Amazing animation
Posted on August 28, 2008, by dazzer67, under inspiration, links.
Now this is a piece of creative work, to enjoy and also be inspired by.
MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
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How to generate ideas for writing
Posted on August 15, 2008, by dazzer67, under inspiration, links, writing.
A great post over at Write to Done by Mary Jaksch of GoodlifeZen on generating ideas for writing. Follow the link below for some wonderful tips and ideas.
Zen Power Writing: 15 Tips on How to Generate Ideas and Write with Ease | Write to Done
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The top three free creative pieces of software
Posted on August 13, 2008, by dazzer67, under art, links, music, software, writing.
Writing, art and music are three staple areas of creativity. There are plenty more but these three will often come out if you ask people what areas of creativity they are involved in. With this in mind I thought what tools are available to help people in these areas. In fact what software is available, and then, taking it a little further, what free software is there?
So I present to you the three pieces of software that IMHO are the three best, free programs for creative writing, digital art and making music. These are all available as Windows programs, and these are the ones I have used and tried, so if anyone want some add some MAC programs then please do.
Free writing software
When it comes to creative writing the best piece of software out there is the wonderful yWriter. A beautiful database that has been pulled together by a writer for his own use and shared with the whole world. The software is currently up to its fourth incarnation and allows you to create characters, scenes, chapters, notes and so on… there is far too much functionality to list here. It is far better than any other writing software package I have seen. if you want to write that novel, then yWriter is for you.
yWriter
Free art software
When it comes to free image software there is only one name to bother with. The open source Gimp project is photoshop on a budget. A budget that is so small it costs nothing. So you may think becasue it is free that it isn’t as good. Well it doesn’t come with all, the bells and whistles, but then that also means you don’t spend a whole day trying to work out why you can’t add a gradient fill to a shape (yeah, okay I used the manual in the end). The point is the Gimp gives you all and more than you may need. It is powerful and extendable. If you want to make some creative computer art then start here.
Gimp
Free music software
Again as above, when it comes to recording some music Audacity is in a world of its own. This is pro powered software. It will let you create loop-based music or record your own from scratch. It is extendable with plug-ins, of which there are many, and is so simple to use it is frightening.
Audacity
I do want to add an almost free package here. Well, it is free although technically you need to buy a magazine to get it. Computer Music magazine has been giving away a free music creation software suite of programs for several years now and it is fantastic. It can handle audio just like audacity but it is also a fully fledged VST (virtual intruments and effects) player and sequencer. In fact it comes with its own drum machine, sampler and effects. You can order a copy of the magazine, enjoy the content and ads and then fire up the superb music software. It even runs from a USB stick if you really want it to.
Computer Music
I hope you enjoy… go and create.
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Friday inspirational video
Posted on August 8, 2008, by dazzer67, under inspiration, links.
You have a treat today. Normally I try and find a quote to give you some creative inspiration but today you can have a video and it is a great one. I’d like to thank MissV for sharing with me and now I share it with you. This is how we should feel about anything we create and share. Enjoy.
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The importance of dreamtime in your creative routine
Posted on August 6, 2008, by dazzer67, under creative exercises, creativity basics, inspiration, preparation.
One of the dangers of living in a highly productive, creative environment is that we can easily neglect one of the most important parts. If you suffer from burn out, or times of creative drought, one of the possible causes is that you have neglected your dreamtime.
Finding time to dream is important. We’re not talking about sleep here either. This is primarily the time to down creative tools and let your mind wander. And this isn’t about sitting down with a blank piece of paper, planning the next stage of your creative master plan. Dreamtime is about space and connection, perhaps even a little spiritual. But it needs to be taken seriously and this is where many of us fail. We don’t see it as important, we squeeze it from our schedule (if it was ever there) and then wonder why we are becoming less effective creatives.
So what exactly is dreamtime? Well first and foremost it needs to be an integral part of a creative lifestyle, we’re not talking huge amounts of time, we’re not even talking every day. But it should be seen as something regular. Dreamtime isn’t wasting or dead time, it is essential for your creative life.
Dreamtime isn’t the same for everybody either, what works for one may not work for the other. Here are a few ideas and thoughts that may be of use to you. They are not structured and I’m sure you can find variations on the theme. This is all about scheduling the time and then finding what works for you:
- walk barefoot in the damp grass while breathing in the air
- watch a film in a foreign language, without the subtitles on
- read a religious book, from another belief system to your own
- listen to music from a musical genre that is not your preferred
- go for a walk or journey without your capture device
- cook a meal with no predefined recipe
These are only vague ideas, but you should be getting some thoughts of your own by now. For now, it is time to dream…
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Friday’s inspirational quote
Posted on August 1, 2008, by dazzer67, under inspiration, quotes.
What’s the use of a good quotation if you can’t change it?
Doctor Who
Take something that inspires you and run with it, develop it, let it grow, then set it free.
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Top five creativity habits for you to implement
Posted on July 30, 2008, by dazzer67, under creativity basics, quick tips.
Habit forming can be a positive influence on your creativity. Once formed the habits will have a long-lasting effect on you. Just as ‘bad habits’ eat away at us and have negative effects, ‘good habits’ are the opposite. Take one habit at a time, keep at it for up to 28 days, and then you’ll find that the habit is formed. It will become part of you; a creative habit to fuel your ideas.
