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Creativity: Look locally for artists that need your support AND Where you can learn a new skill – Win/Win!

5/15/2020

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Last week a friend and I drove two and a half hours to take an eight hour class in colored pencils. This was my fifth class with Teresa. Every class is different and I learn different skills. I am not an experienced artist and I knew nothing about what could be done with colored pencils. I was nervous about taking the first class. Especially when I saw the work of some of the other students.

I had wanted to take one of her classes since I first saw her at a Christmas show several years ago, but self doubt prevented me from signing up. I just didn't think I could do it well enough to be worth the time and money investment.

The artist, Teresa Pennington, is well known for her artwork of local landmarks and historical locations. She is named The Artist of the Blue Ridge. Her work is amazing.

You can take a virtual tour of her gallery and read her biography on her website here:    https://www.tpennington.com/index.php

 Here's the five projects I finished in the five classes I took:
I encourage you to seek a local artist that can teach you a new creative skill. Stretch your mind, stretch your creative juices, and stretch your abilities. Add to your skills and protect your brain health by learning something new.

If you don't have access to a local artist, then go online and search for teacher. You can find them on YouTube, on websites, and by word of mouth. It is easier now than ever to find a free teacher or a low cost class to learn something new.
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Learn painting, drawing, writing, knitting, crochet, coloring, colored pencils, quilting, candle making, soap making, scrap booking, photography, even a different language, the options are endless. ​


“We don’t stop playing because we grow old.
We grow old because
we stop playing.”

George Bernard Shaw

Even if you don't think you are creative, you can learn to be. You might be surprised at what you can do if you just try, no matter how far out of your comfort zone you step.

Our brains are able to learn much more than we give it credit for, no matter what our age. It may take a little more time or a little more effort on our part, but we can do it. We can learn new skills after the age of 50. We can learn to be creative after the age of 50. We can increase our knowledge after the age of 50.



What creative skills do you possess? What new creative skill would you like to learn? Is there something you always wanted to do but didn't know how (like oil paint, quilt, write stories, etc.)? What are you doing or what are you going to do, to learn a new skill?


XOXO
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Creativity: Now is the time to learn something new - Links to Creative Sites for the Over 50 Adult

4/24/2020

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If you read my blog regularly you know that I believe in staying active physically and mentally. Now with the "order to stay home", this is the perfect time to learn something new and expand your brain cell connectivity for a healthier brain as we age.

It doesn't matter if you have never painted, written anything other than letters and grocery lists, sewn anything, or only speak English, you can learn something new.

Even if you start to learn something new and you find it difficult, don't give up. Stick to it. Everything is hard in the beginning, but as you progress everything gets easier.

The difficult thing for me is choosing what to learn. I have so many things that I want to learn, I have trouble choosing just one to focus on. I hope this is your problem, too.

Here are a few ways art and creativity help our mind and our souls:

A Harvard Women's Health Watch article, dated July 2017, states that anyone can benefit from creating art to control anger, stress, mental decline, depression, and other mental issues. You can read their fascinating article here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-healing-power-of-art

Art from the Streets posted an article, dated August 2017, that provides five ways art benefits mental health. The five benefits they highlight are: art relieves stress, encourages creative thinking, it boosts self esteem and a sense of accomplishment, it encourages brain activity, and it makes for a better quality of life in dementia patients. You can read their short but informative article here: https://artfromthestreets.org/blogs/news/five-great-mental-health-benefits-of-art

Medical News Today has an excellent article about how creative expression, whether it be painting, writing, dancing, playing music, or any creative activity, increases our immunity to diseases and illnesses. It has the potential to speed recovery and encourages healthy healing. The article can be found here, it's worth the read: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320947#Brain-boosting-effects

Now that we know the multitude of health benefits from creating, viewing, or participating in art, where do we begin?
Actually, you can begin right where you are at this very moment.


