Creativity Corner
Creativity Corner (Newspaper Column)
It’s a fact....everyone has the ability to create. You may not be an artist, but there is some part of your life, which provides an opportunity for creativity. Creativity has brought me sanity in time of insanity, joy in a time of sorry, peace in a time of turmoil, and solutions when problems arise. Because of this, I wish to share my enthusiasm for creativity with each of you.
I’ve been learning to
use watercolors, but I can’t make them do what I want? Any suggestions?
Do colors really create emotions?
What skills do I need to become creative?
Do I need to have some project or idea in mind before I can think creatively?
What is the difference between a print and a limited-edition print and why does it cost more?
I’ve never been creative. How do I begin?
Why does my creativity seem sluggish?
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● Do
colors really create emotions? LB (Glen Carbon, IL) |
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According to The Wagner Institute for Color Research, color can create
moods even when not seen by the eye. So before you pick the color for your
room, decide what mood you want to create. For instance, red is an
energetic, warm color. It makes you want to stay longer, eat more, spend
more. It is the first color that babies see and can stimulate them to
be brighter and more attentive. But an entire room of red may be too
overpowering on the nervous system. Blue is a very cool and calming
color. You will see it in hospitals and it is excellent in bedrooms.
However, used in the extreme it can give you a feeling of sadness
and depression. Yellow activates the nervous system. Look at nature.
It’s only shown in small quantities there and for short periods as the
flowers bloom. Although it can cheer you up, it has been shown that in
rooms painted in very bright hues of yellow, babies cry more and Parkinson
patients shake more. Orange is similar to red, but without the intensity
of red. It’s a warm, friendly color that usually is accepted by most
people. When Howard Johnson created their logo, they used mostly orange,
but decided that it made the business appear too common. So they added the
green for more of a rich feel. You get the drift, right? Color does
create an emotion and emotions make you choose specific color. Let me know
how you feel from different colors you experience! Thanks for asking!
Lynnette Schuepbach Lynnette serves as chair of the 2008 Art in the Park on October 10-12 at the Lindendale Park in Highland. Many local artists will be exhibiting there. It’s her pleasure to be a part of this opportunity for you to experience a “Brush with Nature.” ©Copyright 2008 Lynnette Schuepbach Send your questions to LSchuepbach@wisperhome.com. |
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●●What skills do I need to be
creative? |
| Since I grew up on a farm,
I’m going to relate this to gardening. Here’s what you need for
creativity. Soil ready for planting. Before planting, soil needs to be plowed or opened up so that seeds can be planted. I relate the soil to your state of mind. Is it filled with negative thinking or so many certainties of how things are, that you are not able to accept or even entertain new thoughts or solutions? If so, remove the weeds and plow it up so that possibilities can be planted! Be Open! Seeds. Seeds have everything it needs hidden inside to grow a new plant. Seeds represent ideas. Just as seeds from some plants drop very close to the original plant while some float a long distance before settling into the soil, ideas can come from something very close to you or from out of the blue in the middle of the night! Keep a notebook with you to jot down all ideas that pop into your head before they float away or are eaten by a passing bird! Keep Track of Ideas! Cultivating. Many types of seeds will germinate where you’ve plowed the soil. Our job as tender of the garden is to pull out the plants that don’t fit the garden while leaving room, nutrients and water for those that do fit. In the same way, ideas may germinate but not fit the project you’re working on. Either transplant