- Meditate - Take five minutes each day to clear your mind of everything, or as much as you can. Keep it simple, a basic breathing exercise… in through the nose out through the mouth. Perhaps with a simple image in your mind, the sea, a mountain, a cloud. This will help build up your sense of self. And when you know your ’self’, you’ll be closer to the creative genius that you are.
- Read - This does not mean books only, but that is as good a place as any to start. The habit is to set aside time and space each day to read. To see the input of other ideas as important as your own. In the busyness of trying to be creative it is easy to forget about feeding ourselves.
- Create waste - This is all about not being afraid to have a go. It is about giving yourself permission to create rubbish, to make a mess, to do something that may well be thrown away. If you have an idea, just a glimmer, pull out a piece of paper, or any other medium you use, and get on with it. It doesn’t need to be perfect, in fact it shouldn’t. This will get you into the habit of capturing ideas and letting them develop in a quick and easy way. Then you can either choose to create the final piece or, throw it away.
- Journal - This can be done in a variety of ways from simple notepads to online scrapbooks. The habit is similar to meditation, in that you are focusing on self. However, as opposed to clearing your mind by thinking of nothing, here you clear your mind by writing, drawing or sticking all the thoughts and ideas, fears and worries, hopes and dreams into your journal. It has the added benefit of being a constant source of inspiration as you reread what you have added.
- Doodle - Have you any idea how much ‘dead’ time you have… stuck in meetings, on hold whilst making a call or crashed out watching that very interesting documentary on inner city gangs? Utilise that time by doodling. Keep a small, cheap blank pad and pencil handy when your having these ‘down times’ and simply doodle away. The shapes you doodle may make connections, they may spark creativity and then… off you go. Of course you should always have a capture device nearby but I’m talking here about non-premeditated ideas, doodling is doodling not drawing.
There are a lot more creative habits that you could take on, if you have any ideas to add, do leave a comment. In the meantime, pick a habit and begin.
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Make the world a better place
Posted on July 25, 2008, by dazzer67, under quotes.
With a little creativity
I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.
John Cage
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How to achieve what you find difficult
Posted on July 24, 2008, by dazzer67, under creative exercises, preparation, quick tips.
This all boils down to a little critical self-analysis. No really I mean it, we aren’t always great at what we do :). Sometimes we will fall short in our creative endeavors because of tiny mistakes or because we are unable to do one part of what we are trying to create. A lot of the time the answer can be found through a learning process. Don’t know how to style that web page? Then find a tutorial on CSS and learn. But it can be a little less obvious than that.
This is where a little self-analysis can help out. We need to find the little blind-spots that we have, and we all have them. Questions like ‘What am I not good at?’, ‘What do I struggle with?’ and ‘Where do I often get things wrong?’ are ideal for this self-analysis. The point is not find out your faults and beat yourself up over them, but to identify them and then find some solutions.
Find out the problem or issue and then look for, and implement a solution. Let me give you some simple examples. Although you’d not notice it by reading the posts (ahem, I do apologise) here, I have a blind spot when it comes to spelling certain words and also grammar issues. I could blame it on the teaching systems in the UK during the 80s and never improve my creative writing. However, realising that I do fall short here I looked for a few simple solutions. One that I found really helpful was to keep a list of words that I always seem to spell wrong. I found the words quite easily by using the spell checker, but I kept spelling them wrong. Now I have the list I am finding I am getting them wrong less often.
In a broader sense you may feel that all your creative output ends up looking, sounding or reading the same. One solution here is to change your process. Again I notice a distinct difference to a song I have written strumming the guitar to one I’ve come up with at the piano.
So, don’t be afraid of a little critical self-analysis. Identify the problem and then act on the solution, your creative output will benefit.
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Why are you being creative?
Posted on July 22, 2008, by dazzer67, under creativity basics, preparation.
This is all about defining purpose. It may seem an obvious question to ask and you may already have an answer on the tip of your tongue, c’mon Darren, that’s a bit straightforward! Well, yes and no. The simplest answer is because I can, it is something that I do. I live, therefore I create. I have no problems with this, and wholeheartedly agree with it. But left at this level, it can lead us into frustration as we struggle with motivation and lack of focus. All creatives should share in the mantra, ‘lead us not into frustration.’
Being creative is our identity, part of who we are. Why we are creative can be seen as our purpose. It should flow from our identity. My point is we can become fuzzy with the purpose of being creative. Like most things in life, if we can set goals, and I mean clear, timed and measured goals, our purpose is clearer.
So why are you being creative? We’ve established that you are creative, but what are the outcomes to your creativity? Are you being creative to make money, to pass on your creative output through a sale? Are you being creative to produce something that you can look at, or use, or enjoy? Are you being creative to relax and develop your own sense of oneness with reality? There can be many reasons and those listed are only thoughts and ideas. But if you can define your reason for being creative in this way, you will have a focused purpose. It will help you understand why you are doing something and provide motivation along the way. Of course, the way is another post. But without a destination; a purpose, you can’t begin the journey.
