Day 40: The new look

Hey guys and gals, I hope you like the new look for my blog. As much as I liked the old one it went a bit scwibbily (I am aware this is not a real word), which just isn't good enough for you all!

So, after much fiddling and tweaking, this is what I have come up with. Do you like the orange? I think it's pretty creative overall. Colours are important to me and I think they are overlooked in many ways...

Anyway, I am short of time today, but creativity is never subject to time! Have a look around my blog today. Do you like the new design? Why? Why not? What would you do differently?

Creativity is individual, but can touch many others. My little creative nugget for today is this; be true to yourself when creating. If you love what you make, it will show in the work and others will appreciate it more. I changed the title of my blog to creative thinkers, because that is what we are. Yay!

Alas, a creative person's work is never done, so I'm sure it will change come time...

...watch this space!

Day 39: Calling ALL writers!!

If you write plays, poems, stories or anything of that sort then LISTEN UP!

There is an amazing competition for all of you aged between 5-25 (I recon that's most of you!).

Check out the Wicked Young Writers' Award. All it needs is 750 words of your incredible writing and you are in for a chance of winning some amazing prizes. It's FREE to enter and there are categories for each age group.

The closing date is 31st July so you need to get your stakes on. Half a month should be plenty of time for all you creative thinkers. Check out the link above for more details. It's a great website with loads of tips and help from Michael Morpurgo!

Competitions are great to enter if you want to take yourself seriously as a writer. I enter competitions and in November last year I won a prize. That can be you too, but it's like they always say, you've got to be in it to win it!

So, what are you waiting for? Get writing...Good Luck!

Day 38: Film-thoughts

How do you find a creative spark to feed your imagination?

This is definitely a BIG question, one I have tried to answer in a number of different ways over my blog entries so far (still 327 to go!). There is one way I haven't really looked at in a lot of detail yet and that is films...

I am not into writing/making films myself, but watching them helps me a LOT when it comes to inspiring my creativity. Even films that seem pretty generic can show me something I've never even thought of.

If you think about it, they touch on a lot of creative ends; story writing, plots, characterisation, photography, choreography, costume design, set design, styles, fashions, ideas, current thinking...you name it, film includes it!

Are you the kind of person that thinks about the films you've watched? If so then great, if not, I encourage you to give it a go.

Do it now with the last film you saw (DVD or cinema). Answer these questions:

-Did you enjoy it?
- Why?
- What was you favourite scene and why?
- Were the characters believable?
- Do you think the script was good?
- How did the characters achieve their goal?
- Was this believable?
- What style was the film going for (ie, dark and sinister)?
- Did their clothes match the setting/time period?
- Was it deliberate?

There are SO many questions you could ask of a film and many of the answer will tell you a little bit about what you like and where it could lead your creative work.

Let me give you an example from my own 'film-thoughts.' I went to see Twilight (the first one) when it came out which lead me to thinking about impossible relationships. Bella and Edward are like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, lovers who should be enemies. They should not be together because they are from different 'worlds.'

This idea inspired a story of mine. A well-to-do guy called James from a wealthy family ends up falling for a homeless girl, Lola. As you can see this idea seems to have nothing to do with vampires and werewolves, but its the concept I've borrowed!

Get it? I hope this helps.

Give it a go yourself and see how the films you watch can inspire YOUR creativity...

Day 37: Oli

All you budding writers out there, try this out. In fact, even if you're not a writer, give it a go anyway. Anything that gets your creative juices going is worth it! I recon it could spark off a lot of ideas (hence why I'm sharing), not just for story writers. Okay, here goes...

Look around you and find an object (something vaguely interesting. Don't chose a plug socket or something boring like that.) Now I want you to imagine that your chosen object is you (ie, you become a lamp).

Now write 50 words exactly which describe you as this object. How do you feel? Do you like what you do? What do you look like?

Oh, and one more thing. Each word can only be one syllable! (ie, one sound like cat rather than kitten.)