them to be used at another time or send them to the compost pile! Cut Out Non-Productive Creativity! Fertilizer. Creativity, like gardens, needs nutrients. The nutrients of creativity are stimulating thoughts, pictures, sounds, tastes, actions, emotions and information. The more stimulation we have, the more choices we have for putting possibilities together. Something that works for the railroad may relate to your next party recipe. One never knows how ideas come together exactly! Feed Your Senses! Water. All living organisms need moisture to survive, whether to keep hydrated or to be washed clean. Water represents the “flow” of creativity. Sometimes, we think it will NEVER rain and sometimes, we think we will be washed away by so much creativity that it all can’t be thoroughly used. The trick is to keep the flow moving in a manageable fashion. Manage the Flow! Time. Although Jack’s beanstalk grew overnight, most gardens take days, months, and years to become the most they can be. Creativity, too, may need time for you to research, study, investigate, plan, question or sell it. Don’t despair. Sometimes, growth is so minute that we can’t see it, but it doesn’t mean it’s not growing. Give it time! Wait! Rest. Winter is the time when fields are left fallow so that they can rest, replenish, and prepare for spring growth. Our bodies and creativity need rest as well. Make sure your mind and creativity can lay fallow for a time to prepare for the spring. Find a Way to Relax! Thanks for asking! Lynnette Schuepbach Lynnette is an author/illustrator who sees creativity in every aspect of life. To find out more about her and creativity, visit her Web site KidsDoRead.com. Her children’s books create curiosity in children and speak to sibling rivalry and bullying. Lynnette serves as chair of the 2008 Art in the Park on October 10-12 at the Lindendale Park in Highland. Many local artists will be exhibiting there. It’s her pleasure to be a part of this opportunity for you to experience a “Brush with Nature.” ©Copyright 2008 Lynnette Schuepbach Send your questions to
LSchuepbach@wisperhome.com. |
| ●●●I’ve never considered
myself creative, but I love to cook. What can I do to be more creative in
cooking? VB (Cincinnati, OH) |
| Well, it’s excellent that you
have found the medium where you can be creative. Congrats! As in all creativity, you do not need to re-create everything to be creative. You only need to connect or combine items, thoughts, ideas, or ingredients that have not been used together in the past. And usually, the new connection or combination is in answer to a problem, challenge, or previous failure. I was recently at a family reunion where my aunts ranging in ages from 60 – 90 were re-living memories. One commented that her favorite memory was eating onion pie at her aunt’s house. Yes, served as dessert. It was a custard pie with onions in the custard. Most of us wrinkled our noses and made noises as if to be sick in response to the thought of it. None of us would have put those two together. My cousin tried to make it sound acceptable by saying it must have been like a quiche. But no, it was sweet like every other pie and VERY delicious. Her aunt had cooked with creativity. The piecrust was made like every other pie. The custard was made like every other custard. But she used onions instead of berries. So here’s your challenge, V. Combine ingredients in new ways. Experiment by changing only one ingredient in a traditional recipe. Use large eggs instead of small eggs. Use applesauce instead of oil. You’ll be surprised how one small change will give you unique creative results. Thanks for asking! Lynnette Schuepbach Lynnette is an author/illustrator who sees creativity in every aspect of life. To find out more about her and creativity, visit her Web site KidsDoRead.com. Her children’s books create curiosity in children and speak to sibling rivalry and bullying. Lynnette serves as chair of the 2008 Art in the Park on October 10-12 at the Lindendale Park in Highland. Many local artists will be exhibiting there. It’s her pleasure to be a part of this opportunity for you to experience a “Brush with Nature.”
