CREATIVE SPARK #7: Two Minute Timer

This SPARK is all about being quick and CREATIVE.

Here's your free-creativity challenge. Have pen and paper handy. Grab a crayon or colored pencil if you prefer. You'll need any kind of timer that can count minutes. An everyday hourglass will work well, though it won't sound out with a chime when the sand runs out.

Ready to challenge your brain?

Activate the timer for two minutes and begin.
-- Write down any thought in your mind - color, name, place, image, anything at all that comes into your head. Don't worry about sentences - this is all about capturing the fleeting ideas of your imagination or the mundane details of your running thoughts.

-- Sketch out an image, parts of a scene, a detail. Be rough and unpolished - go for volume in this exercise.

-- Jot down the first five foods that come to mind. Add to the list with seasonings, cooking styles, etc.

When the timer runs out, take a look at what you've done. At first glance, it may seem like nonsense. But take a closer look. Do you notice a pattern of thought? An image that repeats? A plan taking shape?

When you are BLOCKED, rely on this Two Minute Timer Trick to release your creativity. Solve a plotting challenge, experiment with a new perspective, throw together ingredients you might not have otherwise considered.

You'll be amazed at what you can create in just 120 seconds.

CREATIVE SPARK #6: Where do You Create?

What does your creative space look like? What makes you feel inspired? Do you keep objects within reach that have special meaning? Photographs? Is your space pristine and barren, allowing only pure flashes of genius to enter?

Take a moment to create the ideal space - on paper, in your thoughts or for real. What creature comforts must you have within grasp? Which items will distract you beyond the point of productivity?

A few weeks ago, I realized that the golden walls in my office were leaving me feeling flat. I needed a burst of color to pump up my creativity. So down came the elegant appointments, and up went the deep red paint and soul-stirring artwork. Now, my Indian Summer walls invigorate me. The difference it made to my creative life has been remarkable. My advice to you: follow your gut and surround yourself with color that makes you feel alive.

Five things in my private writing space:
1. My photographs of cathedral angels and carved gargoyles from my last trip to Paris to remind me that loved ones and protectors look after me.
2. A postcard of Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue, just to keep me thinking that life should always have a touch of whimsy.
3. Books, books and more books -- can never have enough.
4. A headline clipping that says "Emote Like A Butterfly" and still another that says "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it!"
5. Snapshots of those people whose images embody my latest characters.

Clean workspaces drive me crazy - my space is cluttered with snippets of inspiration and bits of meaningful memorabilia. I write and create within controlled chaos. The television is usually tuned to a talk show or drama I've already seen - it's a delightful white noise that keeps my thoughts focused on the writing task at hand. Too much quiet and I can't write at all!

Sure, I dream of the idyllic writer's retreat, the home away from home where I can sneak off to pen the next Great American Novel in resplendent luxury. A writer somewhere has claimed a treehouse as her haunt, overlooking the world she writes about from the vantage point of eagles. But my reality is more common, more grounded in the minutia of everyday life.

The ordinary chaos suits me just fine!

CREATIVE SPARK #5: Street Scenes

I have a favorite question for artists, songwriters, writers and creative people. Here it is:

When you walk down the street, what do you notice?

Your SPARK today? Walk down any street - in your neighborhood, in the city, even in a school hallway (an indoor street perhaps??) or a shopping mall.

When you're done, immediately take one minute and jot down or sketch out your impressions. File it away in your creative idea file. This simple exercise may turn into the spark that inspires the next great work you undertake.

What you notice will reveal a great deal about how your creative mind works. As a writer, I notice fine details and mannerisms - scuffed shoes, overstuffed shopping bags ready to break, or the simple act of a mother reaching her hand out to stroke her child's hair. To me, these are the everyday details that make up great characterization and setting.

An artist friend of mine told me he naturally sees things in terms of painting composition. His walk includes impressions of light and shadow, angles of building lines and architectural details.

So try this experiment yourself. Ask someone else to do the same thing -- your teacher, your classmates. Try it in school. Compare notes and you'll quickly realize just how differently we each see the world.

Up Close and Personal with Jazz -- BOB DUMON

"Music speaks to me," says Bob Dumon, leader of the Harbour Jazz band. Since he was a preteen, he's been devoted to exploring the rhythms and harmonies of modern jazz. "Stan Getz, Dave Brubaker, Stan Kenton, Miles Davis -- they were masters at making music express an entire range of emotions from serenity to sadness to passion. When I give myself up to their music, I can really feel what they were trying to express."

Whether he's belting out music on the trumpet, cornet or fluglehorn, Bob has a good time. He paid for his college education by playing professionally. Now he plays to relax and unwind and to entertain friends. He tells aspiring musicians, "Play all types of instruments until you settle on the one that calls out to you. You can experiment with many kinds of music, but when you discover that one sound that makes you really feel the music, deep in your gut, you'll know you've found your calling. Stick with it. Mess around with techniques and don't be afraid to hit the klinkers or make mistakes. Playing music in your own way is how you'll become great -- it's how you'll find your own passion, just like the masters of jazz."

Marge Miller - An Artist in Focus

This artist is always thinking, exploring the world around her and examining textures, shapes, lines and dimensions. Meet Marge Miller, an artist whose creativity has taken her career in many directions including sculpture, charcoal and acrylic paintings. From her pastel portraiture to her abstract florals, Marge is an exceptionally strong colorist who has studied and worked in studios around the world.

Marge's work plays an important role in private collections across the country. As an entrepreneur and commissioned artist, Marge has created a greeting card line featuring her paintings. The cards are available at shops and galleries throughout the south.

