CREATIVE SPARK #24: Namesake

Juliet:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

The Great Bard William Shakespeare used his fair Juliet to deliver a message about intuition and knowledge of familiar objects.

When we see something we recognize, does it matter what name is used to describe it?

Does a name change our perceptions of an object? How?

Study the picture above. What do you see? What would you call this object?

Now put your research skills to the test and figure out the actual name for the item pictured here. Search for similar images on the web. Share your new knowledge with a friend.

ARTIST PROFILE: Muralist Jack Pabis

Muralists are visionaries that invite us into other worlds. They take empty walls, apply brushstrokes of paint, and create fantastical spaces that inspire hours of daydreaming.

Jack Pabis is an extraordinary artist whose imagination seemingly knows no bounds. Whether he's painting thought-provoking gardens or fun-loving zoos, his art inspires us to dream.

Bravo Jack, and keep leading us down the path of your imagination!




To see more of Jack's incredible work, visit www.jackpabis.com

CREATIVE SPARK #23: Fleeting Moments

American Poet Robert Frost was a man given to keen observation of the natural world. In his 1923 poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" he describes a fleeting phase of organic growth.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

What do Frost's words mean to you?

Can you emulate his natural world observations with one of your own?

How would you describe the first snowflake in a storm?

CREATIVE SPARK #22: Message

You're sleep-rumpled and groggy. You discover someone has left a message on your bedroom floor.

What does the word mean?

Why has this message been left it for you?

CREATIVE SPARK #21: Treasure

History is filled with tales of ordinary people discovering untold riches from the sea uncovered by a storm.

Imagine this. You're beach combing along a deserted shore and your foot skips across something round and crusted with years worth of saltwater protection. You pause. You study the object. You pick it up and hold it in your hand.

Describe the item you've just found. How does it make you feel? Does it conjure up images of pirates' riches or lost heirlooms?

Have you discovered your fortune?

CREATIVE SPARK #20: STORM!

You're stranded at a beach house on a tiny island with a major storm headed your way. Food supplies are running low. Power is gone. Marina docks are submerged, water crossings are impossible, and airplanes can't land.

Prepare!

How will you ration your limited supplies?

How will you handle a medical emergency?

What would you do if the house begins to flood?

CREATIVE SPARK #19: Ugly is as Ugly Does

What's so ugly it's cute? A puppy? Your little brother or sister?

Describe something that's ugly - on the surface. Now define the one redeeming quality that makes that same thing beautiful.

As for Ugly Face (my resident sneaky opossum), I'd personally like to see those massive toenails of his painted cherry red. Just for spunk. :)

CREATIVE SPARK #18: Oinkers

Imagine this: you are driving down a rural highway in North Carolina, and the big truck full of piglets that's coasting along next to you hits a bump in the road. A big bump - so big that the door keeping them captive bursts open.

In a squeaking, oinking, wriggling moment, a thousand piglets pound the pavement on a mad dash to freedom.

Write about what you would do first - snatch up a little porker and give it a hug? Or speed dial 9-1-1- and try to explain what you are witnessing?

CREATIVE SPARK #17: Whizz! Bang! Pop!

Sounds play a huge role in our perception of a given moment. On this Fourth of July when fireworks and sparklers fill the atmosphere with powerful sights and sounds and smells, jot down your impressions.

What did the most spectacular firework of the evening look like? Did it glitter like broken glass? Did it whistle and sing and dissolve in a puff of sulfur-smelling smoke?

Force yourself to concentrate on the descriptive words that will make the experience real to a reader.

(Image gratefully borrowed from Potato Salad Cafe.blogspot.com. Check them out for a cool description of the history of fireworks!)

CREATIVE SPARK #16: Way Leads onto Way

American Poet Robert Frost (1874-1963)had a way with words. In "The Road Not Taken," Frost talks about one wanderer's journey to explore. In a Penguin 60th Anniversary edition of his poetry, I read again this lovely poem.

Every time I come across a new path, I want to forge a trail, to explore to new territories I haven't yet seen. As Frost said of his traveler choosing between two paths:

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear . . . "

To find out more about Robert Frost's journeys, ask your favorite librarian to help you discover volumes of his work.

Take a path you don't usually travel today. What did you discover?

CREATIVE SPARK #15: Ancient Widsom

Imagine something as beautiful as this window from Saint Chapelle in Paris, surviving for hundreds of years unscathed. Imagine the thousands of people who sat at its base, looking up at the rainbows of light shimmering through its glass.

Since every object has a story, what does this magnificent stained glass tell you? What is its story?

Challenge yourself today, and write from the perspective of someone who went to Saint Chapelle to pray, perhaps during one of the many battles surrounding the great City of Lights.

What would you have been thinking?
What worries would have been on your mind?
Would you have prayed for anything in particular?
Would you have noticed the beauty in the glass?

Take a moment to notice the view from your window today, and appreciate the beauty in even an ordinary scene.

CREATIVE SPARK #14: Tantalizing Texture

Visual beauty involves layers of texture, some subtle and others more obvious. Take a look at this picture of an interior designer's wares.

How can you describe these items? What creation would you make with them? How would it be used?

CREATIVE SPARK #13: Pups

Imagine this. You're walking along a sidewalk, minding your own business, when all of a sudden you hear it - that quiet whimpering that leads to a yip, then a yap, then a chorus of barks.

What do you do?
How would you respond if you found a basket full of puppies?

Write your story and be sure to include sights, sounds, smells and touch.

CREATIVE SPARK #12: Unlikely Visitor

This little guy appeared one day on our doorstep and was determined to visit the inside of the garage.

If he showed up at your house, where would he go? Why? Here's a challenge for you: write this from the turtle's point of view.

Celebrity: Behind the Scenes with Nora

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of a magazine photo shoot? Sometimes it means setting up shots amid the traffic. Photographers go to great lengths to capture the perfect shot - and that means everything from perfect lighting, to neutral backdrops, to calm foregrounds.

Check out this "behind the scenes" shot of photographer Eric shooting New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts for Hagerstown Magazine and Smart Money Magazine. I had just interviewed Nora and her family for the magazines, and I was privileged to follow along and watch the magic happen.

Ask yourself this:
If you were in a charge of a celebrity photo shoot, how would you stage the day?

CREATIVE SPARK #11: Faraway Dreams

Imagine you're about to embark on a fantastic voyage. Your only transportation is this old boat.

What do you have on board?

What will you need to survive?

Where will you go?