July 16, 2003
Greetings!
My apologies for the delay in this week's Articulation. You know, I think I'd be wise to make ir official that Articulation comes out every Tuesday OR Wednesday! :-) That way, I'll always be covered! At any rate, thanks for your patience
I hope you enjoy this week's Articulation, Freedom. To view Freedom, click here!
If the above doesn't work, you can cut and paste this URL in your browser: www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/artic35.html
A Little Article:
To FREE Your Creativity, "e" Your Creativity!
If you receive this newsletter, you most likely use email in one way or another.
You may use it to discuss deadlines with your coworker in the next room, or your boss around the world. You may use it to correspond with your faraway relatives, or nearby friends, or even to send messages to your spouse. You may discuss everything from politics and poetry with people you've never met before.
I'd like to encourage you to use e-mail in what may be a new way - as a creative tool, along with your paintbrushes, pens, and fancy journals.
Through email, we've learned an entirely new trade of chatting via fingertips, the process for which must lie somewhere in between traditional oral and written communication. We love email because it's quick, it's immediate, it's non-threatening and non-imposing, and because it's easy.
The stigma of Writing (with a capital W...the kind you learned in school) goes out the window as the lines between writing and thinking and talking blur. We don't worry about emailing well. We don't worry that someone is grading us on the other side. As a result, thoughts of substance and emotions of depth are easier to express.
I'd like to encourage you to use the ease of email to tap into your creativity. Here are 5 ideas to get you started...
1. If you are writing creatively and you get stuck, type an email to your ideal reader. This could be a real friend in your life, or someone you've made up completely. It doesn't matter, as long as it is clear to you that this recipient of this email LOVES your writing.
As soon as you get stuck, start emailing your ideal reader to explain your block and ask for his/her advice. Explain what is happening in the essay/story/article/poem. Once you get yourself talking about it, just plunge right in to working on the piece directly in the email.
Of course, when it's all done, you can just send the email to yourself so you have a record of your creative work. (My thanks to Jennifer Louden of www.comfortqueen.com for teaching me this exercise, which I use often!)
2. Use the same process if you are stuck in a visual art project or piece. Jot an email to your ideal audience member...a person (real or fictional) who ADORES your art. Write about your struggles, your questions, and blocks about the piece of artwork or the process. See if the easy act of emailing gets you out of your head and in a mode to communicate with the piece in a fresh way.
3. Try the reverse of numbers 1. and 2. Pretend that YOU are the ideal art audience or idea reader, and write an email to YOURSELF. As this other person (who, again, could be either a real person in your life or someone you've made up), write a fan email to your favorite artist or writer (aka, YOU).
Tell this amazing artist or writer (YOU) the kind of work you'd love to see from him or her. Talk about risks you wish he or she would take. Talk about subjects and themes that you'd love to see tackled. Send the email to yourself and check it out a day or two later. What does your inner wisdom know about your work that you didn't know, yourself?
4. If you have a particular goal associated with your creative work or play, write an email to a friend as if it has already come true. If you want to write a book and get it published, write a message to a buddy of yours and tell them all about how great it feels to get the book written. Think big...talk about your interview on Oprah yesterday, and the book tour that starts next Tuesday. Make it as real as possible. Then send the email to yourself. This is a great way to reignite your excitement about a particular project.
5. If you are writing a "real" email message and you feel that the words are really flowing, come to a stopping place in the message and allow yourself to write creatively on any topic. You could move to a new document or pad of paper to do this, or you could even write directly in the body of the original email message, and just copy and paste it out of the message, later.
Email is a quick way to get in the flow with word and thought. We can, in essence, "bottle up" that groove by catching ourselves while we're in it. If you're on a roll in an email to a friend, your mind won't know the difference when you plunge into your next next poetry or prose.
Think of email as yet another tool in your toolbox to help get you in the flow and keep you inspiration ignited. The next time you're feeling blocked, set yourself "e"!
Artella News!
1. Get a FREE booklet to inspire your art and writing! Artella reader Lisa Robbins received the free creative booklet, 101 Topics and Triggers for Explorations in Collage and Writing, and said, "This got me more excited about writing than I've ever been. What a great free gift!"
If you'd like to have a copy of the free booklet yourself, all you have to do is spread the word about Artella! It's this simple: just take a moment or two to forward this newsletter, or send a quick email sharing our offer for the free trial issue of e-Artella, or simply pass along the Web site URL with your recommendation.
After you pass on the info. to as many good folks as you can, just send me an email (blank is fine)with "Spreading the Word" in the Subject line. As a thank you for your help, I'll send you the 101 Topics and Triggers file, which I compiled just for this spread-the-word project. It's a small way of saying thank you for for extending Artella to a bigger circle.
2. New FREE teleworkshop! As you know, I aim to offer at least one free teleworkshop every month. I've scheduled a workshop called WordJazz Poetry: A Play Date with Words and Your Creative Spirit for Monday, August 25th, from 8:30-10:00pm EST. You can reserve your spot right away by sending a blank email to WordJazzPoetry@ArtellaWordsAndArt.com.
Click hear to read what participants have said about Artella's free teleworkshops!
3. FLIGHT deadline extended! With the busy months of summer, several people are still working on submissions for the FLIGHT issue. I'm extending the official deadline until August 1, so don't put that pen or paintbrush down, just yet! And by the way, if you're a writer or artist and you'd like information about participating in Artella's waltz of words and art, just send a blank email to Collaborate@ArtellaWordsAndArt.com.
4. Artella 3 is coming! Artella 3, passion: art to heart is set to be mailed out next week. This issue is...so...well...PASSIONATE. Really.
To order a copy of this issue, just visit the individual issues page. Lots of people are saying that they've never recieved a creative buzz like they do when Artella comes in the mail. In fact, you can click here to read what they are saying!
5. Goalar Energy enrollment deadline is Sunday! The Artella e-course, Goalar Energy: A Unique Guidance Program for Extraordinary Action, starts up its next session on Monday, July 21. That means that there's still enough time to sign up for the free 4-day "test drive" to receive free lessons for 4 consecutive days. It just may be what you need to hear your own true voice again, as Melissa Daimler said it was for her...
"Marney has a way of accessing both the left and right side of my brain. She speaks to the logical part, and sings to the creative spirit. She was with me every day in my email inbox as the person who lifted me up, kept me focused on my goal, and provided a different way of looking at how I could accomplish it. She got me present to what I am really committed to, and how to push through the negative voices to get to the place where I can hear my own voice again." ."
Thank you Melissa, you creative spirit, you!! :-) And look for Melissa's wonderful piece of writing, I Know I'm Myself in the upcoming issue of Artella 3!
Click here to read more about Goalar Energy and to sign up for test drive.
Artful Links!
1. How would you love to get tickets to Cirque De Soleil sometime this week? You can see it from your own computer by visiting this Cirque De Soleil link. Have fun!!!
2. I'd like to introduce you to the 1000 Journals Project, a massive round-robin art journal effort. There are lots and lots of images to stroll through on this inspiring site.
Click here for archives of past Artful Links.
Do YOU know of an Artful Link? Let me know! I'm always looking for new links to share in this newsletter.
Sending you a piece of freedom to jump on as it flutters by.
~holgraphically,
Marney
Artella Editor
To ensure delivery of this newsletter, take a minute now and create a contact in your email address book for Articulation@ArtellaWordsAndArt.com.
If you don't, your Internet Service Provider(ISP) may block delivery. If you'd like more information about ensuring delivery, you can request our instructions for ensuring delivery to hotmail, aol, and yahoo ISPs by sending a blank email to Keep-Art-Coming@ArtellaWordsAndArt.com.