Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.
By Maria Rainier of onlinedegrees.org
If you’re a writer, you should write very day to keep your creativity flowing – but sometimes, the very idea of daily writing can kill any creativity that might have been trying to work its way to the surface. When that happens, it’s important to have a few tricks in your back pocket to help you get back into your creative writing mentality.
And even if you’re not a writer, writing one of these poems is fun and can help you get creative with any other medium, such as music or visual art. You can unlock some fascinating sounds and images with words, so creative writing is a great tool for any artist. These poem types both have strong scaffolding in the forms of syllabic and word count structures, so all you have to do is supply the words. If you’re suffering from “creator’s block,” try putting on your writer’s hat and tackle one or both of these poems.
The Etheree
This poem consists of ten lines – not scary at all, even if you were that kindergartener who couldn’t write your name correctly. The first line contains one syllable, the second contains two, and so on until you’ve reached the tenth line with ten syllables (see examples here). You can even tack on a reverse etheree, starting the first line at ten syllables and ending with one. This gives a fun shape to your poem and provides some good structure for your creativity – as all artists know, creativity can get out of control, but you don’t have to worry about that with this type of poem. If you’re struggling to get started, try focusing on your first word as something you want to describe, such as “art” or “muse” and go from there. Just remember to count the syllables in every line to make sure you’re writing your etheree correctly, and you’ll have a poem to be proud of – maybe even worthy of the refrigerator.
The Diamante
For this type of poetry, you’ll get a few more guidelines than you did with the etheree. The diamante has seven specific steps for you to take, corresponding with its seven lines:
Line 1: Noun or subject
Line 2: Two adjectives describing the first noun/subject
Line 3: Three “-ing” words describing the first noun/subject
Line 4: Four words: two about the first noun/subject, two about the antonym/synonym
Line 5: Three “-ing” words about the antonym/synonym
Line 6: Two adjectives describing the antonym/synonym
Line 7: Antonym/synonym for the subject
You have a choice here as an artist – do you want to end with a synonym for your subject or an antonym? If you choose to use an antonym, you’ll get a fun “transformation” effect from the first line to the seventh, but a synonym will give you a more subtle and relaxed poem. Whatever you choose, you’ll have to get creative and get back to being your usual artsy self.
Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education and performs research surrounding online degrees. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Guestpost: Handmade Interior Design
Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.
by Bethany Dirksen from Dirksendabbles
We see so many wonderful ways to incorporate handmade goodness throughout our lives these days. Fashion, food, art, and functional products are widely available. But what about those larger projects? I studied interior design in college and have worked in the field for several years. Because of this, I was wondering how easy it would be to decorate an entire room through a handmade venue such as Etsy. And guess what?! You absolutely can.
Here is a room I have designed with products found on Etsy.
Every room has to start with a great piece of furniture. My virtual living room would have this as it's star.
And to sit in front and beside
Next to all of this, put two of these
Then underneath it all, and hanging on the wall
Lovely accents to make us happy
And finally, let's light it up!
Now... let's see it put together with a little watercolor to help us visualize.
See! Etsy is a great place for handmade and vintage interior design needs. And as always, this was just the tip of the iceberg for great finds in the handmade world.
by Bethany Dirksen from Dirksendabbles
We see so many wonderful ways to incorporate handmade goodness throughout our lives these days. Fashion, food, art, and functional products are widely available. But what about those larger projects? I studied interior design in college and have worked in the field for several years. Because of this, I was wondering how easy it would be to decorate an entire room through a handmade venue such as Etsy. And guess what?! You absolutely can.
Here is a room I have designed with products found on Etsy.
Every room has to start with a great piece of furniture. My virtual living room would have this as it's star.
| Dragon Slayer Sofa - $2900 |
And to sit in front and beside
| Classic II Coffe Table - $450 Walnut Side Table - $425 |
Next to all of this, put two of these
| Red Eames Chairs - $125 |
Then underneath it all, and hanging on the wall
| Shag Rug - $400 Doggie Drapes - $150 |
Lovely accents to make us happy
| Green Sky Painting - $75 Modern Wall Shelf - $59.95 |
And finally, let's light it up!
| Botanical Drum Shade - $89.95 Buddha Lamp - $200 |
Now... let's see it put together with a little watercolor to help us visualize.
See! Etsy is a great place for handmade and vintage interior design needs. And as always, this was just the tip of the iceberg for great finds in the handmade world.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Guest post: Collaboration in art and crafts
Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.
by Shauna Busto Gilligan and Annemiek Hamelink Part 1 of 3
Annemiek and Shauna met each other in Ireland over ten years ago. At the time they both worked in desk jobs. Since then Shauna has returned to writing and Annemiek felt the urge to create with her hands and found clay, glass and silver very satisfying. Similarly, Shauna's husband Xuan left the corporate world to return to his first career as a photographer. Photographs which Xuan took formed the basis of the inspiration for some short stories, they produced a book together and sent Annemiek a copy as a present. She read the stories and some inspired her. Xuan's pictures bear no relation to the creations Annemiek made in any way, but Shauna's writing brings the two creative outputs together.