You can start by any of the following ways and in any other way you can think of:
  • Start a journal by writing your thoughts down.
  • Listen to various types of music, include music you rarely listen to or have never listened to. Expand your taste in music.
  • Start coloring in a coloring book. A child's coloring book or an adult coloring book, whatever you have available.
  • Put on music and dance...all by yourself.

Here is a brief list of links to sites, videos, podcasts, and vendors that offer a variety of courses or projects that can help you meet any goal you have for yourself. This is a short list, there are many, many more online if you just take time to search for them.

Check these out:

https://www.tipsyartist.com/tipsy-artist-kits  The Tipsy Artist - My FAVORITE painting class. I have taken her courses many times and I love them. Anyone can do them and they are inexpensive.

https://thequiltshow.com/
The Quilt Show - A good place to take online classes to earn to quilt. Some are free, some are not. They have a lot of free things to do, like online quilt related jigsaw puzzles and quilt block matching games. You can browse the gallery and see award winning quilts. This site is full of stuff.


https://www.classcentral.com/course/winning-resumes -5477 
Class Central - Offers a variety of free courses from resume writing to creative writing. If you want to learn to write better, check this site out for free courses. This link is to their free resume writing course, as an example.


http://audiria.com/index.ph p 
Audiria - An excellent podcast and website to learn Spanish. I have used Learn Spanish Con Salsa podcast. This is a podcast only format and is also a good way to learn Spanish while walking. If you go to the APPSTORE (for iphones, ipads, macs, etc.) or to GOOGLE PLAY (Android devices), and search by name or subject matter, you will find these two podcasts and a lot of other ones for every language under the sun.


https://www.skillshare.com/browse/art
 Skillshare – this site has tons of online classes that are free for 2 months. If after two months you want more, you can enroll in their Premium service for $15.00 per month, if you want to go month to month, or you can pay $99 per year (which is $8.25 per month). Go to their website at the link above and see what they offer.



https://www.coursera.org/learn/biohacking-your-brains-health?action=enroll
Biohacking Your Brain's Health – Coursera offers courses for free and also for a fee. You will need to enroll, but enrollment is free. Check out this course and also the other ones they offer.

These are a few of online resources for creative courses, classes, projects. Art kits, etc. Local stores such as Michael's and JoAnn's offer various craft and art kits that you can order online. Amazon is full of kits that you can order and do at home.

You can also check out art project books, craft books, sewing books, how-to art books, at your local library. These can be hard cover, paperback, or audio.

Regardless, if you're in a lockdown situation or life is back to normal, it is healthy for your mind and soul to do creative projects and create art.

Do you have a creative side? Do you spend time in doing creative projects? What benefits have you realized from the creative activities you participate in? Is your life better? Do you feel you are healthier?
​

XOXO
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Creativity: I've had an epiphany! Why I love creating more and more the older I get.

6/3/2016

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Epiphany: a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something,  usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. (Courtesy of dictionary.com. I had to look up the spelling.         😊)
​

While doing my morning pages today (see blog post on The Artist's Way, dated April 8, 2016), the question  came up in my writing of why I love to create. Why do I spend valuable time drawing, quilting, and writing when I have so many other important things I could spend that time on? What makes creating so important, that I will let laundry, dishes, and other stuff go undone (temporarily, mind you.  I do like a clean house and clean clothes). Well, this is what I came up with (it only took 24 weeks of the Artist's Way to get to this answer, 😊)

    Anais Nin once said, " I believe one writes because one has to  create a world in which                one can live."
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That's why. creating art or writing is the one place in my life where I have complete and total control. It's the one place where a mistake can become a masterpiece. It's the one place where I can draw a mountain to climb, paint that mountain, and then experience climbing that mountain without ever leaving my safe home.

Creating, whether art, sewing, or writing is a vacation waiting to happen.
That pretty much sums it up. That's why I love creating. 

Do you create? Do you sew, quilt, paint, woodwork, write, make jewelry, engage in anything creative? Why do you do it? What need does it fulfill? Do you find it more important as you get older? Has your approach to your craft changed as you have aged? Do you create your world in which you can live through your craft?

