Creative Mindfulness Practices

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A mindfulness practice will boost your creativity, awareness, focus, and enjoyment.

You can be as creative with it as you are with your art.

1. 7 Great Great Resources For Developing Your Creative Mindfulness Practice (01/21) |Free
The plans you make are there to further your progress.

2. What Is Meditation (08/12) | Free
How do I find inspiration?

3. Meditation Can Be / Doesn’t Have To Be A Religious Experience (08/12) | Free
Meditation isn’t a religious practice.

4. All Religions Practice Forms Of Meditation (08/12) | Free
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all practice forms of meditation.

5. Benefits of Meditating (9/12) | Free
You will create many benefits for yourself by meditating.

6. The Physical Benefits of Meditating (9/12) | Free
There are many clinically proven physical benefits of practicing meditation.

7. Increase Your Awareness Of Your Body Through Meditation (10/12) | Free
For much of our daily lives we are unconscius of our bodies.

8. How Many Thoughts A Day Do You Think? (11/12) | Free
On average, we each think 60,000 thoughts a day.

9. How Long Should I Meditate? (12/12) | Free
The question will serve you much better if you consider it over time.

10. How To Find Time For Meditation? (12/12) | Free
You can find time for meditation without changing your schedule.

11. Increase Your Awareness Of Your Environment Through Meditation? (12/12) | Free
Spend some time becoming more aware of the miracles that surrounds you.

12. Increase Your Awareness Of Your Mind Through Meditation. (12/12) | Free
Consciousness is one of the great riddles of the universe for which there are few answers.

13. Increase Your Awareness Of Your Emotions Through Meditation.. (1/13) | Free
For most of us, when it comes to emotions, our thinking is often unclear.

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The Best Videos On Creativity

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This growing collection of videos on creativity includes content from many fields – photographers, writers, musicians, scientists and kids. Use this list to dive into what I think is the most fascinating field. Check back in the future for new additions to this list.

With so many great videos to choose from where do you start?

My top picks are red.

J J Abrams – The Mystery Box

Ray Bradbury – Telling The Truth

Julie Burstein – 4 Lessons In Creativity

Tim Brown – Tales Of Creativity And Play

Ben Cameron – The True Power Of The Performing Arts

John Paul Caponigro – You’re More Creative Than You Think

Candy Chang – Before I Die I Want To

John Cleese – On Creativity

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – On Flow

Edward De Bono – 5 Videos On Thinking Creatively

Nancy Duarte – The Common Structure Of The Greatest Communicators

Kirby Ferguson – Embrace The Remix

Neil Gaiman – Finding Your Life In Art

James Geary – Metaphorically Speaking

Elizabeth Gilbert – Nurturing Creativity

Malcolm Gladwell – On Success

Robert Greene – Creative Mastery

Sheena Iyengar – The Art Of Choosing

Steve Jobs – How To Live Before You Die

Stephen Johnson – Where Good Ideas Come From

David Kelley – How To Build Your Creative Confidence

Austin Kleon – Steal Like An Artist

Charles Limb – Your Brain On Improv

Beau Lotto – Science Is For Everyone, Kids Included

Bobby McFerrin – On Improvisation

Kerry Mullis – Celebrating The Experiment

Chris Orwig – Getting Better At Photography Fuels Innovation

Howard Rheingold – On Collaboration

Matt Ridley – When Ideas Have Sex

Sir Ken Robinson – Education Revolution

Andrew Stanton – Clues To A Great Story

Adora Svitak – What Adults Can Learn From Kids

Amy Tan – Where Does Creativity Hide ?

Don Tapscott – Four Principles For The Open World

Julian Treasure – 5 Ways To Listen Better

Benjamin Zander – Music And Passion

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Quotes On Creativity

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Your sure to find inspiration in this growing list of Creativity Quotes collections. You’ll find great thoughts from many cultures, eras, and disciplines in these collections. Click on this list of links to explore quotes by topic. Check back in the future for new additions to this list.

Authenticity

Calling

Clarity

Color

Commitment

Connected

Context

Craft

Excellence

Feeling

Looking

Mastery

Motivation

Opportunity

Optimism/Pessimism

Risk

Style

Success

Sync

Talent

Technique

Travel

Vision

Visualization

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Creativity Exercises

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Looking for new perspectives? Try these practices.

22 Ways to Find Inspiration
How do I find inspiration?

Eyes Wide Shut
Tap into your other senses.

Gesture
Connect with the implied motion in your images.

Get Physical With Your Subjects
Touch and be touched by your subjects.

Walk With Someone
Walk and photograph with someone. You’ll both find different ways of seeing the world.

Use Props
Use props to stimulate new image ideas.

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The Art Of Visual Storytelling

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To find your voice tell your story.

Plan Your Story

Every Picture Tells A Story
There are countless kinds of stories to tell and ways to tell them.

