Update!
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Just a note to ask you to keep your eyes open for the soon to be launched Ignite Your Creativity’s (www.igniteyourcreativity.net) new monthly newsletter!
“Love Loss and What I Wore”
I was recently invited to go see the play “Love, Loss and What I Wore” at the Panasonic Theatre. To be honest I am far from being a “fashionista” and wasn’t sure what to expect, but I accepted the invite and I am so glad I did. Based on the book by Ilene Beckerman, Norah Ephron (When Harry Met Sally) and Delia Ephron (Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants) created a quirky yet sweet production featuring vignettes and monologues based on pieces of clothing and the memories attached to them. From homemade dresses made by mother and first bras, to finding the perfect wedding dress, “Love, Loss and What I Wore” is a play that every woman can relate to.
Louise Pitre, Andrea Martin, Paula Brancati and Sharron Matthews all gave stellar performances, but the one stand out of the night for me was Mary Walsh. Known for her comedic talent, Walsh delivered a poignant and touching monologue about breast cancer, which was so genuine it moved me to tears yet finished with such a note of inspiration.
Another major surprise for me was my husband, whom I had brought with me and feared would be snoring, was actually immersed, as were most of the men present. “Love Loss and What I Wore” was uplifting, funny and moving throughout and I would highly recommend it. The performance was outstanding as was the Panasonic Theatre and their incredible staff. I would like to say a special thank you to Hubert Hsu for the opportunity.
“Love Loss and What I Wore” is currently running at the Panasonic Theatre (Toronto) until September 4th and will feature a rotating cast July 16th – August 7th : Andrea Martin, Sharron Matthews, Louis Pitre, Mary Walsh and Paula Brancati, August 10th – September 4th: Wendy Crewson, Lauren Collins, Cynthia Dale and Margot Kidder . For more information check out their website at http://lovelossonstage.ca/ and make sure to follow them on twitter @lovelosscanada.
Quote of the Week
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” ~ Albert Einstein
Quote of the Week
‘”Writing is not like painting where you add. It is not what you put on the canvas that the reader sees. Writing is more like a sculpture where you remove, you eliminate in order to make the work visible. Even those pages you remove somehow remain.” ~ Elie Wiesel
Quote of the Week
“The creative is a place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”
~ Alan Alda
Journalling as a Healing Art
“You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you’ve got something to say.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
Initially journals were kept as a matter of record. People would document events that happen to keep a historical account to pass down to future generations. Now newspapers, blogs, videos and media are the mainstay. Many do still use journalling as a tool for documentation but many more seem to use it as a form of expression.
The process of putting pen to paper is therapeutic as it allows one to get the mass of emotions, ideas and information that is often jumbled and bouncing around inside one’s head out and in some structured form. All of the clutter that is in a person’s mind can cause turmoil, stress or just distract one from the important things that need to be their focus.
Journals contain private thoughts committed to paper and need not be shared with others, which allow you to get your emotions down without censoring or fear of condemnation. Creating a dedicated time throughout the day to journal is also therapeutic in itself; by giving yourself permission to spend time on yourself is a healthy indulgence. Journalling also helps with planning and transformation. Recording dreams, goals and wishes helps you keep your focus on your desired outcome, plan how to get there and keeps you honest with yourself about your limitations and progress.
When it comes to healing many people keep one or more journals. General journals record hopes, fears, anxieties and are a great tool for self discovery. Dream journals are great for tracking what recurring themes are presenting themselves in your dreams, thus helping you identify and address things that could be causing stress. Gratitude journals are daily listings of things one is thankful for. Keeping a gratitude journal helps you focus on the positive things that are going on in your life and helps improve both your mood and attitude. Idea journals are helpful for sparking creativity or problem solving.
The written word is a powerful thing. They provoke thought, act as a release, ignite creativity, and hold within them the power to heal. Journalling can be an incredible life-changing process.
Book Review – The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Writer Julia Cameron Inspires Many On Their Creative Journey
Almost two decades after Julia Cameron first published, “The Artists Way”, many still find this book a source of inspiration. I found her book over ten years ago when on a mission to get back that creative passion I once had. Over the years, my copy has been read and re-read leaving it with dog-eared pages and a rickety spine but I still turn to it when I find myself drifting from my creative self. These days creativity is becoming more and more prevalent as people reach for meaning in their life. Being creative takes us away from the hustle and bustle that inhabits our daily lives, stimulates both our brains and our souls. Often people have the desire to be creative have no clue where to start.
