These Destination Dinners International Recipe Kits might even get me in the kitchen...

"Recipe Kits are easy to make gifts that share culture through food. Each kit beautifully displays the pre-measured hard to find spices, sauces and dried items as well as step-by-step instructions, a shopping list for fresh ingredients and fun facts and trivia about the destination you are 'traveling' to."  -Destination Dinners website 

I saw The War of Art:  Break Through the Block and Win Your Inner Creative Battles on the nightstand of my friend Nancy and loved the fierce title.  I just ordered it and can't wait to sink my teeth into it! 

"Novelist Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance; Gates of Fire) goes self-help in The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle. Dubbing itself a cross between Sun-Tzu's The Art of War and Julie Cameron's The Artist's Way, Pressfield's book aims to help readers "overcome Resistance" so that they may achieve "the unlived life within." Whether one wishes to embark on a diet, a program of spiritual advancement or an entrepreneurial venture, it's most often resistance that blocks the way. To kick resistance, Pressfield stresses loving what one does, having patience and acting in the face of fear."  -Publishers Weekly
 

It started a while back with this book of Rolling Paper Graphics, a book I picked up at my favorite bookstore in Santa Monica, Hennessey & Ingalls.  Then last week I got this little nugget:

Firecrackers:  An Eye-Popping Collection of Chinese Firework Art is a great little book that I can't stop flipping through. 

While looking these treasures up on Amazon I came across this book of Transit Maps of the World, which look fabulous, as well as a slew of books cataloging matchbook cover designs and other label art.  Look up just one of the books I've mentioned here and you'll find oodles more!

I am heading over to the Pacific Design Center this evening for this event, which is across the street from one of my favorite paper stores in the world - Soolip.  If you live in Los Angeles and haven't been here yet, plan a field trip and get lost in their bungalow filled with handmade papers, beautiful journals, pens and other treasures. 

These are the coolest, most inspirational flash cards I've ever seen!! 

Rebecca B. Cooper, creator of these fab flash cards, also has a new book coming out this month.  Woohoo! 

The always inspiring Kristen Fischer has a new book out!!  Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes:  An After-College Guide to Life is the perfect gift for anyone on the brink of graduation.  Congratulations Kristen!

To do list:

Buy artwork - check

Read an inspiring blog - check

Make a difference - check

Find something fun to do in San Francisco* - check

Read another inspiring blog - check

Live vicariously through a European traveler - check 

Be inspired - check 

Thank you Kate Swoboda! 

* I don't live there, but I love to visit!

The lovely Indigene told me about I'd Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion and I'll be ordering it today!  

"I'd Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion offers practical approaches that help you sell more art and build an art career that lasts. Alyson B. Stanfield, the art-marketing guru behind ArtBizCoach.com, shares self-promotion tools that have enhanced the careers of thousands of artists. You'll learn how to: (1) Introduce yourself as an artist so people want to know more; (2) Nail your artist statement to discover the right words for all of your marketing messages; (3) Expand your mailing list and use it to cultivate collectors; (4) Create marketing materials that outshine the competition; (5) Become a media magnet so buyers come to you; (6) Take advantage of your Web site and blog to build a bigger audience; and much more. It would be great if there were a precise formula for getting your art into galleries, museums and private collections. But every artist's path is different. That's why I'd Rather Be in the Studio! provides easy-to-follow self-promotion practices that help you find your way at any point in your career. Match Internet marketing strategies with sincere personal skills to take charge of your career." 

Need some quick art prompts or projects to get you going?  Nita Leland's website is chock full of bite-size morsels that are perfect antidotes to those pesky potholes that prevent us from picking up a paintbrush or pencil.  Check out her Art Projects page in particular; my other favorite pages have inspiring quotes and artist interviews.

A few articles from across the world wide web on creativity & the creative process.  I've included the title of each article and the website where it lives...enjoy!

The Creative Process :: A List Apart website

 The Creative Process in Eight Stages :: The Huffington Post

How the Creative Process Works :: Creative Latitude 

The Creative Route to your Authentic Self :: Creativity Portal

Creating Soul Spaces :: Sunny Schlenger

...and a few from Creating Minds:

Blocks to Creativity

Creating a Creative Climate

Creative Workspaces

Culture and Creativity 

Design Spotter wants your designs!

