[-essay-]

by Nancy S.M. Waldman

I have a close friend who has compared herself unfavorably to me in terms of creativity ever since we were girls. According to her, I’m creative and she isn’t.

But I never bought it.

She’s a elementary school teacher and I’ve seen the way she tackles a challenging situation in her classroom. She goes at that challenge with a buoyancy, inspiration and mental ingenuity that can only be described as creative.

Human beings are, by nature, creative. But there’s an odd dichotomy in evidence that people who are inclined toward the arts are labelled “creative” and those who aren’t are said—often by themselves—to be “non-creative.” This harmful labelling ignores other kinds of creativity.

My friend’s is a practical kind of creativity.

On the other hand, there are throngs of people who are clearly creative in the realm of the arts who have trouble getting started, staying on track, producing, finishing, keeping their confidence up. And, having been one of these people from time-to-time in my life, I can tell you that it’s not a situation that can easily be ignored. This kind of non-productive creativity is frustrating and painful.

I think of it as being impractically creative.

The Practically Creative Quarter is a zine for both ends of this extreme, as well as for those who are in the middle. Here, we explore ways in which the practical and the creative within each of us can learn to co-exist in peace and flourish in whichever direction we need to go.

If you are a compulsive type who can be creative but is overly focussed on the end product, delve into our process articles and see if you can’t experience the mind-healing, freeing flow of simply being involved in a creative experience that has no intended product.

If you are one of those people who starts many things but finishes nothing, take in some of our more practical tips and graphic reminders to discipline yourself to focus a little more on the outcome.

If you are like my friend (used to be) but you desperately want more hands-on kinds of creativity in your life, try some of our tutorials. Being creative is about taking the steps to learn how, to allow yourself to be a beginner, and not to get discouraged if one kind of creativity doesn’t turn out to be ‘your thing.’

And everyone needs an occasional dose of inspiration, creative cross-pollination or a light-hearted reminder about not expecting perfection.

Being Practically Creative isn’t about what you create. It’s about harnessing a creativity that works for you. Whether your kind of creativity needs more focus on practical discipline -or- on having a freer flow of creativity, you are capable of unifying these two aspects of yourself. The more fully we can integrate the practical and the creative parts within us, the less likely we are to be that other kind of practically (meaning: all but, nearly, almost) creative!

Make peace between the practical and the creative within yourself and enjoy the experience as well as the results.

[-alterations, art, sculpture-]

by lockwasher

These delightful Robots are all made from gathered bits and pieces in the workshop of Lockwasher.

As you can see, each one is a work of art and has a unique personality. Read the rest of this entry »

[-art, inspiration-]

by Nancy Waldman

"The Light Is On"

Originally uploaded by Rustic Relics Designs.

This delightful art work was chosen for the Practically Creative blog on February 14, 2006.

The *idea* of the ‘light being on’ is a superb metaphor for what The PCQ is trying to do each day. Find that one thing within our archives that will switch the light on for you and your creativity today.

You might want to start by clicking on the image and viewing Rustic Relic Designs other art work.

Enjoy!

[-cartoon-]

The Adventures of Ohmiomyo and Karma

Read the rest of this entry »

[-survey-]

10. What has collecting taught you about people or life?

Read the rest of this entry »

[-photo essay-]

by collector, Mikey Walters

All my life I’ve been a collector. When I was young, I collected action figures, bubblegum cards (only movie and TV show cards, no sports), and even stamps for a while. As I grew older I stuck with comic books, and sometimes made an effort to own an entire series of videos or books, but my favorite and longest lingering collection is my PEZ.

Just like everyone, I had eaten PEZ as a kid, but I don’t think I saved any of the toy dispensers. One Christmas, Mom bought a Santa Claus dispenser that are in the stores every year for my stocking (I get a stocking full of candy to this day!), and I thought it was great - it made me think it would be fun to pick up a new PEZ whenever I saw one at the grocery store, and that’s just what I did.