In this series of blogs we track how Shauna as a writer and Annemiek as a crafter have found the "accidental" collaboration of photograph-story-bowl in terms of artistic process and tangible outcomes. Currently we are using this experience to formalise further collaboration using Annemiek's "story bowls" as the starting point.
Step 1: Photograph to Story – Shauna, the writer
Xuan’s took the photograph of the lighthouse (above) at an open day run by the Irish Landmark Trust which gave open access to the public. As a writer, I found myself interested in what was within the lighthouse while Xuan as a photographer, looked outward beyond the lighthouse. It was the domestic details which captured me like the a chair or a towel on a rail. The idea of a winding road, seen as disjointed vertical lines in the photograph led me to thoughts of journeys and why one makes these journeys. It was the going away from something that made me create a character who is seated on the chair in the photograph, anticipating the journey her man is going to make in his new car, waiting to glimpse the shine of the metal in the sun – like the lucky horseshoe on the car – at a distance on the winding road. Read the story.
Step 2: Story to Bowl – Annemiek, the crafter
Reading the story I got clear images and flashbacks in my mind, the winding roads and the rolling hills of Ireland. I did not know the picture was taken in Ireland. Some stories will not have the same film-like effect on ones mind and the images stay kind of blurry, but this came through clear. I could see the man in a shiny open sports car with long wavy hair flowing in the wind while driving; the winding road, the wife looking out for him. The scenery something like this:
Now to capture this in a bowl I had to boil it down to the essentials for me, so I kept it in my head and let it mature. What came out was the lone oldtimer-type sports car in typical red on a winding road. I choose the dark clay as it feels right, if I had choosen crisp white porcelain, the feel would be different entirely.
Conclusions: Shauna’s thoughts on the tangible creation
It was interesting for me to see what image Annemiek had picked to hone in on when she created the bowl. While the car was indeed one of the main images in the story, it was more of the texture of the car, silver, reflection of the metal off the sun that was the strongest for me. The change in colour from silver to red was interesting but in practial terms works much better on the dark clay than a silver one would have worked. Annemiek had picked up on the notion of speed and movement in the story and what better image than a red sports car to portray that.
In this “accidental” collaboration the end product is something which can be used. I now use Annemiek’s bowl with the red car in it to keep silver paperclips which hold drafts of my stories together....
by Shauna Busto Gilligan and Annemiek Hamelink Part 1 of 3
Annemiek and Shauna met each other in Ireland over ten years ago. At the time they both worked in desk jobs. Since then Shauna has returned to writing and Annemiek felt the urge to create with her hands and found clay, glass and silver very satisfying. Similarly, Shauna's husband Xuan left the corporate world to return to his first career as a photographer. Photographs which Xuan took formed the basis of the inspiration for some short stories, they produced a book together and sent Annemiek a copy as a present. She read the stories and some inspired her. Xuan's pictures bear no relation to the creations Annemiek made in any way, but Shauna's writing brings the two creative outputs together.
In this series of blogs we track how Shauna as a writer and Annemiek as a crafter have found the "accidental" collaboration of photograph-story-bowl in terms of artistic process and tangible outcomes. Currently we are using this experience to formalise further collaboration using Annemiek's "story bowls" as the starting point.
Step 1: Photograph to Story – Shauna, the writer
Xuan’s took the photograph of the lighthouse (above) at an open day run by the Irish Landmark Trust which gave open access to the public. As a writer, I found myself interested in what was within the lighthouse while Xuan as a photographer, looked outward beyond the lighthouse. It was the domestic details which captured me like the a chair or a towel on a rail. The idea of a winding road, seen as disjointed vertical lines in the photograph led me to thoughts of journeys and why one makes these journeys. It was the going away from something that made me create a character who is seated on the chair in the photograph, anticipating the journey her man is going to make in his new car, waiting to glimpse the shine of the metal in the sun – like the lucky horseshoe on the car – at a distance on the winding road. Read the story.
Step 2: Story to Bowl – Annemiek, the crafter
Reading the story I got clear images and flashbacks in my mind, the winding roads and the rolling hills of Ireland. I did not know the picture was taken in Ireland. Some stories will not have the same film-like effect on ones mind and the images stay kind of blurry, but this came through clear. I could see the man in a shiny open sports car with long wavy hair flowing in the wind while driving; the winding road, the wife looking out for him. The scenery something like this:
Now to capture this in a bowl I had to boil it down to the essentials for me, so I kept it in my head and let it mature. What came out was the lone oldtimer-type sports car in typical red on a winding road. I choose the dark clay as it feels right, if I had choosen crisp white porcelain, the feel would be different entirely.
