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today: CREATIVITY - PURE CREATIVITY VERSUS
APPLIED CREATIVITY (CREATIVITY IN OUR DAILY LIVES)

Elsa's Creativity Space - Update
   Hello again,   

It's been a while. Time has zoomed by. I've thought of you. I'd even written drafts of a couple of updates to send you. But today I'm thinking of something else, something big in my life - and in many of yours.

"Creativity for creativity's sake" versus "applied creativity". Much of Elsa's Creativity Emporium is "creativity for creativity's sake" - stories, music, even creative thinking. But for the past few months, I've been caught up in "applied creativity" projects.

I don't know how creativity works in your life. This is what's been happening in mine.

****

My partner and I have a vacation rental site and in fact a small vacation rental agency (Montreal, Provence, Quebec countryside). I'm the one who's been doing the site work: photography, design, layout, even much of the writing. It isn't "pure creativity" - done because I happen to feel like taking those photos, designing those displays. Yet it certainly is creative - the places differ, and I try to catch that. And then there's the opening image.

I've honed creative skills developing the site. I've also had to do things quite quickly - so I've learned to make decisions more quickly.

I've also learned an enormous number of web-design skills (details skipped).

And it's been, in the main, a pleasure. I like what I've done. I'm pleased with the way things look - from the images, to the color choices, and so on.

****

Applied creativity is also at the heart of my teaching. To teach well, for me, is to be able to respond creatively, spontaneously, in a fresh way, to what is going on.

****

In general, my sense is to live well is to live creatively, whether it's bringing up children, having a good conversation, gardening, anything. I think that's why i never tire of watching nature - the budding of the trees, light and shadow.

I write articles. One can post them on various large article sites - and I have been stunned that, on NONE of these site, is creativity an area. One can post articles on new age spirituality, money making, web design, pets, personal growth and a hundred other areas - but not on creativity. One site does have creativity as a sub-category of personal growth - instead of as one of the most powerful forces inside us!

****

But now, like many people, I'm itching to get back to "pure creativity." That's the biggest thing that's making me want to stop the "applied creativity" - the hunger to return to my "pure creativity" projects.

Stories. A big goal for the summer: finishing The Fluffers Book. It's all written - but i'd like to make some final revisions as I post it on the web.

Word pieces, such as Walking with John Lennon. There are hundreds, and I'd like to get at least 20 or 30 more on the web - including a new piece from a couple of days ago when a friend's son died. It starts, "words cannot describe ... words cannot contain ... " Words cannot contain - but words come.

Music, such as White Chocolate and Hot Fudge Sauce. The goal: to upload much of what I have, even as drafts, and then word on final versions - plus a new project with a couple of musicians I've worked with.

Idea pieces, such as Whose Dog Is It, Anyway? - On Pets, Ownership, Slavery. I've been thinking a lot about what makes for good thinking, creative thinking - and how that relates to creativity in general. Also, a big question: how does one get someone to see areas of their own not-so-good thinking? When I watched Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, I was struck by his saying that, when he came up against people not listening, he asked himself: how can I get through? how can I blow away the objection? An Inconvenient Truth is his answer: he has been able to make many people listen. I ask myself the same question he did - though I am not as close to an answer: how do I get through to people?

Image-making. Somehow I really like to do images - but usually for some other project.

And then, a huge goal. To put to use new things I got - a podcasting mike and a videocamera. By summer's end I want to be using them well - including to reach out with podcasting and maybe webcasting.

****

And you, what are your hopes, dreams, plans for the summer?

And with that,

Elsa
May 20, 2007

P.S. For more explorations of the ebbs and flows of creativity, you might enjoy my creativity blog. For an overview, click here.

copyright © Elsa Schieder 2007
publishing house - FlufferDuff Impressions 2007

The Creativity Emporium
creativity of all kinds - stories, ideas, music
http://www.elsas-word-story-image-idea-music-emporium.com

Holiday Vacation Rentals Plus - including pet friendly vacation rentals
Provence, Montreal, Quebec countryside
http://www.holiday-vacation-rentals-plus.com

____________
Elsa's Creativity Emporium - Updates
May 20, 2007
vol 1, no 6

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What's New? July 6, 2008
THE COWBOY SINGS:
THERE'S SOMETHING I HAVE TO SAY.