Go to any large bookstore and you will find a growing selection of books designed to teach you how to motivate yourself to live a creative existence. There are books on almost every creative genre whether it is writing, painting, crafts or acting. In addition, there are writers that, regardless of the chosen activity, focus on the creative process itself. These writers make it their mission to help you navigate through your creative journey. Julia Cameron is definitely one of the most prolific of these writers. Cameron who is an artist, playwright, poet and writer herself has firsthand knowledge of exploring and maintaining ones creative spark. Her expertise is not only shared in The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (Penguin Putman released in 1992 and re-released in 2002) but she has created a trilogy to address each aspect of what she calls “creative recovery”. “Walking in This World: The Practical Art of Creativity” (Penguin Group released 2002) is basically the intermediate version of The Artist’s Way which helps you to continue your creative growth and the third instalment, “Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance” (Penguin Group 2006) is meant to help those already following a creative path to overcome creative blocks and stagnancy.
In each book, Cameron has two main basic tools: Morning Pages and Artist Dates.
Morning Pages are three full pages written longhand first thing every morning. In these pages, you write without censoring yourself. You rant, dream, worry, create and explore in these pages and they help you to “Keep the drama on the page” and out of your daily routine.
Artist Dates are also a valuable tool to regain creative passion. These are essentially “dates” with your creative self. This time is meant to be spent alone nurturing your creativity. Artist’s dates can range from visiting an art gallery to going to a corner craft store
Each book consists of a twelve-week course designed to gradually get you comfortable with the creative process through the use of tools and exercises which motivate and inspire.
The Artist’s Way has spawned what are called “creativity clusters” which are groups of compassionate readers who get together to work on the course together. Working in such a way can help for many as it gives you a sense of accountability, which can keep you focused and moving forward.
Although this process can be challenging and require courage – growth is not effortless, it takes time but it is an investment in yourself.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”~Pablo Picasso
The Artists Way
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund!
Assist career musicians facing illness and other disabling challenges.Sweet Relief Musicians Fund:
http://www.refresheverything.com/sweetrelief
Sculpting Demo
A great video from sculptor Phillippe Faraut….
Creativity Coaching:A Coach Can Teach You How To Reach Your Creative Potential
Creativity Coaches are life coaches who focus on one’s creative evolution. What they are not are counselors or therapists since they tend not to dwell on past behaviors, but help you focus on improving and redefining the future.
Many artists, writers, musicians, and other creative people live with anxieties, doubts, fears, and worries that often hinder their creative minds. A Creativity Coach’s main goal is to assist and guide you to reach your dreams and to help you live the creative life you desire.
Ultimately, a creativity coach endeavors to help their client write, paint, compose, and find meaning and happiness where the main goal is to create. They enable you to set attainable goals and offer a level of accountability through assignments geared to your specific goal. Most coaches will inspire you to think bigger and to work on developing your ideas and energies into meaningful creative projects. They help you to come to understand and work through creative blocks that stand in the way of your goals.
There are a variety of ways in which you can interact with a creativity coach: telephone, email or personal visits are some of the main methods to interact during a session. Before enlisting the aid of a creativity coach, use the internet to locate coaches and get an idea of what they have to offer. Most coaches offer free newsletters, e-books or free tele-classes to give you a taste of what they do. Getting a good fit can make a world of difference in the success of the coaching experience.
There are also coaches who specialize in a specific creative activity whether it is writing, painting or music. These coaches are geared towards people who are already involved in a specific creative pursuit and need to overcome blocks or habits that are impeding their progress.
Many creativity coaches also pen books which allow one to learn to become their own creativity coach. Books such as “Coaching the Artist Within”, “Fearless Creating”, “The Creativity Book” by Eric Maisel and “The Artists Way” by Julia Cameron offer solid guidance and exercises to help inspire you to delve into your creative side. This may be a great way to get the concept of what to expect from coaching, but books alone cannot replace the positive interaction you would get from working with a coach.
You will learn a great deal about yourself through whichever method of creative coaching you use and you can soon become the creative person you have always wanted to be.
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” ~ George Eliot
Welcome to IGNITE YOUR CREATIVITY!
More and more people are becoming aware of the healing powers of creativity. Human nature makes people want to strive to feel good, and keep their body free from illness and dysfunction. Two goals most people hope for are to be creative and to improve/maintain health. Taking our cue from physics, the first law of thermodynamics states that energy is neither created nor destroyed but is changed from one form into another. Expressing your creative energy means the energy within you is given an outlet; it is redirected into a more positive energy. Everyone is inheritably born with the potential for creativity. Drawing, painting, writing, acting, sculpting, knitting, dancing, cooking and playing an instrument are all creative activities that can ignite that creative spark. Many people already embrace their creativity while others are in the realm of “I am just not creative”. The key to being creative is taking action!
“Another word for creativity is courage” ~ George Prince
