Creative thinking -- and a new printable

Where do your creative ideas come from?  I don't mean where in the world or where in your psyche, but specifically, where do you tend to be when insight strikes?  What time of day is it?  Are you at home, in the car, out in the garden?

I've been reading Jonah Lehrer's book Imagine: How Creativity Works and I'm only a few chapters in, but there's already so much I love about it.  He writes that creativity is hard-wired in the human brain, that we're all creative.  Which I love.  You and I, we all have the innate capacity for amazing feats of insight and creativity.

He also writes about the conditions that stimulate creative thinking and there's one section early on, about 30 pages in, in which he writes about the importance of relaxation to creative insight.  He gives a few examples of times when people tend to have creative insights:  in the shower, first thing in the morning (before the bustle of the day begins) and when we're happy.  He relates all of this back to relaxation.  Those are the times or activities during which we tend to feel relaxed.

As I was reading, I was thinking, wouldn't it be great to have a sheet of paper handy during those times or in those places to record some of the awesome insights that float to the surface?  You know, like writers or inventors who keep a pad by their bedside or in their pockets when they're out and about.

So.

If you know me at all, you know what comes next.  I started thinking about a new printable.  In my mind's eye, I envisioned a sheet of paper with tear offs to write down ideas and an envelope in which to keep them.  Because it's important to write this stuff down before we forget, but also because sometimes we can't make use of our awesome insights right away.  We need somewhere to store them until we can put them into action.

Why not an Idea Repository?

With a few suggestions thrown in for good measure . . .

And a few places to get you started . . .

And a few blank frames so that you can put pages in the places where you're at your most creative . . .

It's a simple printable, but ultimately I really like the idea of thinking about the conditions, times, and places in which we are most creative.  I like the idea of having a tangible, physical thing lying around (much like a notebook, but with happy borders, of course) to take note of those creative moments and how, when, and where they occur -- so that we're paying attention when inspiration strikes.  For me, a few tear-offs in close proximity to the shower is definitely must.  And, now that I think about it, maybe a few in the glove compartment, as well.  :)

If you'd like to have your own Idea Repository, you'll find it here (colour-free) and here (colourful).

Tell me, friends, where (or when) do you think your most creative thoughts?

hugs,
Christie

New journal page -- a variation on last week's birthday-themed page

I received an email the other day from a good friend who is currently in the midst of her family's busy birthday season.  She was getting ready to celebrate her son's birthday, a milestone birthday, and she wrote about quickly the years had passed.  In addition to nodding along in agreement with her at the lightning quick passage of time, it occurred to me that perhaps the birthday-themed journal page could be imagined in a whole new way.

The cakes I've made for you today are still for your guided journaling projects, but they are intended to record the birthdays of the other important people in your life, to give you a spot to reflect on the highlights of their yearly celebrations and to look forward to what's in store in the coming year.

I'll use them to record my daughters' birthdays, so that I'll have another sweet memento to look back on when I marvel at how quickly they've grown. They could also be used for partners or spouses, nieces or nephews, or anyone, young or old, whose birthday milestones you'd like to remember.

I've created his and hers versions and varied the colours slightly, but I'll also include links to the usual colour-free versions as well. 

Hers:

His:

You'll find birthday journals for her here (colour-free) and here (colourful) and for him here (colour-free) and here (colourful).

Who will you be writing about?

hugs,
Christie

Release the toads!

On Monday afternoon, a wee creature hitched a ride home from school with our youngest.

Isn't he sweet?  Don't you just want to hold him and pet him and keep him forever?  (If you'd like to be my five year old's best friend, the answer is yes.)

Alas, it was not to be.  After a short, but decisive, discussion regarding the toad's well-being and presumed lifestyle preferences, we returned him to his home in luxury transportation.

Our hero, back in his natural habitat.  (At left.)

Our girls, in their natural habitat, ensuring the continued survival of the dandelion, via exhaustive seed dispersal.

A pretty branch.

The end.