Soon I had around 30 dispensers, all bought randomly one at a time, and it started getting tough to find anything I didn’t own. I started looking for PEZ info on the web, and found tons of sites - I realized that PEZ collecting was a huge hobby, with some dispensers going for $1,000! At that point, I actually became a real collector, and started going to different stores to “hunt the heads” that I needed.

Soon I had every US dispenser in production, so the next step was to buy European and Canadian PEZ (which include other characters not available in the US). I started ordering PEZ from web sites and spending some real cash, and when I went to Canada I bought every dispenser I could find.

From there I could only move into “antique” PEZ, which slowed me down quite a bit, as the average dispenser goes for $25-$50 bucks! I haven’t bought one at this price in a long time, since there are several new lines of characters out (I bought lots of them while I was in Japan).

My PEZ are displayed on actual PEZ racks mounted on the wall. The best part of PEZ collecting is seeing how cool hundreds of little heads look all together! I now have well over 250 different dispensers. People always ask about my oldest and favorite ones - my oldest and favorite is Batman with Cape from 1966 (my only dispenser older than me!), which is worth $150! A few older old ones are Elephant with Hair (worth up to $200.00) and Maharajah from the early 70s. One year for my birthday, my amazing friends surprised me with a Captain America dispenser, which started up a fun buying spree for me!

For a while I was a total fanatic, reading PEZ newsletters and dying to hear the latest rumors about new characters, but now I have fun just enjoying my collection and buying new ones as I find them - just the way I started out.

By the way, my favorite PEZ website is PEZ Central, and my collection is featured on the site, here. Here’s mikey’s site

Originally published in the October 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: collections

[-gardening article-]

Planting a garden is work full of hope and joyful expectation. If it’s time to plant seedlings where you are, this article will inspire you and help you to enjoy the fruits of your labours.

by guest contributor, Sherry D. Ramsey

As gardeners, we all share some of the joys that growing things can bring: the thrill when that speck of green pokes up, signaling an awakened seed; that heady raw earth smell when the soil is turned for the first time in spring; the burgeoning splashes of color as the garden fulfills its springtime promise. Walking the garden, reveling in our successes, and fetching a breath of that intoxicating scent of flower and earth and sun make all our hard work worthwhile.

But there are other, out-of-the-ordinary ways to enjoy the garden that many of us miss in the practical rounds of weeding and watering, pruning and cultivating. Here are a few simple suggestions for delving deeper and discovering the heart and soul of your garden this summer.

• 1. Make a point of observing your garden at different times during the day.

The dew-spangled garden just at dawn (or at least early morning) is different from the sun-swollen mid-afternoon garden, and a distinct experience again in a cool, misty twilight. Nothing compares to the magic of the garden limned by the silvered fingers of a full moon.

• 2. Walk your garden in different weather situations.

Most of us enjoy the garden on a sunny afternoon, but don’t miss its wild, tossed beauty in a windstorm or the deepening greens and cool wet scents of the garden in the rain.

• 3. Don’t just stroll in your garden.

Grab a blanket, stool, or lawn chair and settle yourself close to a flower bed. Now watch the interplay of blossoms, insects, breezes and birds. Observe each petal and leaf in its unique relationship to the plant as a whole. How many color variations are there in a single bloom? A single leaf?

• 4. While you’re sitting there, close your eyes for a few minutes and listen.

The drone of nectar-laden bees, the rustle of foliage, the background of birdsong, the skittering of insects through the grass, maybe even the swift whir of a hummingbird– they’re all part of your garden, too.

• 5. Display a big spray of cut flowers in your garden–they’re not just for inside the house.

Cut flower bouquets allow you to bring together blooms that can’t grow together because of conflicting light, water and soil requirements. The resulting combinations can lend a whole new dimension of beauty to your garden, and a lovely focal point for a patio, deck or gazebo.

• 6. Sprinkle your garden with tiny lights at night, for just pennies.

Tea light candles set in empty glass jars (Mason jars are excellent) weave a flickering path of beauty through the nighttime garden. Watch how flower colors mute and blend by candlelight as the garden takes on an entirely new persona.