Make Plans Free to Members
Increase your productivity and fulfillment by making a plan.

Define a Project Free to Members
Focus your creative efforts and create an action list to achieve your goals.

Developing Personal Projects
Defining a project is one of the single best ways to develop your body of work.

Keep Your Current Projects Visible
What kinds of visual reminders would be helpful to you?

Perform An Annual Creative Review
At the beginning of every year I review the accomplishments of the past year.

The Benefits Of Performing An Annual Image Review
You’ll learn a great deal about your vision when you perform an annual image review.

The Benefits Of Selecting Your Top Images
Find your current best works and compare them to your past.

Discover & Develop Your Story

Finding Your Best Work Free to Members
Find your best work efficiently.

Sleepers & Keepers
Our strongest images combine immediate impact and staying power.

Singular Images Free to Members
Identify the superstars in your work.

A Dominant Impression Free to Members
How to find the “Dominant Impression” in your work.

A Train of Thought Free to Members
Look for the ways you approach making photographs and think visually.

A Body of Work Free to Members
Bodies of work add depth to and extend ways of seeing.

Outliers
They’re the images that don’t fit neatly into a body of work.

7 Benefits Of Returning To Locations
With so many wonderful places, why return to the same location more than once?

.

Structure Your Story

3 Great Books On Photographic Contact Sheets

Making Virtual Contact Sheets

Develop your thoughts faster and more clearly with collections.

Use The Power Of Storyboarding To Structure Your Photographic Explorations
Create a guiding structure to help focus and strengthen your work.

Use Storyboards To Improve Your Lightroom Collections | Coming
Create sequences to find what’s missing and new opportunities.

Use The 8 Classic Shots Of Photo Essays To Tell Better Stories
Find more shots and tell more of your story with this structure.

Tips To Help You How To Sequence Your Images Like A Pro

How you present your images can be as important as which ones you select.

4 Tools You Can Use To Control Focus And Flow When Sequencing Your Images
Use the power of cuts, pans, zooms, and fades.

6 Tools You Can Use To Improve Continuity Between Still Images
How you present your images can be as important as which ones you select.

6 Image Cuts To Avoid At All Costs | Coming
… unless you want to focus on them.

Transitions | Coming Soon
How you get there is just as important as where you arrive.

Expand Your Story

How To Strike Up A Lively Conversation With Your Images
Not sure where to go or what to do? Ask your images!

Association
Discover and develop underlying qualities and themes.

Metaphor
Work on more than one level simultaneously.

Variation Free to Members
Find many ideas or turn one idea into many variations.

Combination Free to Members
Create synergy between existing elements in your images.

Reversal
Use reversal to open new doors in your creative process.

Break The Rules
Unlock new creative possibilities.

Find Your Next Story

Your Next Story | Coming

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How To Use Words Improve Your Creativity

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Use Your Words

Watch Your Process
It’ll change your life.

Take Notes
See, remember, and produce more.

Talk With Yourself
Don’t worry, it’s not crazy. We all do it.

Listen To Yourself
The words you use reveal a lot.

Turn Your Inner Critic Into An Ally
Your inner critic can be a terrible adversary or a powerful ally.

Coach Yourself
Energize yourself. Affirm your abilities. Set tangible goals.

Avoid Should
Instead, ask, “What happens when I?”

How To Strike Up A Lively Conversation With Your Images
Find out what more your images can tell you.

Discover & Develop Your Story

Every Picture Tells A Story Free to Members
Every picture tells a story.

Discover Subjects With Nouns
Make a list to identify more subjects and more about your potential subjects.

Discover Actions With Verbs
Make a list to find out more about what’s going on around you.

Discover Qualities With Adverbs And Adjectives
Make a list to find how you really feel about your subjects and put that into your images.

Seeing With New Eyes
Ask these questions to uncover new perspectives and ideas.

Strike Up A Lively Conversation With Your Images With These Questions | Coming
Find out more about your images and your reactions to them. Talk with them.

Guiding Questions | Coming
Generate ideas and guide your work with these essential questions.

Ask 100 Questions | Coming
This exercise is sure to stretch you, reveal personal perspectives, and generate new ideas.

Free Associate To Find Feelings, Thoughts, Memories, Connections
Identify the things happening outside you and take time to explore what’s going on inside.

Association
Learn how to deepen your relationships with your work.

Content, Form, Feeling
What kind of story are you telling?

Metaphor
Use metaphor to guide you deeper into a subject.

Clarify Your Vision & Style

The Differences Between Vision & Style
Vision is what you have to say; style is how you say it.

What’s Your Vision ? | Coming

What’s Your Style ? Free To Members
Identify the basic visual elements in your work.

What’s Your Subject? | Coming

What’s Your Theme ? | Coming

Motivation – Dig Deep – Ask Why Five Times | Coming

Make Plans Free to Members
Increase your productivity and fulfillment by making a plan.

