Live your creativity. One dose at a time.
Here are more collages from my recent series. This one is my favorite, so far. The background turned out really well. And the rooster juxtaposed on the chair creates a dreamy quality.
This one has an interesting linear background and the best quote I think so far, “the future has arrived.”
This is the question posed in an article about creatives in the workplace. But are all creative people flaky? The article assumes that if you excelled in the arts as a student then you must not be able to prioritize or meet deadlines as an adult, ultimately hurting your career and future success.
On the flip side, this post from Applied Imagination points to research that those who studied music while growing up were more likely to pursue advanced degrees and even succeed as college presidents and CEOs. That doesn’t sound flaky to me.
Did you know cardinals represent creativity? They are associated with the guiding forces of expression and intuition. Think about this the next time one crosses your path. It may be time to invest in a creative project.
Develop your interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music – the world is so rich, simply throbbing with richer treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.
– – – Henry Miller
I finally made
the short trek down to Akron to check out the new art museum. Although I was eagerly anticipating seeing the building, I left with a sense of indifference about the architecture and visitor accessibility. From the exterior, the structure reminded me of a combination of the Wexner Center in Columbus, where I was a tour guide and graduate intern and the Peter B. Lewis building in Cleveland. But unlike those buildings, I don’t think it makes a grand statement, possibly because of it’s tonal appearance. There’s an over abundance of metal and glass.
That leads me to the interior, which comes across as stark and difficult to navigate. The design is meant to foster community spirit but for me it came off as cold and impersonal. It further frustrated me that there was a lack of signage for locating the actual gallery space. Once inside the galleries, there were signs next to nearly every painting discouraging touching the works and explaining why. As someone, who worked in museums, specifically managing visitor services, I felt they were condescending, considering museums with much better collections don’t even have to reinforce this at every turn.
My final grievance with visitor services was their overzealous staff. I had never been followed so aggressively in an art museum, even at the National Gallery of Art, where I’ve wandered through gallery after gallery without being followed like a shoplifter.
On a much lighter note, my visit to Stan Hywet was delightful. Some of my favorite highlights were the scarecrows (see above image). Unlike traditional scarecrows, these were colorful and whimsical often incorporating architectural and decorative arts elements. It was an interesting contrast between the old and the new and very refreshing.
Image KAR
…Persistence.
Being creative is something you work at every day, not just when you feel like it. The true rewards of creativity and bringing something new into existence occur only after you have put in a daily practice of work.
Every morning, for the last several months, I have noticed a spider web attached to the driver’s side mirror of my car. The first day I simply swatted it away. But then, to my surprise, it appeared again the next day. I decided to leave it, but with driving and the occasional rain storm or car wash, it eventually falls off. The most amazing thing though is that every morning it is there again. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is one determined spider. Despite losing it’s creation on almost a daily basis, each night this spider spins another web. True creative inspiration.
The debate over creativity in the workplace continues in this article. Workers complain that they don’t have opportunities to express themselves, companies pay lip service to creativity, and consultants believe it is what a company needs to survive.
I realize it has been awhile since I’ve posted images of my work. But now that I am in creative mode this morning, I thought I’d share some recent pieces.
Here is one I completed as part of a series of small works (postcard size) using fashion and design imagery. I’ve juxtaposed this with themes of time and memory on a colorful and textured background.