"DESIGNSPOTTER.com is always interested in fresh, wild and unusual things. What about you? Do you share the approach? Then convince us with your stuff and we will feed our thousands of daily design-addicts. Just follow the instructions here."  

I am always on the hunt for interesting papers, photographs and other bits and pieces whether I am wandering by an antique store in the area or traveling to faraway places.  It is also quite nice to do a little browsing from the comfort of my couch, and these are a few of my favorite stops on Etsy for vintage papers and ephemera.  Vintage Treasures has items like the coupons shown above, asa well as stamps, old playing cards and even vintage sewing baubles.

Lost Art Creations has a slew of collage sheets, vintage hankies and other art supplies.  My particular favorites are these vintage pages of Hindu text. 

Woo Hoo Patterns has a large collection of vintage patterns at great prices - easy to stock up! 

Shari Beaubien - who I'll be interviewing soon - has a nice assortment of collage paper packs...

...and I love Lunar Adornments' offering of vintage Cuban stamps.  I received mine last week! 

And last but not least - one of my Etsy favorites, SushiPot arts, who has all kinds of goodies to choose from.

Whew!  Now get creating why don't you?! 

A few links to get your creative juices flowing with pen & paper....write on!

20 Ways to Keep Your Writing Inspiration and Creativity High

The Imagination Prompt Generator

Using An Idea Box to Generate Short Story Ideas

The Hall:  Writing Advice, Tips, Tricks, Inspiration and more

37 Sources of Inspiration

31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing

...on a great site called Write to Done 

I am offering a four-week Creative Journaling Workshop Series in Los Angeles beginning Thursday, April 3, 2008.  Classes will be held from 1:00 - 4:00pm every Thursday.  Each week we will work on a different theme, all centered around your creative process and visions:

Week One :: I Leap :: Thursday, April 3, 2008
Our first evening together will be all about play. We'll start off with a review of basic collage techniques and then move right into the good stuff - letting your creativity run wild.
Week Two :: I Am :: Thursday, April 10, 2008
This workshop is for you to explore who you are, your values and priorities and your wildest creative dreams.
Week Three :: I Can :: Thursday, April 17, 2008
A follow up to I Am, this week is about tapping into what makes you feel brave, strong and yes, creative.
Week Four :: I Will :: Thursday, April 24, 2008
We'll wrap things up by tying everything together and using what you've learned to bring your creative dreams to life.

All materials will be supplied. If you prefer to work in your own journal, feel free to bring it, as well as any other photographs, papers, etc. that you would like to create with.

[Class size limited to 8] 

If you are interested in attending, please email me:  christine@swirlygirl.com. 

I am having the best time adding textures and filters to some of my photographs thanks to the divine Andrea Scher and one of her recent entries over at Shutter Sisters.  Her entry includes links to free textures, an instructions page  and some oh-so inspiring examples.  In addition to the examples shown above I also transformed this macro shot:

To this:

The possibilities are endless!! 

My dear friend and creative soulmate Andrea Scher came down to LA for a visit recently along with Jen Gray and Denise Andrade to help Andrea put together a workshop she had been asked to teach this fall.  Our time together was blissful and I was looking forward to attending her workshop in September, even though all I knew about it was that it was in New Hampshire.  A couple of weeks later, I received an email from the lovely Elizabeth MacCrellish announcing her latest venture, with a link to the Squam Art Workshops site.  I immediately clicked on the link, saw Andrea's lovely face in her teacher roster and emailed Elizabeth back saying, "This is YOU?!" once again giving me that lovely isn't it a small world after all kind of warm feeling.  I seized the moment, asked her for an interview right away and here we are!

P.S.  Registration begins March 7, so mark your calendars! 

[February 21, 2008]

Tell me how the idea for the Squam Art Workshops came to you.
It’s a funny thing.  All my life I wanted to have an arts/creativity center.  I know that it’s been at least twenty years that I’ve been talking about this because on one of our first dates, my husband asked me what I wanted to do (really, wanted to do—as at the time I was just making a living to pay the rent, party on the weekends, etc) and I told him my dream of building an arts center for kids.  Now, looking back I can see clearly that the motivation came from wanting to perpetuate something I had as a kid growing up that saved my life:  the Wallingford Arts Center in Wallingford, PA (www.communityartscenter.org...Oh, look-- guess they changed the name).  Pretty much every Saturday from the age of 8 –15 was spent there.  I have a bumper sticker on my car that I got in Port Townsend, WA.  It reads:  Art Saves Lives.  I truly believe this and want so much for people to have the place, space, support and guidance to tap into this power that can transform your life experience. 

