Creativity at Play

The Go To Magazine Any Beginner Knitter Should Look Into Getting  One look at my well used copy of Knitting for Beginners magazine and you'll surely realize that it's got it's fair share of usage. From the marked, dog eared and post-noted pages to the definite worn crease on the spine; my copy of the magazine -which really could be considered more of a book- has definitely become a go-to manual. One I've had since starting to knit in February and kept amongst my knitting needles, extra yarn and other knitting magazines for inspiration- which you or I could find anywhere- but Knitting for Beginner's is more provides more than just that, because amongst it's pages lies invaluable how-to's tips, tricks and different stitches along with a glossary of terms when feeling stuck. Which makes it's an essential resource for any one to have- whether you already know the basics or not- looking to learn some new stitches or are starting from scratch this magazine...

Becoming an experienced baker myself over the course of two years I have learned a lot about baking and what it can teach any curious soul willing to try it out. Many of these lessons I've already written on in past posts but have decided to combine all those lessons in this one post to make it an easy one stop read through for any reassurances or tips fellow bakers may be interested in hearing or knowing about. From one baker to another- this is for you: The Rules of Bake Club: 1. Do it for yourself because it is something you enjoy and want to share (not for other's approval): This could probably be considered a common lesson in many of my recipes but especially those that I've tried out for the first time on family and most recently. I've always enjoyed the process of baking- it's very therapeutic to simply follow along and come out with something delicious after trying a new recipe but somethings it can be hard not to look for that confirmation/approval fr...

This is a continuation of Part 1: The Top Ten Things Every Beginner Baker Should Know , and the final five tips of that list. Seeing how the last list got a little long, I decided to break it into two parts so it's easier to read and hopefully follow. Also these tips may be more practical and simpler when it comes to the actual application of baking: Final Rules of Bake Club: 6. Sometimes recipes won't specific what the temperature the butter should be at when incorporating into recipes . Most will though- i.e. let butter softened at room temperature or melt butter in microwave. If it doesn't though and the recipe calls for butter in frosting the general understanding is that it's easier to mix in with the other ingredients if it is at room temperature soft before adding in other ingredients and mixing. 7. I f the recipe specifics both systems of measurement (i.e. grams and teaspoons) chose one and stick with it for all ingredients because the conversions may not ...

An Update into What I've Been Doing and Notes on a Fresh Start! (P.S. This is mainly for myself)  It feels good to be back after not posting in a while. There is lots to catch-up on and that I want to write about even for my own self that seems worth noting. First off I intentionally chose to take it easy in May as far as any new or big projects. There was a lot I had to deal with and survive during that time that putting the extra pressure on myself won't and just didn't make sense. It wasn't easy, with creativity always being a great outlet for myself and the ability to express or want to express my experiences having to say "you know what this isn't the time to worry about this" but it was the best thing for me to do at the time. Doing so allowed me to recuperate and get the added rest I needed after the month's rough start and made moving forward easier. Now occasionally I was able to do a bit of creating during that time, for instance I lear...

Lessons in Creativity and Gardening; and the Connection between the Two! I hadn't realized this until taking a good look at my struggling plants desperately in need of water and my squelched recent creativity that there is a connection between the two, and that is both need to be cultivated. I've learned through taking care of the greenery that by doing this it's not just one type of care for all plants- each has it's own type of care instructions and therefore needs to be tended to differently. For some plants- such as succulents, they don't take as much care or water- whereas others like flowering plants need a little more TLC and sunshine. Both in the end need these three things from you: love, a certain level of commitment to keep happy, and most importantly patience . I've learned through the years that being creative takes similar efforts and considerations to grow our gardens as it does to cultivate a creative life. When first starting out it can t...

"The Creative Mind Plays with Objects it Loves"~ Carl Jung Given the fun and light-hearted experience of this year I thought this would be a great quote to pass onto any intrepid and curious creatives out there to inspire your own adventures and endeavours in creativity as it has inspired me. What I like best is that it hints that being creative is best as a "fun" "light-hearted" experience or exploration because the creative mind plays with what it loves; not studies, perfects, or beats oneself up over but rather plays with those things . It has served as a good reminder to me that my project (the Creative Challenge) is a fun thing, and therefore something not to take too seriously or beat myself up if things don't go exactly as planned because it's supposed to be fun and playful thing. Although it can be hard to remember in the midst of trying to figure things out, plan, fit everything in, get everything in on schedule and make it a huge ...

Insight Through a Workshop:  Motivating the Creative Mind, by MindShift Ninja. (Review to follow) Diving right into my theme of being creative and learning about it throughout the year I decided to checkout a workshop on the subject this past weekend.  With the year well into January and me into my Creative Challenge  both in reading/learning and doing it, it seemed like a great opportunity to hear a new perspective on the creative process, how it works and strategies to help us become more comfortable with it. After all, just as I have signed up to be open on trying different ways of creating it's just as fair to be open to different perspectives on how this process can work. Though I'll admit that I was hesitant at first to go, that perhaps could be explained in disbelief. A disbelief that I actually had the chance to say "yes" and go, that it seemed like some creative force or perhaps it was my own creative genius was pulling all the strings, making sure eve...

An Introduction: So this year I've decided to explore creativity on my own with open arms and more in depth. Which means not only do I plan on just expanding it in my writing, but I'll try my best to learn more about it and actually experience some new ways of being creative . After all why limit myself to just 1 area when there's other to try out such as:   Baking,   Sketching,   Painting,   DIYing,  and many other fun crafts to try out there all creative and worth while.  So why be limited to just one? To begin with though, I'm starting with baking since I've tried it before which makes returning to it easier, this time though I'm adding cooking into the mix. There may be sometimes when it's just baking needed to be done while others like in the instances of making a meal can add several elements to be balanced out. My goal here is to familiarize myself in the kitchen with the hopes of it becoming less intimidating with ...

Well from my experience creativity can be many things, but mainly it's our ability to create something out of nothing  whether that be in writing, painting, sculpting or cooking. It is all in that act, and the sense of accomplishment from doing so. The fearless creatives who have experience in the world of making nothing into something know that it's gift- or at least I see it that. A great one at that to be able to create, and even more so when it takes little work. In those rare occasions when we finally harness that energy, at it's finest and it feels like this thing moves right through you almost too fast to keep up with. The author Elizabeth Gilbert believes this as well and does an even better job of explaining how creativity works and the idea of " creative genius " . This idea is explained in her book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear but is remarkably explained in a similar detail during a  TED Talk she gave titled "Your Elusive Creative Genius...