• 7. Finally, keep a journal of your garden.

Not just the prosaic facts on planting and blooming dates, plant performance and propagation notes. Weave in your thoughts and observations as you follow the suggestions in this article. How did the garden look in the rain or at dawn? What made it different by candle- or moonlight? How did it sound? Did you learn anything new from your observations? Don’t forget to note down how the garden looked on special days throughout the summer–birthdays, anniversaries, family visits, holidays. Your garden journal will make great winter reading when the garden is sleeping and you’re curled up in your living room, browsing through seed catalogs and dreaming of spring.

The great gift of a garden is that it delights all of our senses. With a little creative thinking, it can delight the spirit and soul as well.

© 2005 - 2007 Sherry D. Ramsey, all rights reserved

About the author:
Sherry writes speculative fiction. She’s published many short stories and her newest SF novel, “One’s Aspect to the Sun” was recently awarded second place in the 28th Annual Atlantic Writing Competition’s novel category, the H.R. (Bill) Percy Prize. She’s also the author of many essays and articles especially on the craft of writing. She is the publisher and editor of the highly successful Scriptorium Webzine for Writers. You can read all about Sherry at her author’s website www.sherrydramsey.com.

Be sure to read Sherry’s other works in The PCQ.
short story
- Accidents Happen
poetry
- UPLOAD
- I, Galaxy

Originally published in the April 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: inspiration

[-essay, parenting-]

What do yoga, Carlos Castañeda and being a loving, effective parent have to do with knowing who and where and what you are? Read this great essay to find out.

Playing the edge, finding one’s spot and being one’s true self

by guest essayist, Joe McCarthy

I recently attended a four-class parenting seminar on Love and Logic, wonderfully facilitated by Cindy Horst. The three “rules” of Love and Logic are:

1. Take care of yourself by setting limits in a loving way
2. Give choices whenever it’s reasonable.
3. Let empathy and consequences do the teaching.

Throughout the classes, parents were encouraged to stretch to allow children to experience more consequences directly, enabling them to fail early and often, rather than being protected or rescued from those consequences. There is much to be gained by moving out of our comfort zone, but stopping short of real pain. Cindy notes that the Love and Logic principles can be used not only by parents interacting with their children, but in school and the workplace as well.

I see these principles as applying equally well to my interactions with my self.

This notion of stretching to the edge of our comfort zone reminded me of the concept of “playing the edge” that Erich Schiffman describes in his wonderful book “Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness”. Reviewing the highlighted passages in my copy of the book revealed close alignment with some of the concepts taught by Don Miguel Ruiz in “The Four Agreements” and by Don Juan (via Carlos Castañeda) in “The Teachings of Don Juan”. I’ll include some relevant passages below.

On “playing the edge” (from Erich Schiffman’s book):

A large part of the art and skill in yoga lies in sensing just how far to move into a stretch … This place in the stretch is called your “edge.” The body’s edge in yoga is the place just before pain, but not the pain itself … Sensing where your edges are and learning to hold the body there with awareness, moving with its often subtle shifts, can be called “playing the edge.”

One of the things you learn in yoga is to enjoy working with intensity. Intensity is simply more “energy” at any given moment, more feeling … Yoga can teach you to enjoy and learn from a broader range of experience. It will encourage you to seek out and process more intensity … Skill in yoga involves creating the perfect amount of intensity — not too much, not too little.

The real key to depth in postures is going slowly, making sure you have thoroughly opened your early edges … Proceed slowly, edge by edge and gate by gate … Respect your tight edges. Work with them sensitively. Lure them to greater openness.

Never be in a place you don’t want to be. If you do not like it, change it. Adjust. Find the degree of stretch you can totally immerse yourself in … Never fight yourself.

This last part reminds me of Don Juan’s notion of finding one’s spot (via Carlos Castañeda’s book):

Finally he told me that there was a way, and proceeded to create a problem. He pointed out that I was very tired sitting on the floor, and that the proper thing to do was to find a “spot” (sitto) on the floor where I could sit without fatigue. I had been sitting with my knees up against my chest and my arms locked around my calves. When he said I was tired, I realized that my back ached and that I was quite exhausted.

