order to propel you toward a reward that’s just around the corner. And it’s your job to break the code and figure out exactly how the world intends for you to use what happens to your advantage.

True, this isn’t your father’s conspiracy theory. It will take some brain work to reorient your mental perspective — especially to keep it up for an entire day. But just think how this shift in attitude might alter your progress. You’ll be forced to view everything in a far more constructive light. And when bad things do happen, it will be your mission to find the hidden opportunity (instead of more reasons to stop trying to reach your creative goals).

Give this inverse conspiracy theory a try. You can always go back to looking for evil schemes and cover-ups. In the meantime, you just might discover an alien on a grassy knoll waiting to help you succeed.

Bob Baker is the author of “Unleash the Artist Within,” “Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook” and “Branding Yourself Online.” Get a FREE subscription to Bob’s newsletter, “Quick Tips for Creative People,” featuring inspiration and low-cost, self-promotion ideas for artists, writers, performers and more.
Visit PromoteYourCreativity.com for details.

Published by permission of the author in the April 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: inspiration

[-r-mindfullness-]

by Nancy S.M. Waldman

Ready?
Alter your brainwaves.
Begin.
Go on.
I’ll wait….

For many, the first and possibly only impulse upon getting instructions like that would be to start drinking or taking drugs, legal or otherwise.

But, to alter your way of perceiving the world without injesting something? Yes! It is more than just possible; it’s attainable.

But, why? Why would I want you to alter anything about the way your brain functions everyday?

To enhance your creativity, of course.

As we’ve talked about before in our R-mindfulness columns, parts of the brain work for us creatively and parts don’t. Our everyday brains are understandably and adaptively programmed for what we do on a daily basis. Even if we do creative things everyday, our minds are set on a certain kind of creative output. We have to shake things up, alter what parts of our brains we’re using, in order to be fully creative. This is because the creative process requires of us the ability to think flexibly, go off on tangents, free associate, be instinctive, switch courses, take it one, two and more steps farther than anticipated.

Our l-mind shudders at the thought.

There are many ways to slip into that more creative frame of reference that we like to call r-mindfulness - see our Mind-Altering Exercises feature for some [slightly tongue-in-cheek] suggestions - but the tricks have to do with using the intelligence of our senses. In order to draw a glass of water sitting on the table in front of us, we must see that water glass differently. Our eyes can do that if our mind lets them. Paradoxically, it takes seeing the glass as a flattened pattern of edges and negative space in order to reproduce it faithfully as a three dimensional-looking drawing. Once we allow our eyes to see it, we can draw it.

Sometimes we literally have to turn things upside-down to get our l-mind to move aside and let the r-mind come to the forefront. The classic example of this - used by Betty Edwards in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - is to take a complex line drawing done by someone else, turn it upside-down and copy it. Persons who swear they have no artist ability can do a masterful job of reproducing the drawing. Why? Because the l-mind doesn’t find an upside-down drawing logical. It loses its bearings and - in the presence of specific instructions about how to proceed - allows the spatially perceptive part of the brain to work its magic.

Altering your brain doesn’t mean changing it in some fundamental way. Instead, it means accessing parts of your brain that may be underutilized. That’s why experimentation and free association and doing exercises that turn things upside down are helpful. Once we know what that shift into r-mindfulness feels like, it becomes easier to get back there when we’re ready.

And remember, it isn’t just our eyes that have intelligence. Use all your senses to access your r-mind. Writers and actors as well as artists can use smells to evoke a sense of place and an immediate emotional reaction in a way that promotes r-mindfulness. Don’t forget touch, taste and hearing as well. Experiment with your senses in a playfully purposeful way to enhance your abliity to be creative.

Originally published in the April 2006 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: alterations
© 2006 -2007 - all rights reserved

[-metAphorism, r-mindfulness-]

metAphorism is a word I coined to mean a simple, everyday thing, concept or event that points us in the direction of a deeper lesson. metaphor - figure of speech giving an implicit comparison: this is that. aphorism - concise statement of a truth or opinion.

by Nancy Waldman

The metAphorism
Desktop Short-cuts

The lesson
Knowing short-cuts to access the most creative part of our minds will heighten creativity

Easily accessing your creative mind is like clicking a shortcut icon on your computer desktop. It not only saves time, but also limits frustrations while maximizing successes.