XOXO
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Creativity: Is your creativity sleeping? Wake it up with "The Artist's Way"

4/8/2016

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"Do not call the inability to start laziness, call it fear. Use love for your artist to cure the fear."    
-  Julia Cameron -
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Having a hobby or a creative outlet is crucial to growing older happy and content. I believe that people with a hobby are happier, worry less, and are more content with their future than those who don't have a hobby. While spirituality is vitally important to healthy aging, we shouldn't underestimate the value of a creative outlet. It can be cooking, sewing, gardening, art, fitness, anything that brings us joy and keeps our minds engaged in a positive way. If you don't have a hobby now, find one. 

A couple of years ago I found a book about unblocking your creativity. The name of the book was "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. Julia takes the reader through twelve weeks of recovery from a blocked or unrealized artist to a thriving creative soul. It may help you find your creative side.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book the first time I read it and worked through the twelve weeks.
While I don't agree with every spiritual belief she presents, I do find value in reading her beliefs and comparing them to my own. The tasks at the end of each chapter (or week) are thought provoking and often challenging. It's a good book to reignite your creativity or help you find your creative self.

So, I just finished my second reading of the book and working through the twelve weeks for the second time. This time was even better, because it reinforced what I had learned about myself the first time I worked the book. One thing has stood out as very important to me - one thing that makes the whole process worth it - the morning pages.
The morning pages are three pages of free writing I do every single morning of every day. I get out of bed, grab my cup of coffee or hot tea, gather my notebook and pens, and then sit in silence for about thirty minutes and write. Just writing, writing about anything that comes into my mind. I even write about nothing if that's what I feel like writing about. It's extremely therapeutic.
I have learned through this writing process, that if you literally "brain dump" everything on your mind first thing in the morning, it clears your mind to accept what the day will bring. Before I started keeping morning pages, I would wake up with something on my mind and it would stay with me all day. Depending on what it was, it would also control my thoughts for the day. Now when I get it off my mind and onto paper first thing in the morning, it's done with, I am finished thinking about it. It's like sitting in a therapist's chair and pouring your heart out except it's a lot cheaper and no one knows what you are writing except you (and God).

There are four basic parts of the twelve week program:
1.    Reading the chapters.
2.    Writing three pages first thing every morning - The Morning Pages
3.    Tasks - at the end of each week's chapter to be done throughout the week.
4.    Artist's Dates - time set aside each week just for you to explore your world, your creativity, or what ever strikes your fancy. (Can be 15 minutes to as long as you need, but should be done alone.)

Within each chapter you will sometimes find extra work you can do. I call this 'extra credit'.  It may be completing a sentence, making a list, or just thinking over a specific topic.

Once you have completed the twelves weeks, if you have put the work into it, you should feel more confident in your creativity, more peace in your daily living, and maybe some other benefit that only applies to you. The first time I worked the book, I was fired up and ready to do all sorts of things and I followed through on most them. I finished my granddaughter's Napsack for preschool, a quilt, three paintings, and several ink drawings. Then as I let my morning pages fall off, my creativity fell off, too.
This time, I want to continue to work the morning pages. I intend to make them a regular part of my morning routine. There is real value in writing your thoughts down each and every morning...even if you burn them afterwards.😊

Do you have a hobby? Are you retired and participate in your hobby regularly? Do you find it has a positive effect on your emotions and satisfaction with life? Have you read "The Artist's Way"? Did you work the program? Do you still do the morning pages? How did the program help you? If you haven't read the book, are you going to try? It doesn't help everyone or everything, but it helps a lot of people and I really like it. Give it try!

XOXO
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    My mission​

    Sharing thoughts and ideas for the woman over 50 that are helpful, fun, creative, inspiring and interesting. Over 50s who want to remain relevant, happy and loving their life.
    On fire for your own life!
    ❤ Sheryl ❤

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