Red Thread Circles

When asked if they are creative, 95% of young children say 'YES!' ... by middle school, that's dropped to about half, and by late teens, only about 5% see themselves as creative! What changes?  Often, it's a thoughtless comment, criticism, or a comparison with someone more 'talented.' Unfortunately, that comment is often made by an "expert," a teacher or a "more talented" friend. In reality, Creativity is the birthright of  all humans !  With Intentional Creativity, the process is more valued than the 'product,' though chances are you - yes YOU - can create something that brings you and those around you pleasure and joy, and looks good to boot! And like any other 'muscle,' the more we create, the more skillful we become.  And ... then there's Intention!!  Time out of mind, people have combined setting an intention with creative process. Knitting a sweater for someone? We think of how we want them to be cozy and warm! Cooki...

One of the earliest projects in our  Color of Woman teacher training was the invitation to create simple art journals, setting our intention, using simple supplies and an inexpensive composition book as the container. These journals, called Cosmic Smash Books by an earlier graduate, Catt Geller, became companions for many of us on our quest, holding notes, inspiration, and process pages. I made several that year, and many others since. We began and covered books in our last Red Thread Creatives circle, and this week,  created a grounding, resting or process page. We were led by Linda Allen, a CoW graduate and Smashbook Guide. Linda is a big fan of using junk mail and other throw away for booklets and pages. In our last session, I painted a cover for the journal I was already working in, using a sturdy paper bag from my daughter's stash. My youngest granddaughter came outside to paint with me, making hers for a spiral bound notebook. This week, I worked in an altered children's...