I waited for him to explain what he meant by a “spot,” but he made no overt attempt to elucidate the point. I thought that perhaps he meant that I should change positions, so I got up and sat closer to him. He protested my movement and clearly emphasized that a spot meant a place where a man could feel naturally happy and strong. He patted the place where he sat and said it was his own spot, adding that he had posed a riddle I had to solve by myself without any further deliberation.

Finally, re-reading the opening chapter of Schiffmann’s book reminded of the concept of mitote in Ruiz’ book:

Your mind is a dream where a thousand people talk at the same time and no one understands each other. Everything you believe about yourself and the world, all the concepts and programming you have in your mind, are all the mitote. We cannot see who we truly are; we risk to be alive and express what we really are.

Schiffman addresses this issue of who we are - and who we are not - and suggests that yoga can provide a way to discover and experience our true selves:

Yoga is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who you are … From very early on, a fundamental conflict was introduced into our psyches revolving around this basic and most important issue: Who am I, really? And because we were not encouraged to find out for ourselves, we believed what other people told us. The result is that we feel guilty, ashamed, embarrassed, and confused about who we are. We feel judged … [Yoga teaches you to] turn your attention inward and focus on yourself. Focus on what it feels like to be you. Experience you.

One of the things I like about Love and Logic is that it encourages children to be who they really are. Rather than trying so hard to control children, the program points to a path through which children can more naturally unfold to be their true selves, with gentle guidance and support from their parents. This approach resonates with me, and I will try to apply it as best I can. And, regardless of how this affects my children, I plan to get up extra early tomorrow to have more time to find my spot, play my edge … and experience being me.

about the author:
Joe McCarthy’s mission is to help people relate to one another. He has played the edges of academia and industry, and is currently moving out of his comfort zone and opening up to the intensity of a new entrepreneurial path aligned with this mission. More about Joe’s entrepreneurial aspirations can be found at interrelativity.com; other dimensions of his journey can be found on his blog: gumption.typepad.com. This article is a slightly revised version of this one originally published on his blog.

illustration from the yellow woman series by nancy sm waldman © 2005 - 2007 all rights reserved

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

[-essay, inspiration, cartoons-]

Item number 24 in an amazing, amusing amassing of help
by guest writer and artist, Hugh MacLeod

Inspiration precedes the desire to create, not the other way around.

One of the reasons I got into drawing cartoons on the back of business cards was I could carry them around with me. Living downtown, you spend a lot of time walking around the place. I wanted an art form that was perfect for that.

So if I was walking down the street and I suddenly got hit with the itch to draw something, I could just nip over to the nearest park bench or coffee shop, pull out a blank card from my bag and get busy doing my thing. Seamless. Effortless. No fuss. I like it.

Before, when I was doing larger works, every time I got an idea while walking down the street I’d have to quit what I was doing and schlep back to my studio while the inspiration was still buzzing around in my head. Nine times out of ten the inspired moment would have past by the time I got back, rendering the whole exercise futile. Sure, I’d get drawing anyway, but it always seemed I was drawing a memory, not something happening at that very moment.

If you’re arranging your life in such a way that you need to make a lot of fuss between feeling the itch and getting to work, you’re putting the cart before the horse. You’re probably creating a lot of counterproductive “Me, The Artist, I must create, I must leave something to posterity” melodrama. Not interesting for you or for anyone else.

You have to find a way of working that makes it dead easy to take full advantage of your inspired moments. They never hit at a convenient time, nor do they last long.

Conversely, neither should you fret too much about “writer’s block”, “artist’s block” or whatever. If you’re looking at a blank piece of paper and nothing comes to you, then go do something else. Writer’s block is just a symptom of feeling like you have nothing to say, combined with the rather weird idea that you SHOULD feel the need to say something.

