I don’t make mistakes when I write. I make spontaneous creative decisions. At least, that’s what I like to tell myself. We all make mistakes when we write or work on a creative project. Typos, grammatical errors, mistyping a character’s name, or even letting the narrative wander off into the weeds. My question is: are…
Category: Painting
Review – The Electric State [Books]
I first discovered Simon Stalenhag when I stumbled upon some of his art posted on a message board. It immediately caught my attention. The image was of a young girl and a small robot standing in what looked like an airplane hanger. To one side, sitting in shadow, were the remains of a giant, decaying…
Productive Procrastination [Creativity]
I recently stumbled upon a term I hadn’t heard before: Productive Procrastination. The basic definition is when someone is productive as a way to avoid doing some other productive endeavor. Weird, right? But I get it. I know I’m guilty of it myself. I’ve caught myself working on a blog post instead of editing a…
The Mood of the Season [Creativity]
If you weren’t aware, there’s a medical term for when people get depressed when the seasons change. It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and it’s a recognized medical condition. I get a touch of it in the middle of winter. I’m not a fan of the bitter cold. Toss in those gray, rainy days on…
A Little Motivation [Creativity]
“Commitment to the most worthy purpose is of little value if we lack confidence in our ability to realize it.” – Stephen Batchelor, Buddhism Without Beliefs I’ve been reading the aforementioned book the past few days, and this line stuck out to me. I read it several times because it resonated and made me think…
Creativity as Therapy
I’m sure you’ve heard of art therapy and music therapy. In fact, art has been used in therapy for over a century. Initially, it was used as a form of “moral therapy” for psychiatric patients, it’s evolved over time to something that can be utilized in a wide variety of situations, from helping Alzheimers patients…
A Favorite Painter
One form of art that’s always inspired me, and one I haven’t yet attempted, is painting. It intimates me, to be honest. When I look closely at the brushstrokes, the finesse, I feel an overwhelming sense of awe. It’s a subtle art form, where the hand and the eye work in concert to create a…