Conclusions: Shauna’s thoughts on the tangible creation
It was interesting for me to see what image Annemiek had picked to hone in on when she created the bowl. While the car was indeed one of the main images in the story, it was more of the texture of the car, silver, reflection of the metal off the sun that was the strongest for me. The change in colour from silver to red was interesting but in practial terms works much better on the dark clay than a silver one would have worked. Annemiek had picked up on the notion of speed and movement in the story and what better image than a red sports car to portray that.
In this “accidental” collaboration the end product is something which can be used. I now use Annemiek’s bowl with the red car in it to keep silver paperclips which hold drafts of my stories together....
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Guest post: Loves Ballet
Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.
By Michelle from Road to Being
Since a young girl, I've written lyrics - tangles of words that described what stirred in my mind. I eventually realized that it was a great emotional release, to put what was inside, outside. Whether reading or writing it, poetry can be healing. It helps you feel grounded, connects you with feelings, and allows you to be expressive - to just be in the powerful, creative process.
I've always wished that I could be the next Van Gogh or Van Eyck, painting the images in my mind onto canvas, in ways that were breathtaking, magical. I've always envied painters more than poets. But with paper as canvas, and words as paintbrush, a poet can give my imagination inspiration that I think even Van Gogh would appreciate.
I hope you enjoy my poem.
Loves Ballet
At prides insistence
I whispered, in the distance
you’ll find yourself returning -
And bit my lip until it bled to stay tears that were burning
Gauzy love
was blowing through the air
while children ran round a fish-shaped fountain -
Then up red mossy stairs
And through my soft grey skirt
the coldness of the wall
was nothing like the sorrow -
Of the flight of love now stalled
As if they sensed
this tête-à-tête was of regret
the trees began to grieve -
Swirling round then floating down they cried a thousand leaves
And I
I longed to touch your face
My soul reeled from neglect and begged for one more taste
But while your eyes were lit lamps of concern -
The flames I used to see for me were now a fire that barely burned
And at guilt’s insistence
you said, in the distance
you might find the fog was clearing -
But that you’d spurned cupids pomp though it seemed your eyes were tearing
And the heaviness within my heart lurched against my chest
but I remembered vividly you said you thought it best
and I could try a magicians tricks but stubborn as you were -
To pull a talking rabbit from my hat to you'd just be obscure
I turned my face against an ill and chilly wind
I stood and one last look at you about did me in
My blurry eyes fell onto a hedge-shaped Queen of Hearts -
I longed to hide beneath her spongy cloak till you at last did part
Since now it seemed
the frozen ground
held an imaginary line, that I wanted to -
But dared not pass as we said goodbye
The children splashed in the fountain as I walked away
They snatched a plump orange goldfish but it made a grand escape
When I turned around, you were gone, and I wondered if you felt that way
Or if, like me, you were sad to see -
The death of Loves Ballet
By Michelle from Road to Being
Since a young girl, I've written lyrics - tangles of words that described what stirred in my mind. I eventually realized that it was a great emotional release, to put what was inside, outside. Whether reading or writing it, poetry can be healing. It helps you feel grounded, connects you with feelings, and allows you to be expressive - to just be in the powerful, creative process.
I've always wished that I could be the next Van Gogh or Van Eyck, painting the images in my mind onto canvas, in ways that were breathtaking, magical. I've always envied painters more than poets. But with paper as canvas, and words as paintbrush, a poet can give my imagination inspiration that I think even Van Gogh would appreciate.
I hope you enjoy my poem.
Loves Ballet
At prides insistence
I whispered, in the distance
you’ll find yourself returning -
And bit my lip until it bled to stay tears that were burning
Gauzy love
was blowing through the air
while children ran round a fish-shaped fountain -
Then up red mossy stairs
And through my soft grey skirt
the coldness of the wall
was nothing like the sorrow -
Of the flight of love now stalled
As if they sensed
this tête-à-tête was of regret
the trees began to grieve -
Swirling round then floating down they cried a thousand leaves
And I
I longed to touch your face
My soul reeled from neglect and begged for one more taste
But while your eyes were lit lamps of concern -
The flames I used to see for me were now a fire that barely burned
And at guilt’s insistence
you said, in the distance
you might find the fog was clearing -
But that you’d spurned cupids pomp though it seemed your eyes were tearing
And the heaviness within my heart lurched against my chest
but I remembered vividly you said you thought it best
and I could try a magicians tricks but stubborn as you were -
To pull a talking rabbit from my hat to you'd just be obscure
I turned my face against an ill and chilly wind
I stood and one last look at you about did me in
My blurry eyes fell onto a hedge-shaped Queen of Hearts -
I longed to hide beneath her spongy cloak till you at last did part
Since now it seemed
the frozen ground
held an imaginary line, that I wanted to -
But dared not pass as we said goodbye
The children splashed in the fountain as I walked away
They snatched a plump orange goldfish but it made a grand escape
When I turned around, you were gone, and I wondered if you felt that way
Or if, like me, you were sad to see -
The death of Loves Ballet
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Promise or not?