Define a Project Free to Members
Focus your creative efforts and create an action list to achieve your goals.

Developing Personal Projects
Defining a project is one of the single best ways to develop your body of work.

Clarify Your Mission, Goals, Projects, Actions

Make Your Bucket List

Tell It Your Way

The Way You Tell Your Story Is Part Of Your Style | Coming

3 Ways To Tell A Story More Creatively – It, I, You
Tell the story of your subject. Actually, tell three stories.

Most Stories Have A Beginning, Middle & End | Coming

Explore Different Story Structures | Coming

The Hero’s Journey | Coming

7 Essential Plots | Coming

Share Your Story

Why Sharing Your Story Is Important | Coming

How To Ask For Useful Feedback

How To Title Your Images

How I Title My Images

Artist’s Statements Free to Members

Tell Us About It In One Sentence, One Phrase, One Word | Coming

Loglines – Identify The Function Of Individual Images In Sequences| Coming

Core Stories | Coming

Elevator Pitches | Coming

Bylines, Bios, & CVs | Coming

Play With Words

Breaking the Rules

Creative Fear List

If You Were A … | Coming

It’s Kind Of A Cross Between … | Coming

What If … | Coming

Write A Story In One Sentence | Coming

Write A Three Line Poem | Coming

Magnetic Poetry | Coming

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Creative Mindfulness

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You can be as creative with your mindfulness practice as you are with your art. They support each other.

7 Great Great Resources For Developing Your Creative Mindfulness Practice
The plans you make are there to further your progress.

What Is Meditation
How do I find inspiration?

Meditation Can Be / Doesn’t Have To Be A Religious Experience
Meditation isn’t a religious practice.

All Religions Practice Forms Of Meditation
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all practice forms of meditation.

Benefits of Meditating
You will create many benefits for yourself by meditating.

The Physical Benefits of Meditating
There are many clinically proven physical benefits of practicing meditation.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Body Through Meditation
For much of our daily lives we are unconscius of our bodies.

How Many Thoughts A Day Do You Think?
On average, we each think 60,000 thoughts a day.

How Long Should I Meditate?
The question will serve you much better if you consider it over time.

How To Find Time For Meditation?
You can find time for meditation without changing your schedule.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Environment Through Meditation?
Spend some time becoming more aware of the miracles that surround you.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Mind Through Meditation.
Consciousness is one of the great riddles of the universe for which there are few answers.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Emotions Through Meditation.
For most of us, when it comes to emotions, our thinking is often unclear.

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6 Masters On How To Be An Artist

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You can learn a lot from watching how other artists work, especially if they’re working in another medium. Figuring out how you work in similar ways to produce your own authentic works is an exercise in creativity itself. And creativity is like a muscle, the more you work it the stronger it grows.

You’re sure to be inspired by these 6 masters.

Anni Albers
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Helen Frankenthaler
Hannah Hoch
Donald Judd
Jacob Lawrence

Find more How To Be An Artist posts here.
Find more in my social networks – Facebook and Twitter.
Get more great curated content with my newsletter Insights.

Kurt Vonnegut’s 6 Storylines

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Writer Kurt Vonnegut demonstrates 3 of his 6 simple shapes of stories.
View more creativity videos here.
Read more about Visual Storytelling here.
Learn more in my digital printing and digital photography workshops.

How Your Habits Can Make You More Creative

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They Did It This Way
Did you know?
Ludwig Van Beethoven religiously took walks in nature to find new musical ideas.
Georgia O’Keefe cultivated her garden for improved health. Upon hearing that John Marin had completed three canvases in one day the first thing she asked him was what he ate that day.
Agnes Martin’s rigorous meditation practice helped her manage her schizophrenia and find inspiration for her paintings
Ernest Hemingway stopped writing before he didn’t know what to say next so that he knew where to pick up in the morning.
Thomas Edison slept upright with a metal ball in his hand to wake him up so that he could record the ideas he found during light sleep before he lost them in deep sleep.
You Do It Your Way
No two artists do it quite the same way. Your art is your own. So are the daily rituals that propel your life. Like you, they change over time. The time you spend reviewing your habits, casting aside old unproductive ones and cultivating new productive ones will ensure greater fulfillment and success and quite possibly new breakthroughs.
Habits … they’re the keys to achieving your life goals. Habits are powerful because small things build up to something much bigger over time. Are your habits serving you? If you haven’t reconsidered your habits recently, it’s time. I know it is for me. We don’t have to do this all at once. We just have to get started. And make it a habit to consider our habits.
In this set of resources, you’ll find all kinds of great food for thought including what worked for famous artists like Leonardo, Beethoven, Hemingway, O”Keeffe and many many more.
A Toolkit To Help You Improve Your Habits
Don’t think of these resources as a to-do list. You can’t do it all! What’s most important is making time and space for the things in your life that are the most important to you.
Think these resources as toolkits to help you craft the life you want to live!