©Copyright 2008 Lynnette Schuepbach |
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●●●●Do I need to have some
project or idea in mind before I can think creatively? DL (Mineral Point, WI) |
| Usually, we do have a challenge, problem
or project in mind, which stimulates creative thinking. However, the only
way you are NOT thinking/acting creatively is when you continue to act or
think in the same way over and over again without success. We would all be
reading in the dark if Thomas Edison had continued to use his first
failure as the only way to create a light bulb. Each creative idea need not be a completely new concept. Historians actually attribute the invention of the incandescent light bulb to 22 inventors BEFORE Edison. Edison expanded and tweaked parts of the process to achieve the development of a long-lasting incandescent bulb. Wouldn’t you still call that creative thinking? Ideas are many times an old idea with a new twist. Or combining two things that very few people would consider using in the same process. So, whether you have a project in mind or it’s simply the way you approach something as simple as peeling an apple, remember: If you continue to do what you always did, you’ll continue to get what you always got! Thanks for asking! Lynnette Schuepbach Lynnette is an author/illustrator who sees creativity in every aspect of life. To find out more about her and creativity, visit her Web site KidsDoRead.com. Her children’s books create curiosity in children and speak to sibling rivalry and bullying. Lynnette serves as chair of the 2008 Art in the Park on October 10-12 at the Lindendale Park in Highland. Many local artists will be exhibiting there. It’s her pleasure to be a part of this opportunity for you to experience a “Brush with Nature.” ©Copyright 2008 Lynnette Schuepbach Send your questions to LSchuepbach@wisperhome.com. |
| ●●●●●It is difficult for me to
envision colors of paint on the wall and colors of furniture to be chosen
for that room. Do you have any tricks on ways to develop that talent?? JM (Highland, IL) |
| To learn a new skill, you
must practice! Practice! Practice! You cannot become a concert pianist
overnight, nor can you envision colors in a room overnight. If you have
the desire to achieve it, you must practice it. First, think of a room that you are familiar with. Without being in that room, close your eyes and “see” what you would see if you were walking in it, but make sure you are doing it with your eyes closed. This will reduce the distraction of what is physically before your eyes. Can you visualize what color the cabinets are? Do you notice the color of the curtains, etc? Write it down to check yourself. After experimenting with visualizing things that are familiar to you, try to see the color you have chosen in the room. Make it a game so that you enjoy the process as well as the outcome. Another option would be to create a diorama, of sorts. Who said the envisioning must be done without physical props? Use a cardboard box and paint it with the color you are considering. Bring a sample of carpets, curtains, and furniture coverings together inside the colored box. Use the lighting from the room that you intend to paint so that it will be the same as inside the box. (Outdoor lighting can make a huge difference in how color is seen.) The diorama may not be a perfect replica of how the room will look, but it’s a better option than looking at small paint chips. Thanks for asking! Lynnette Schuepbach Lynnette is an author/illustrator who sees creativity in every aspect of life. To find out more about her and creativity, visit her Web site KidsDoRead.com. Her children’s books create curiosity in children and speak to sibling rivalry and bullying. Lynnette serves as chair of the 2008 Art in the Park on October 10-12 at the Lindendale Park in Highland. Many local artists will be exhibiting there. It’s her pleasure to be a part of this opportunity for you to experience a “Brush with Nature.” ©Copyright 2008 Lynnette Schuepbach
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●●●●●●What is the
difference between a print and a limited-edition print and why does it
cost more? AG (Granite City, IL) |
| A print is a
mechanical or digital reproduction of an original work. The artist can
produce as many as he chooses to reproduce. When a limited-edition print
is made, the artist has guaranteed that he will only reproduce a specific
number of prints and numbers each one to verify that’s what is being done. In economics, the relation between supply and demand usually dictates the price of art as well as any other product. The artist/gallery increases the price for limited-edition prints because supply is limited by the number reproduced. If the reputation of the artist is huge or as the artist becomes more popular, the value of the limited-edition print is also increased. Most of us buy art because it pleases our senses or “speaks” to us in some way. However, art is also purchased with hopes of selling it for a profit on the secondary art market. (The secondary art market is a network of dealers and individuals who buy and sell prints above the issue price, after an image is sold-out by the publisher.) If you plan to use art as an investment to be sold at a later date for profit, limited-edition prints are the way to go. Thanks for asking! Lynnette Schuepbach Lynnette is an author/illustrator who sees creativity in every aspect of life. To find out more about her and creativity, visit her Web site KidsDoRead.com. Her children’s books create curiosity in children and speak to sibling rivalry and bullying. Lynnette serves as chair of the 2008 Art in the Park on October 10-12 at the Lindendale Park in Highland. Many local artists will be exhibiting there. It’s her pleasure to be a part of this opportunity for you to experience a “Brush with Nature.” ©Copyright 2008 Lynnette Schuepbach Send your questions to
LSchuepbach@wisperhome.com. |
| ●●●●●●●I’ve never been creative.
