The Art of Creativity

Yesterday I worked with beads. Tiny little beads. Big clunky beads. Green beads, blue beads... lots of beads. What the heck am I doing with beads, you ask? Well, I'm making promo things to give away at the RT Convention. Now, I've never been to a convention before so I have no idea about what authors give away at these events. I have a notion, however, that they don't give away the kind of stuff I'm going to give away. And that's the point, I think.

After the first fifty bookmarks you acquire, the things kind of lose their punch, you know? Magnets are expensive in large quantities. Pens are probably the most practical, but I couldn't find anything I really liked. And since this is something that is representative of my work and me--well I wanted to create something that the reader wouldn't just be inclined to stuff in their purse and toss out when they get home.

So... the beaded hair piks and the painted chinka boxes. Goodness knows I certainly have enough beads to make piks for the entire Mystic Valley. The creative part comes in combining the different beads for unique looks. So little beads alternate with medium beads. Shiny beads sit next to softer colored beads.

Can you tell that I'm getting into this bead stuff?

If nothing else comes of it, the "gimmes" should stir up a little curiosity about the place where people use beaded piks or chinkas to secure their long hair. And in the long run, that's the name of the game. The point is to generate interest in my books.

I have a couple other ideas if I end up having extra time. Yes, I can hear Kelly and Amarinda and all my other fellow authors snickering. Time? What is that? My editor probably thinks I'm delusional. Didn't y'all know that time is elastic? We stretch it to fit in whatever we have to fit in. That's how it works, right?

Currently I'm working on a green pik (suitable for a frog) in wonderful shades of green from grass to a soft jade color. If I had longer hair, I think I'd be tempted to keep this one for myself!

I have red, blue, pink, some "natural" stone, black and gray, green, purple. Hey, pick one. There's probably something here for any outfit. Barbara and Molly asked for pictures. In a couple days, I'll take some pics and post them on the blog and the web page.

A friend once told me that she wasn't creative. One day I was over at her house and noticed these gorgeous feather hangings. Gorgeous and intricate with literally hundreds of feathers. When I commented about how beautiful they were, she brushed me off with, "Oh, that's just something I do while I watch television."

Truthfully, I've never met a woman who isn't creative in one way or another. They may be wonderful cooks or perhaps they can turn a piece of fabric into anything from a fairy princess costume to a placemat. But we're all creative. A few of us write. Some sew or embroider or crochet. Have you noticed that we find personal ways to beautify our surroundings? That's our creative spirit nudging at us.

The next time you get that urge, let it out and celebrate all the ways we demonstrate our creativity.

Anny

Drop by Amarinda's Blog and find out who won the copy of Daffodil. Then pop over to Kelly's Place to see what new and exciting thing she's writing about. Check into the OhGetAGrip Blog to find out what Cindy's getting a grip about to meet Amarinda's challenge. Blessings on your day!