Why? If you have something to say, then say it. If not, enjoy the silence while it lasts. The noise will return soon enough. In the meantime, you’re better off going out into the big, wide world, having some adventures and refilling your well. Trying to create when you don’t feel like it is like making conversation for the sake of making conversation. It’s not really connecting, it’s just droning on like an old, drunken barfly.

about the author/artist:
Hugh MacLeod is a UK-based marketing and advertising consultant who helps his clients apply what he calls “The Hughtrain” to their own businesses. How To Be Creative is a collection of essential tips that Hugh says have worked for him over the years. He has been drawing art on business cards for many years. Now, the originals are drawn on either business cards or bristol board cut to the same size i.e. 3.5″ x 2″. He says, “I use mostly a Rotring 0.25mm rapidograph pen. Occasionally I’ll use other things- pencil, watercolor, ballpoint etc, but not often.” You’ll find his unique art & writing at his website gapingvoid.com.

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

[-inspiration, process-]

by Suze Corte

Inspiration? I am often and easily inspired! What to do with that inspired feeling-how to put it to creative uses-is another matter entirely. As an artist, teacher and creative junkie, I dread the times when something seems to get stuck in my creative machinery, jamming up the works somewhere between inspired concept and output. I have reached the conclusion that I am in desperate need of a mechanic, the grease monkey in charge of tuning up the engine and making it go. I think of this oft-absent spirit as my Studio Muse.

Looking back, it’s obvious that the ability to recognize and experience moments of inspiration emanates from my childhood. My siblings and I were encouraged to be creative thinkers, flexible and open to many possible solutions to problems. Not only were we surrounded with readily available art materials and books, but we also had plenty of time for free play outdoors among the grasses and trees and toads. One of my favorite childhood haunts was a spot up in the branches of an oak tree. There I would follow the seasons of my imagination, communing with the ever-changing leaves enclosing my dreamy perch. Nowadays I realize that I received a priceless gift: carefree time in a beautiful natural setting to get to know myself well. I had the delicious opportunity to reflect, to dream, to imagine, to be engaged, to connect, to plan. As a result, I grew up to be an artist and teacher whose antennae are ever ready to detect tiny tantalizing tidbits of inspiration.

I was fortunate to grow up in a family that supported creative pursuits, honoring books and supplying materials for exploration and discovery. Through the years, my creative outlook has provided me with many successes. I have a healthy marriage to an amazing man. We have an intelligent, creative, beautiful daughter. My home is filled with handmade pillows, drawings, and poems. I have created businesses, taught art classes and preschool, written elegant research papers, and created hundreds of gifts for friends, family and clients. So what am I complaining about?

Well, I’m not complaining. I am sad and frustrated that when I sit down to work, I often feel that my Studio Muse has left the building! I’m wanting more. And because I’ve been wanting more ever since I can remember, I have decided to begin today by actively inviting my Studio Muse to move back in with me on a full-time basis. In the back of my mind is an idea of what my muse looks like, and my plan is to create an actual likeness of her. I know that she will take three-dimensional form, but that’s as specific as I can be right now. I want to manifest her in real form so that she can aid me in moving from my imagination-fantasy-dreaming world into my action-doing-productive mode. I will let you know in the ensuing months as this work-in-progress develops. In the meantime, look over my shoulder as I begin the process of defining, designing and refining the great Studio Muse Experiment!

DEFINING - Top Five Things My Studio Muse Will Be:

• 5. Powerful, wise, beautiful, quirky, encouraging, strong, brave, pushy.
• 4. Capable of evoking laughter and/or tears at just the right times.
• 3. Three-dimensional and multi-faceted.
• 2. Available for late-night consultations.
• 1. Fun.

DESIGNING - Top Five Things My Studio Muse Will Be Designed to Do:

• 5. Take up residence in my life.
• 4. Make her presence known when my attitude toward work is unproductive, resistant, or rebellious.
• 3. Request candle-lighting ceremonies.
• 2. Surround herself with inspiring trinkets.
• 1. Preside over my studio with panache.