Hope your Wednesday is full of adventure!

hugs,
Christie

Watercolour-still-in-progress

I painted the third background layer of my watercolour-in-progress a few days ago and today I spent some time practicing my birds on small tear-off sheets.  See that corner peeking out at the top of the photo?  That's one of my attempts, but I'm not quite ready to share yet.  I'm still solidly occupying the stage in which the picture I'd like to paint and the one I'm actually capable of painting are two very different creatures indeed.

So it was a fairly frustrating afternoon actually.  I'm not sure that I didn't ruin the background and I'm entirely certain, at this stage, that if I touch my paintbrush to that white paper where the birds are supposed be, I'll ruin them too.  But I know that this frustration will pass -- as long as I keep working at it.  And if I wreck a bunch of paintings along the way, I will have gained a huge amount of constructive experience that will be valuable in the long run.

What new things are you up to?

hugs,
Christie

P.S. The girls arrived home from school today with a frog.  A frog.  He has been assigned temporary lodgings -- a small, well-ventilated container with water and some greenery -- and in a short while, he will be returned to his natural habitat.  With any luck, there will be photos of the adventure tomorrow.

P.P.S.  I had an idea for adapting the birthday journal page for a slightly different purpose.  Something I'll be working on this week.  :)

New Birthday-themed journal page

Guess what?

I made you a cake!

Sort of.

It would be more accurate to say that I've made you a new birthday-themed journal page in which cake features prominently. 

In any event, the end result looks a little something like this:

Not sure what prompted today's page.  The idea has been percolating for days and, as it also simultaneously turns out, I've been needing a little pick-me-up, a little whimsy to balance the scales against the weight of dreary daily challenges.  When I sat down at the computer, this is what emerged.  Which made me feel a whole lot better, actually.  I'm pretty sure it has something to do with living life in colour.  Which is always a good idea.

If you'd like a whimsical confection of a journal page to have on hand when your birthday arrives, you'll find it here (colour-free) and here (colourful).

I sense there are a few more theme-type pages on the horizon.  Most likely, some simple note pages next, and then who knows?

hugs,
Christie

Watercolour-in-progress

I've masked off two birds and a branch, and painted two layers for the background.  One layer left to go, I think, before my painting class tomorrow.  Then I'll be able to remove the masking medium and start on the birds.

At some point, I'm going to start to feel more comfortable with the process -- things like composition, colour mixing, and brushstrokes -- but for now, I'm happy enough playing with those glorious colours.

What are you up to?

It's Up!

It's UP!

After much further ado, I have finally listed Adventures in Guided Journaling:  Pocket Journal no. 1 in the shop.

This comes after no small amount of worrying fretting careful consideration about how to photograph it, how to describe it, how to price it, how to package it, how to send it, how to make sure I get everything perfectly right the first time out (which may, in fact, be impossible), and how to anticipate every possible unknowable glitch (which may also be impossible, but about which I have also spent a considerable amount of time fretting thinking).  You know, the usual.  For me.

Anyhoo, you can choose from one of four colours:  pink, blue, green or purple.  (I thought about trying to come up with less conventional names to describe the colours, but when I looked up the name choices for the hues I'd chosen, it turns out that I did, in fact, choose pink, blue, green and purple.  Possibly, the green could be also be called lime, but I couldn't be 100% sure.)

Here it is in pink with the other choices also pictured.  In the shop, blue, green, and purple are each given their proper due and are listed separately.

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the size of my pocket journal, other than to say that it is pocket-sized.  Which, given the variety of sizes of today's pockets, is definitely open to interpretation.  This pocket journal is 4.25"x5.5".  About a quarter of the size of a sheet of letter paper.

These are the two inside photos I've included in the Etsy listing:

And finally, this is one of my mailing envelopes, which will give you a sense of what a single order might look like.  I'll be including a pocket journal, of course, and one of my business cards.  Oh, and that note card and envelope sticking out from behind?  Well that's a little extra I've created to include with each package.  It's a little something dedicated to friendship.  Something you can fill in, colour, and pass along to a happy recipient -- and it isn't available anywhere else.

Now that I've finally managed to finish pocket journal no. 1, it's time to get back to work on pocket journal no. 2, which should be available sometime this summer.  :)

hugs,
Christie