But, life can take you on strange journeys (mine has certainly meandered through the tall weeds) and it wasn’t until I attended Artfest that it all clicked for me and I had the vision to host the same kind of event here on the East Coast for people who may not be able to travel across the country.

What was the image you envisioned when you decided to make this idea a reality.
A place where people sink into a long, sweet day with no distractions of groceries, or making dinner, or running laundry, etc—a place of physical beauty that both nurtures and inspires—a place where you feel you have found your tribe and it feels so. damn. good. 

If I had to sum it up?  A bit of Thoreau in the sense of a natural retreat, a bit of the MacDowell Colony in terms of all your meals are taken care of so that you can focus all of your attention on what you most want to do, with a dash of “The Big Chill” weekend flavor (um, minus the suicide, of course—I’m referring just to the feeling of hanging out with old friends).

Now that your website is up, the registration process is about to begin and the event is right around the corner, what is going through your mind?
Well, the website is still missing the message board and the blog which are HUGE components as that is where people can start connecting and communicating about this- so we are still in the ‘pedal to the medal’ mode to get it finished.  But I understand your question.  I guess, to quote my sister-in-law who is a psychologist and pretty savvy about managing emotions, expectations, etc—I’m trying to be ‘an empty vessel’ where I simply experience what is going on without generating fears or worries or, what have you. 

A couple of weeks ago I had this same conversation with the amazing (AMAZING!) Jen Gray.  I was saying either I could be panicked that no one would sign up, or I could be flattened if there is a deluge of registrations and she said, “everyone who is supposed to be there, will be there.” And ever since that conversation, I’ve simply given over to letting it takes its course.  I’m just the facilitator—this is, ultimately, a collaborative and it will create what it wants to create.  Not only do I have no power to control that—I wouldn’t want to.  I want to see the event develop into its own thing.

What has been the most challenging thing for you so far organizing this event?
Getting my husband to build the website without, you know, getting served with divorce papers.  In order for us to make our launch date of Tuesday the 19th, he worked 4 days straight, including 18 hours on Monday, which was his birthday and he didn’t get so much as a cupcake or a candle.  He’s a mensch, for sure.

What has been easy...maybe surprisingly so?
OMG.  The teachers!!  The TEACHERS!!  I asked if they’d be interested and they said yes!  I never expected that—not at all.  They have been so enthusiastic.  They have supported me and nurtured me and buoyed me—I just can’t even begin to tell you the respect and love and admiration I have for this group of teachers.  They are the best people.

On your website, you have a quote by Kafka that reads "Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old."  What does beauty mean to you, and what do you do to tap into it when you need come creative rejuvenation?
First, I need to mention that it was Noel Danforth, the woman who designed the website, who chose that quote and it was absolutely perfect, but that was her idea.

There’s a scene in the film American Beauty when the young videotaping dude says to Thora Birch something like, “there’s so much beauty in the world it just overwhelms me.”  That’s how it is for me.  I can’t take it all in and sometimes it can paralyze me, so I try to keep focused on very small, very, very, very small things—or it will tip me over.

With human beings, it all comes down to kindness.  When people are genuinely kind, it cuts me off at my knees.  Seriously.  And for me, human beauty is all about kindness.

With nature—well, holy hell—I’ll have to refer you back to what I wrote above—it is beyond my ken.  But, if there's one thing that feeds my soul above all else it is flowers.  Flowers are my drug—especially those in a wild, loose perennial garden.  That's my heaven on earth.

What are you most looking forward to about the Squam Art Workshops?
Hmm, well this is tough as I’m not a linear person.  I don’t have favorites or “top ten” lists, or anything like that.  For me, things are circular and ephemeral.  As much as I hope SAW will be a fabulous event, I’m not thinking about living there right now.  In this moment, I am reveling in the energy and excitement and emails I am getting about the planning of it.

I sent a link to your site to my best friend telling her she should go, and her initial response was, "I think I'll be out of my league..."  What would you like to say to anyone who wants to attend your workshops but might be feeling intimidated?
This!  This is the most important question of all.  It really is.  I was that person.  I know that feeling.  I had this desire to create, but the ‘art world’ was some foreign place, some special place that someone like me could only observe from the outside. 