About a month ago, I announced on my blog that I wanted guestbloggers for my blog. Here is what I wrote at the end of my post:
I'd like to give back to the blogging community as I have received so much from it.
I hope this works and that you will all enjoy reading what the guest-blogger 'on duty' comes up with. I'm sure you will get to know a lot of awesome people this way. That's a promise!
Now I wonder if I kept my promise or not. I feel that guest posts bring more diversity to my blog and for me it's a wonderful experience meeting all these fun people that submit a guestpost.
But I do wonder: do you feel the same?
I'd like to know so please vote below to let me know...
Thank you & happy Sunday! :)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Guest post: just leap!
Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.
I hear you loud and clear! It is so frustrating when you work tirelessly at your craft, fine tuning your talent and then it sits on the shelf at home and you think to yourself “I know I could be great if only someone would just notice what I can do.”
1. IT DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN THIS!
I never used to finish my pieces, I had hundreds of almost complete works around the studio. People would visit and say “Wow..that’s great” and I would say “yeah...it will be when it’s finished.” Finishing things is like saying “This is as good at it gets, that’s all there is folks” And that is exactly ALL THERE EVER IS folks. There will always be more, better and different, no matter what we do or how hard we try, so let it go, set your work free.
2. IF YOU LOVE IT, OTHERS WILL TOO!
You can’t please all the people all the time, so please the ones who are in sync with you. They are out there. You can not make a handbag that suits every woman, everyone has different needs. Just ask a girlfriend what she thinks is the perfect bag and you will see what I mean. So now I produce what I like, I love it and so do plenty of others.
3. TOOT YOUR OWN HORN!
You may be lucky enough to have a huge fan club that runs around waving banners saying “Hey Check out this chicky babe” but most of us don’t! We have to toot our own horns, Loud and Proud. It’s not ‘showing off’. NO! It is taking a stand for YOU as a successful artist.
4. BE THE INSPIRATION!
Be honest and share about what you are up to. People find this incredibly inspiring. Let others know about the journey you are taking. It is always great to know we are not alone.
5. BE COURAGEOUS AND LEAP!
One step at a time. You don’t have to complete it, perfect it over night or get it right. There is a whole world waiting to know who you are.
I hope this provides you with a little inspiration. Just leap!
Guest post by Davia of daviadesigns.blogspot.com
The first step is always the hardest. You know it’s true, you have heard it a thousand times. But how do you take that first step in the face of all that fear? What if no-one likes my stuff? Maybe it’s not good enough? How do I even get people to see my work? Perhaps you suffer from an inability to finish things to that “perfect” standard that you are happy to show people?
I hear you loud and clear! It is so frustrating when you work tirelessly at your craft, fine tuning your talent and then it sits on the shelf at home and you think to yourself “I know I could be great if only someone would just notice what I can do.”
YOU CAN BE GREAT, IF THAT IS WHAT YOU CHOOSE!
I recently made the leap after years of painting, drawing, sculpting and mosaicing in my home studio. I have amassed a huge body of work that no-one knows about. Until now!
5 tips to help you make the leap:
1. IT DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN THIS!
I never used to finish my pieces, I had hundreds of almost complete works around the studio. People would visit and say “Wow..that’s great” and I would say “yeah...it will be when it’s finished.” Finishing things is like saying “This is as good at it gets, that’s all there is folks” And that is exactly ALL THERE EVER IS folks. There will always be more, better and different, no matter what we do or how hard we try, so let it go, set your work free.
2. IF YOU LOVE IT, OTHERS WILL TOO!
You can’t please all the people all the time, so please the ones who are in sync with you. They are out there. You can not make a handbag that suits every woman, everyone has different needs. Just ask a girlfriend what she thinks is the perfect bag and you will see what I mean. So now I produce what I like, I love it and so do plenty of others.
3. TOOT YOUR OWN HORN!
You may be lucky enough to have a huge fan club that runs around waving banners saying “Hey Check out this chicky babe” but most of us don’t! We have to toot our own horns, Loud and Proud. It’s not ‘showing off’. NO! It is taking a stand for YOU as a successful artist.
4. BE THE INSPIRATION!
Be honest and share about what you are up to. People find this incredibly inspiring. Let others know about the journey you are taking. It is always great to know we are not alone.
5. BE COURAGEOUS AND LEAP!
One step at a time. You don’t have to complete it, perfect it over night or get it right. There is a whole world waiting to know who you are.
I hope this provides you with a little inspiration. Just leap!
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