REFINING - Top Ten Things My Studio Muse Will Help Me Do:

• 10. Show up regularly.

Practical steps: I will write on my calendar each week specific times when I am going to walk into my studio to work. I will also write down how much time I plan to set aside for each studio session. I’ll leave three reminders around the house, scrawled in crayon and possibly decorated with sequins, saying something like “Show Up! 5:30pm Tuesday!!~signed, Your Studio Muse.”

• 9. Stay for the whole “session.”

Practical steps: If I sit down at my studio table and begin to feel that I have nothing to do, nothing to contribute, nothing to say, so be it. I will still stay for the allotted time. I can push beautiful papers around, rearrange things on the shelves, organize paintbrushes, color-code files, rip fabric, cut funny words out of magazines, scribble on 14 different surfaces, make a list of why I should never come here again, decide how I’m going to destroy all the things I’ve started but never finished, or just sit and listen to music. But I’ll stay.

• 8. Enter with an open heart.

Practical steps: As I open the door and go in, I will look at my Studio Muse and be reminded that this is a place where I can expect to reveal my inner feelings, learn about myself, play, hurt when necessary, rejoice, grow, surprise myself, be surprised by the work.

• 7. Begin lightheartedly.


Practical steps: I will begin a ritual of entering my studio with a song, a dance, and a quirky idea to begin the work. I’ll follow through with the music and the fun idea, and then I’ll go on from there wherever the spirit takes me. I may end up crying by the end of the session, but that will be okay because feeling deeply is an integral part of any creative life.

• 6. Focus on work.

Practical steps: I am in my studio to work. Often creative people seem to work by playing, just as children learn best through play and through their senses. I will remain intentional about being at work/play and if I get off track, I’ll write down three things I’d like to work on. This may be just the trick to get me back to what I’m clearly wanting and needing to do.

• 5. Ignore distractions.

Practical steps: I will be present in the moment and worry about everything else later. I will not answer the phone, do laundry, or watch TV, nor will I be lured to my computer whilst in the studio zone.

• 4. Keep an inspirational journal.

Practical steps: I will create a journal that stays on my studio worktable. Since many items I’ll want to keep will be three-dimensional, i.e., lumpy, I’ll also have an adjunct “journal box” where I can keep a collection of stuff. The journal & box will be lovingly created so that I enjoy looking at them daily. I will deposit ideas, concepts, clippings, bits of nature, drawings, snippets of thoughts, song lyrics, bits of paper, lines from books and movies, quotes, things people have said to me, essays, photos, doodles, techniques I want to try, lists, fabric scraps, threads, cords and strands!

• 3. Be present in the moment.

Practical steps: Through easily accessible sensory clues-a scented candle, good music, nice lighting, comfortable seating, and an evocative Muse right before my eyes-I will attempt to place myself into a state that conjures up my productive, playful, emotional, inspired creative working self.

• 2. Remind me of who I am.

Practical steps: When I enter my workspace and see my personal Muse and Inspiration Journal, I will be visually reminded of who I am and what I want to do. I will know again that It Does Matter and will even remember–on a good day–why it matters!

• 1. Show my work in the world.

Practical steps: I will reveal my work to other people often and without a care as to what they might think. Since my Studio Muse is always there for me, to remind me who I am and to keep me centered, I will feel better about venturing out into the world with my babies-my creative offspring. My worth comes from within my own heart and soul, not from anything or anyone outside of me.

• And the Number One Thing I Hope
  The Studio Muse Experiment Does For You?

INSPIRE!

Originally published in the April 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: inspiration
© 2005 - 2007; all rights reserved

About the author:
Suze Corte is a writer, artist and pre-school teacher in Houston, Texas. In 2007, she was chosen as be the Houston Area Association of Educator’s of Young Children’s Teacher of the Year and the Texas Association of Educators of Young Children’s Teacher of the Year. Congratulations, Suze! It is a well-deserved recognition.


To see all of Suze’s PCQ articles and art, click on her name in the tags.