She tells young artists, "Keep at it. Keep trying new techniques. Your work will develop over time and your signature style will emerge. Don't ever stop believing in your own creativity."

CREATIVE SPARK #4: What Do You See?

Every single one of us has fallen back against the grass on a spring day and stared up at the sky. We've envisioned fanciful shapes forming and changing before our eyes, drawn from the cottony threads of clouds.

Today's challenge? Do what you've done a thousand times before - with a twist.

WRITERS: Stare up at cloud formations. Jot down your impressions. Make up a quick story about what you see.

ARTISTS: Do a paint or pastel study in blue and white. What types of images can you create using only these two colors? Complete one.

CREATIVE SPARK #3: Top 20

This one's a fun spark. We'll call it "Top 20", and no matter what creative type you are, you'll find a way to make this SPARK work for you. Just think about this neat photo, taken in a quiet alley near Montmartre in Paris.

CREATE with flair!

Writers: List the Top 20 types of works you most long to write. For example: character study, a one-act play, a novel, a haiku, etc. Once the list is complete, jot down a single idea for each item on the list - make it the first thing that comes to mind.

Artists: List the Top 20 techniques you hope to accomplish. For example: ink painting, pastel, charcoal drawing, etc. Jot down the subject matter that first comes to mind for each technique.

Cooks: List the Top 20 foods you most aspire to master. For example: souffle, vanilla genoise, sushi, demi glace, etc. Take note of when you might serve these - for an upcoming special occasion perhaps?

SPARK: Lists are powerful motivators. You've just accomplished a huge feat - identifying your personal goals. You've taken it one step further by fueling these goals with specific ideas. Now do something, be brave and tackle one item on your Top 20 list.

You can do it! When you're done, complete the next item on your list!

From Graphic Designer to Fine Artist -- MICK WILLIAMS

Raw talent finds a way to express itself. Just ask Mick Williams, artist extraordinaire (and all-around great guy!). After a career of commerical design and illustration, Mick picked up his paint brushes and never looked back. Now, as a member of the prestigious Baltimore Watercolor Society, Mick creates from his home studio in New Market, Maryland with his Great Danes M and Chance by his side. For his most recent "Music and Architecture" series, he painted incredible watercolor paintings that evoke far more than just an image -- they make you feel the pulse and soul of music.

Mick says, "I'm drawn to the abstract energy within a scene, and I try to capture the essence of blues and jazz on canvas." Many of his paintings depict street scenes in New Orleans' French Quarter, Miami's South Beach and Manhattan's Times Square. "Music is soul-stirring. I want to make people feel that same type of gut-level reaction when they study one of my paintings. It's all about details, and nuance, and passion. Art is one of the most powerful forms of expression."

Mick points out that his major influences are Picasso, Van Gogh, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Maxfield Parrish. His advice to young artists? "Keep plenty of great art within reach. Draw from the master works of your role models when refining your individual technique."

CREATIVE SPARK #2: It's All In a Word

Today's word: TEXTURE

Look at the picture above and interpret its meaning.
Imagine its context -- try to place the object into a setting.
Think about the tactile sensations you'd experience by running your hand along it.

Write a paragraph that begins with, "The object was heavy in my hands and cool to the touch."

For the artist, sketch the curves you see here. Concentrate on the definition in shadow versus light.

PATH Academy RULES!!!!!

The budding journalists of Dekalb PATH Academy set out to break new ground today, launching a newspaper that will take the school by storm. Hats off to these roving young reporters -- and be watching for their comments on CREATIVITY SPARKS!

These kids are a creative bunch -- just like science fiction illustrator Ed Valigursky. Pictured above, one of the many cool robots he sparked his own imagination to create.

CREATIVE SPARK #1: Mountain Meadow

In the lush darkness of Muir Woods, a shaft of summer sunlight pierced the canopy to shine down on a meadow of mountain greens.

Your CREATIVE SPARK:

*Your character is running along a mountain trail and stumbles into a bed of delicate green plants. Why? Is he (or she) running to something, or running away? What happened? What does he (or she) discover?

*The word "green" evokes images of traffic lights and money to ordinary folks, but to you, the artist, it inspires a million different hues, each more subtle than the next. Paint a study in green - abstract, realistic or delightfully avant garde.

*Nature's bounty continues to amaze. Experiment today with an edible green you haven't yet tried and expand your culinary horizons.

Share your creative successes!

No more excuses! CREATE!

No excuses -- it's time to write, paint, sculpt, cook or do whatever it is you do to get creative! No more saying you're blocked and can't work.

You've come to the right blog, because this is where you'll get to it! Creativity Sparks is the jumping-off point for solving your creative problems.

The top 10 excuses you are no longer allowed to use:
1. I'm stuck for an idea.
2. My characters are flat.
3. Nothing inspires me.
4. My brain is filled with fuzz.
5. I can't get started.
6. I have too many pressures.
7. Nobody cares about what I create anyway, so why bother?
8. Only really famous people can be creative.
9. I don't have time.
10. I can't think of anything creative.

Banish those quitting words from your vocabulary, my friends!

This is where you'll find creative sparks. I'm going to take you on a wild ride, where imagination is your only destination. What do I mean? It's simple.

Each post will include a creative spark. What are they, you ask? A creative spark is a writing challenge, a character study, an artistic point of view, a graphic element. Each spark will get your creative juices flowing. Each spark will inspire you to start writing or to pick up a paintbrush and tackle that image that's been lurking in your brain.

Creative sparks are "un" blockers.
Creative sparks are inspirations.
Creative sparks are a whole lot of fun.

So join me today!

CREATE!