The whole purpose of Squam Art Workshops, its essential nature, is to provide a safe place to tap into your creativity.  Each of has our own spark.  If you set up 10 easels around a still life and 10 people came and drew that still life you would have 10 totally different drawings.  I’m not sure what happens to us as children that our belief in our perspective and creation is no good.  I’m not sure why people lose touch with the magic of their unique self.  I do know that once you get the creativity going it feeds your life—whether it is color, gardening, cooking, clothes, sewing, knitting, deeper empathy with others, greater interest in the natural world, more compassion for animals— creativity is the spring under it all and having more of it alive in your day is not about making “art”—it’s about being alive with passion and joy and pleasure.  Which, for me, is the greatest art of all—living well.

Please, PLEASE tell your friend to email me.  I could go on and on about this--- it’s the inner critic trying to deny us self-expression.  I will happily take on that critic and pound its face into the cement.  With great pleasure, I might add.

If money were no object and your safety were guaranteed, where in the world would you want to go?
Oh la la.  My dream is to live in Paris from October to December every year.  I’d also love to spend a month in New Mexico each year—those are core spirit places for me.  But if I’m doing that, I guess I’d take the whole October – May time frame and buzz about the world—visiting places that are warm and sunny as I am done with Winter.  Done. Winter 2008 has kicked my butt, but good. And then when I’d gotten my equilibrium back—Ireland, Scotland—those are places I have always wanted to visit.  And Portland, OR.  I would love to spend a couple three weeks in Portland, OR.

I have a very peculiar habit of buying books - art books in particular - bringing them home, and then taking weeks and sometimes months to actually sit down and peruse the book beyond whatever page-flipping I initially did at the bookstore.  I bought Nick Bantock's Urgent 2nd Class - no kidding - I think it was well over a year ago, maybe two, and it wasn't until this past weekend that I really dove into it.  This has been a habit of mine long enough that I don't feel terribly guilty about it, as I usually open such books at the exact time I need them most, and this book was no exception.  My copy is now filled with colorful tabs to mark pages that I want to go back to, with collage techniques and ideas that I cannot wait to try in my own work.

A dozen artists - two of whom are dear friends of mine - are coming together to teach a variety of creative workshops at the Squam Art Workshops this fall.  Try Travel Journaling with Penelope Dullaghan, Superhero Life with Andrea Scher or  Spontaneous Art with Misty Mawn (among many others!)  Registration opens March 7, 2008.  The creative energy that is going to exude from New Hampshire this September is going to be astounding.  

I somehow failed to mention Kristen Fischer's fabulous Freelance Radio podcasts in my recent interview with her and wanted to let everyone know about this as soon as possible!!  Advice, tips & tricks for all you freelancers out there.  Honestly, the more deeply I dig into the work Kristen Fischer does, the more I am blown away.  Is there anything this woman isn't good at?

I saved a Wall Street Journal article about the five best books about how to succeed in business ages ago, and after curling up on my bulletin board for many months, it fell to the floor today.  I took that as a sign that I should add this list to Sparkletopia - which is now my inspirational file cabinet - and let the poor little article live on in another life beyond the recycling plant.  The list was compiled by Hearst Magazines President Cathie Black and begins with Personal History by Katharine Graham.  A detailed synopsis of the book is available at Random House.

Number two on her list is The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, which she describes as "an antidote to writer's block, stalled projects set against hard deadlines or any life situation where you need a jolt of out-of-the-box thinking."

Up next is Winning by Jack Welch.  Black says this book "feels like a private session with one of the great leaders of American business"; a more detailed description of the book is over at HarperCollins.

If I could be disciplined enough to obey the title of this book I think my world would be ROCKED.  As someone who can sometimes be a tad obsessed by email, this title - Never Check E-mail in the Morning by Julie Morgenstern - speaks to me loud and clear.  If you want a quick intro into this idea and a few of Morgenstern's other time-saving ideas, check out this article.

Last but not least, Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People rounds out the list.  I found on his website that he also has a book entitled The 8th Habit, an excerpt from which says, "The key to creating passion in your life is to find your unique talents and your special role and purpose in the world."  Amen, my brother... 

Any other favorites out there?