Elsas Creativity Blog. Creative Dreams, Everyday Life. Yes to a New Project.

Elsas Creativity Blog explores:
Creativity for creativity's sake versus applied creativity.
Pure creativity versus creativity in our daily lives. The pull both ways.

May 20, 2007

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

It's been a while. Time has zoomed by. I've thought of writing you. I'd even written a couple of drafts as ideas came into my miind. 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. The image I ended up using grabbed me - but it isn't a traditional one, so it took a while (and good feedback from a number of people) to settle on it.

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. Words Cannot Contain.

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,

As always, welcome into my world.

signed,

Elsa

MAY 20 , 2007

Previous - April 8, 2007

Next - May 28, 2007

Creativity for the sake of creativity
versus applied creativity.
Pure creativity
versus creativity in our daily lives.
The pull both ways.
Explored in Elsas Creativity Blog.

How do I get my creative works, and those of others,
out into the world? Steps, stages, successes, failures.
All in Elsas creativity blog. Creativity -
not easy to find/make a home for it.

elsas creativity blog
is not the same as elsas creativity log - a jotting down of events, of time spent

elsas creativity blog
is not a hop and stop
     tip top mop shop pop drop
elsas creativity blog
     is elsas creativity blog
     is elsas creativity blog

but what is elsas creativity blog?

elsas creativity blog
     is stop and start
          on and off
       trying
       doing
       ever renewing
                    elsas creativity blog
                    elsas creativity blog
     is not a dog
                 log
                 fog
                 smog
                 groggy old nodding off creativity blob
     is a wide awake
         revving up
         ever making up stuff
                 elsas creativity blog

elsas creativity blog -
     a short stop to bring you along
                           as I'm making up the site
                           feeling my way
                           like a jungle explorer
                           creepers and crawlers every which way
                           how to get through the day?
                           I couldn't say
that's elsas creativity blog

where does it come from?
where des it go?
elsas creativity blog doesn't know

it records the words elsa writes
it stays the course
it blogs all night
it's delighted to be blogging
         leap frogging
                  over words
                  over muddles
                  over huddles
                           of word lugging trouble
                  over word puddles
                  and into word puddles

elsas creativity blog
         elsas creativity blog
                  elsas creativity blog
                      is a blog by elsa
                            on creative endeavors
                      is elsa's trying
                            once more vying
                                   to reach the world
                                        let words unfurl
                                        let them rumble
                                        let them blog into the sunset
                                              over the hill
                                              down the dale
                                              up the mountain
                                              down the vale
              elsas creativity blog
                       is a faithful old horse
                                 that won't stop
                         it blop blop blogs
                                 a faithful old horse
                                     stopping now and then in its course
                                          to chew its cud
                                              letting ideas bud
                                     and then blogging alone
                                          blogging along
                                              clip clop blip blop

                         elsas creativity blog
                             elsas creativity blog
                                      elsas creativity blog

                                                                                     Elsa Schieder
                                                                                      July 9, 2006
                                                                                      © Elsa Schieder, 2006

A note for those of you who, like me, care that I sometimes write "Elsas creativity blog" and sometimes "Elsa's creativity blog." I prefer to use "Elsa's" - this is the grammatically correct spelling. But there are rules of the web. One rule: there are places where one can't use apostrophes. Another rule: one is supposed, at specific times, to use the spelling identical to the place where one can't use apostrophes.

Creativity for the sake of creativity versus applied creativity. Pure creativity versus creativity in our daily lives. The pull both ways. Explored in Elsas Creativity Blog.

How do I get my creative works, and those of others, out into the world? Steps, stages, successes, failures. All in Elsas creativity blog. Creativity - not easy to find/make a home for it.

Creativity for the sake of creativity
versus applied creativity.
Pure creativity
versus creativity in our daily lives.
The pull both ways.
Explored in Elsas Creativity Blog.

How do I get my creative works, and those of others,
out into the world? Steps, stages, successes, failures.
All in Elsas creativity blog. Creativity -
not easy to find/make a home for it.