Did you know that part of your mind is good at and enjoys the creative flow while part of your mind resists it? Take a look at the classic art book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards for an in-depth explanation. Ms. Edwards’ work originally referred to the right hemisphere of the brain as being the more creative side with the left side carrying out the everyday linear functions. This is a convenient label for what are highly complex and individual processes. We know that the brain hemispheres work together but the “r-mode” is an expression coined by Betty Edwards to represent a very real state of consciousness wherein creativity is more likely to happen.

If you have trouble getting started in your creative pursuits or are overly critical of your creative output when you begin, it may be that you’re trying to use your “everyday” mind instead of your creative mind.

If you are constantly bothered by distracting thoughts like, “I need to do the laundry.” “This is no good.” “What makes me think I can write?” “My stomach hurts.” “What time is it?” it’s because you haven’t clicked on your r-mode shortcuts. Finding the right frame of mind is like clicking the proper icon on your desktop: it takes you there as fast as possible.

Movement such as walking, dancing and traveling in vehicles seems to be conducive to r-mode thinking. So does water. That’s why we often get our most inspired ideas while driving or showering. Unfortunately we can’t do our work while soaking wet or stuck in traffic! We need to become adept at short-cutting. Our linear minds must recede like a Window’s file behind our r-mode minds when we are at our desks or our easels so that we can get the work done with fewer distractions.

Remember the “Desktop Shortcut” when you want a short-cut to your creative energy.

Originally published in the April 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: Inspiration
© 05-07 Nancy S.M. Waldman

[-r-mind, perception, exercise-]

by Nancy S. M. Waldman

If, when you try to create, you find yourself full of doubts about your abilities, you are by definition, NOT in a state of R-mindfulness. The R-mindful brain is not worried about wasting time. It’s not worried about lack of talent. It’s not worried about product. In fact, it’s not worried about anything.

An R-mind is focused on the activity of creating, not on the person doing the work. In order to successfully create, we must get to that space/place within ourselves where the work becomes the focus instead of doubts about ourselves.

Because our “everyday” mind (the “L-mode”) is so used to being in the forefront, making decisions, doing the daily mental chores, it won’t give up control easily. That is why we often must fight down the sudden urge to clean the kitchen floor when we sit down to finish a short story or begin a sewing project. To the everyday mind, it makes perfect sense that the kitchen floor needs our attention more than this impractical, optional creative project. But that creative activity is as much a part of us - more, it could be argued - as the practical activities of daily living. It’s just that the creative mind is a gentle, subtle, easily cowed part of us. We must learn how to let it take the stage.

Since our theme is Space … and spaces, this issue’s trick involves focusing on negative space. The magic lies in being able to trick your L-mode into giving up control. When the everyday mind is confused, confronted with a sensory puzzle it can’t readily solve, it will recede and you will be on your way to being R-mindful.
Read the instructions several times before trying it.

Before beginning your creative project, sit comfortably at your desk, sewing table or wherever the work will occur.

1. Close your eyes, take a big deep breath, and let it out slowly.
2. With your eyes still shut, breathe deeply, in and out, very slowly, exactly three times.
3. Open your eyes. SEE what is in front of you.
4. Notice the word: “see” instead of “look at.” they aren’t the same.
5. Expect to see something that you haven’t noted before or at least noticed in a while.
6. Focus on one thing or a part of a thing. if you find yourself unsure, zone in on the edge of something. See it.
7. While keeping your eyes on your focal point, shift your focus. let your awareness go to the immediate space around that thing.
8. Keep breathing. stay with that sight for a few moments. allow yourself to relax into this time apart.
9. Shut your eyes. breathe in and out exactly three times.
10. Open your eyes and begin to work.

Try this each time before you begin and see if it helps. You may want to read the information on R-mode in the metAphorism feature of our first issue, here.
When you see this symbol in The PCQ be aware that this is information that may help you understand and access this part of yourself.

Originally published in the July 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: Space and Spaces