What's New? May 26, 2008
GOOD THINKING, LOVE POETRY, PLUS.

What's New? April 20, 2008
IDEAS ON ... WESTERN TOLERANCE
AND THE INTOLERANT SIDES OF ISLAM.

What's New? December 28, 2007
HOLIDAY GREETINGS, PLUS AN EXPLORATION OF HOME
THE NEED TO FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING.

October 20, 2007
PARENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR ONGOING AUTISM INCREASE?
PLUS ... MORE MUSIC, including THE ECHO OF THE ECHO

September 30, 2007
A GOOD DAY
PLUS ... WHAT IS SPOKEN WORD?

September 23, 2007
WRITER IN RESIDENCE WANTED
PLUS ... THE TIME FOR WAITING IS OVER

September 16, 2007
FROM RIDING A TIDAL WAVE
TO STUCK ON A TREADMILL

August 14, 2007
ONE CHANGE LEADS TO ANOTHER

August 7, 2007
BIG CHANGES TO THE OPENING PAGE -
BEFORE AND AFTER

July 8, 2007
IT'S A GAMBLE! - GAMBLING - GREAT? GRUESOME?
GAMBLING - ESSENTIAL, ADDICTIVE, DESTRUCTIVE

May 20, 2007
CREATIVITY - PURE CREATIVITY VERSUS
APPLIED CREATIVITY (CREATIVITY IN OUR DAILY LIVES)

Apr 9, 07
DON'T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW,
BUT OUR DREAMS DO.

Apr 1, 07
HOW TO THINK TIP NUMBER ONE:
ASK YOURSELF THIS ONE QUESTION.

Feb. 7, 07
WHOSE DOG IS IT ANYWAY?
ON PETS, OWNERSHIP, SLAVERY.

Dec 7 '06
Nov 7 '06
Oct 7 '06
Sept 7 '06
Aug 7 '06
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Welcome to Elsa's Creativity Space

Creativity for the sake of creativity versus applied creativity.
The pull both ways.
Elsas Creativity Space Update, for what's happening now
in Elsas Word Story Image Idea Music Emporium.

Elsas Creativity Space,
an all-round creativity site
exploring moments, memory, thoughts
through spoken word, song, story,
idea pieces, rap, journal, reflection, dreams, more.
Elsas Creativity Space.

Elsas creativity space is
Elsas creativity space is
Elsas creativity space

Gertrude Stein said, almost a century ago, a rose is a rose is a rose.

Just as a rose is a rose is a rose,
Elsas creativity space is
Elsas creativity space is
Elsas creativity space.

One could even go on to say that
a rose is a rose by any other name.

Likewise, one could hold that
Elsas creativity space is
Elsas creativity space
by any other name.

And many humans might not even notice if,
instead of
Elsas creativity space
I wrote
Elsas creativity place
or
Elsas creativity site.

Most humans would just register that it's
Elsas creativity something or other.

And it is.
But there's more.

The name is a signal.

This is
Elsas creativity space
Elsas creativity space
Elsas creativity space.

i am not calling mayday. This is not a distress signal.

It's a hello signal, come see me, notice me.

Hello,
it's Elsas creativity space
Elsas creativity place
Elsas creativity oasis
calling all search engines
to find me on my island
deserted but fertile
enchanted but isolated
creative and creating but too too alone.

Who will help me through my dark?
Who will help me make my mark?
Who will help me build my ark?
I cannot do it alone.

I'm calling to people
but strangely it's not people
I am turning to for help.

It's the web
the world wide web.

I'm calling hoping the web will hear that
Elsas creativity space
Elsas creativity place
Elsas creativity oasis
is calling, calling, calling with longing and hope.

signed,

Elsa

Zee

Not-me

Sexe-Tete

All of me

including my early childhood self, Dely,
who took the name Elsa

July 9 , 2006
somewhat revised, February 6, 2007

copyright © Elsa Schieder, 2007 - all rights reserved

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