How do I begin? EB (Highland, IL) |
| Rather than beginning with
the question, I want to address your first statement. Everyone is creative
in some way. You are confusing creativity with artistic, I think. You may
not be an artist, but there is some area of your life where you excel
creatively. Perhaps you have a beautiful garden. Perhaps you cook a
fantastic roast, unlike any other. Perhaps you design computer programs.
Or perhaps you can sell better than anyone in your company or teach better
than anyone in the school. All of these are ways in which your mind had to
think creatively. For example, a good salesman is a creative person. Let’s just suppose you sell widgets. Every customer you meet is unique with a unique set of objections. Your job is to address his objections in a way that overcomes the objection, right? It’s the way in which you address them, that sells the widget. Since each customer is unique, the exact approach will not work universally. So you creatively combine the solutions to the objections in a unique way to fit that customer. Voila! You’re using creative thinking. If instead, you had recited the same spiel verbatim each time, chances are your sales technique will not be a winning one! In the same way, creative teachers are required to use a variety of teaching methods. If the child doesn’t catch on from the first way it is said, saying it louder but exactly the same will not make it clear. Teachers are required to use any and all means of showing the same information in different ways so that children who learn visually, verbally, aurally, kinesthetically, or tactilely have equal opportunity for learning. That’s creative thinking! So think about it…creatively. You have some area where you ARE a creative person! Thanks for asking! Lynnette Schuepbach Lynnette is an author/illustrator who sees creativity in every aspect of life. To find out more about her and creativity, visit her Web site KidsDoRead.com. Her children’s books create curiosity in children and speak to sibling rivalry and bullying. Lynnette serves as chair of the 2008 Art in the Park on October 10-12 at the Lindendale Park in Highland. Many local artists will be exhibiting there. It’s her pleasure to be a part of this opportunity for you to experience a “Brush with Nature.” ©Copyright 2008 Lynnette Schuepbach
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| ●●●●●●●●Why does my creativity
seem sluggish? SG(Chicago, IL) |
| Creativity seems to wax and
wane naturally, but if your creativity has had a long period of silence,
you may look at what you’ve been feeding it. Just as every cell in your body needs nourishment, so does your creativity. And if you’ve been feeding it “junk food,” you can expect it to be sluggish! Nutrition for creativity is a variety of information, sights, sounds, tastes, textures, emotions, and experiences. The more you take in, the easier it is to put ideas together that may not seem logical to put together. If you’ve been feeding your creativity well, you may want to look at rest and relaxation. Whether it is simply stopping for few minutes to do something different, like taking a walk, or sleeping more each night or getting a massage, sometimes a tense body can get in the way of creative thinking. Rest must also be a regular part of your life to keep the creative flow going. Thanks for asking! Lynnette Schuepbach Lynnette is an author/illustrator who sees creativity in every aspect of life. To find out more about her and creativity, visit her Web site KidsDoRead.com. Her children’s books create curiosity in children and speak to sibling rivalry and bullying. Lynnette serves as chair of the 2008 Art in the Park on October 10-12 at the Lindendale Park in Highland. Many local artists will be exhibiting there. It’s her pleasure to be a part of this opportunity for you to experience a “Brush with Nature.” ©Copyright 2008 Lynnette Schuepbach
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●●●●●●●●●I’ve
been learning to use watercolors, but I can’t make them do what I want?
Any suggestions? AB (Carbondale, IL) |
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Dear
A, ©Copyright 2008 Lynnette
Schuepbach |
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Creative Sources |
105 N. Harvest Crest Ct.
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