Take a look at my example. See if you can guess what I am:

This is my safe place, cool and dry. Light streaks through the blinds all day. Specks dance round me, full of grace.
All at once my stretched out leaf is touched by a beam and I glow. Some dust lands on me, but some falls. Here I stay, at peace.

In case you didn't guess, I am a plant which sits in my bedroom. I have had it since I was 14 and he is called Oli (sort for Oliver).

Have a go yourself. I love doing these kind of challenges. It's fun to see what you can say with such restrictions. Plus it's great for editing and makes you really think about your word choice.

If you're a musician, try writing some lyrics this way. If you're a script writer, try describing a scene or doing some dialogue. Poets, I think it would be great for you.

What my teacher said to me, I shall say on to you; if you can write this, you can write anything!

See where it takes YOUR creative mind...

Day 36: Mmmm, yummy!

Yes, today's entry is all about cakes! I'm not talking about boring buns with raisins in them (don't get me wrong, they certainly are yummy), I'm talking about colourful, creative, beautiful lookin' cakes! Doesn't it make your tummy rumble just looking at them!

Well, you too can make amazing looking cakes like these. Here's a recipe for making 12 cup cakes:
4oz (115g) Sugar
4oz (115g) Butter/Margarine
4oz (115g) Self Raising Flour
2 tea spoons vanilla essence
2 Eggs
12 cake cases
1 baking tray (if you've got one with little holes in for the cakes to sit in they are best)

Instructions:
- Mix the sugar and butter together until fluffy
- Add the 2 eggs and mix well (if you can use a whisk to let lots of air into the mixture)
- Add the flour through a sieve and the vanilla essence and mix well (use the whisk again)
- Put the mixture into the cake cases using a tea spoon
- Put them in the oven on gas mark 6 (200 degrees) for 15-20 minutes until golden brown

Now comes the fun part, decorating them! Go crazy and get creative with it. Add food colouring, sprinkles, letters, whatever you can find. Put you own funky design on it. The choice is up to you! Look here for icing options, there are many! There's even a video about it!

Sooo, here's your chance to use your creativity to feed the mouths of many...

Day 35: Creative cultures

It's summer time now and I recon quite a few people will be going off on holiday to hot (and cold) places all over the world for a break.

I've been wondering about other countries and cultures recently. Is creativity used differently in different places? Does it have different values in different cultures? Are different activities and pursuits seen as creative compared to English ones?

Things like beauty are definitely interpreted differently in different cultures, so I'm pretty sure creativity would be 'graded' differently too.

Take India for example. Colours are vibrant all over India. Their clothes, temples and spices are all bright. Weddings and funerals are full of colour and music, nothing like the traditional English ones. Music is different, films are different, art is different. In fact there is very little about India that could be regarded remotely similar to English culture.

So, what am I getting at? I'm encouraging you to look and listen when you are away this summer, wherever it is. Even if it's still in England, local culture still changes. India is of course an extreme example, but wherever you go, have a look for me. How do they regard creativity? Is is important? Is it public? Which senses does it engage with? But don't just look, take it in, process it and use it...(take your notebook!)

What will you find this summer to inspire you...?

Day 34: T-shirts

Today I have been thinking about design. Everything that we see in the man made world is designed by someone. Cars, buildings, microwaves, gardening tools, mobile phones...even this blog was designed by someone (sorry its gone a bit scuwiff at the moment. I'm kinda waiting for it to sort itself out!)

All these thoughts were whizzing through my mind whilst I was working and what do I see at work? People. So, I was thinking about design and seeing lots of people which made me think about t-shirt design (we get there a last!).

T-shirt designs always fascinate me. All the different colours, shapes, styles, patterns...There really is so much I could talk about, but I'll reign myself in! I'll focus on what's on the t-shirt.

You can get your generic spots or strips or the label designs which spell out their brand name somewhere, usually in a completely indiscreet way (you know the ones I mean.) I'm talking about unique, one-of-a-kind cool designs.

My top prize for today's t-shirt viewing session goes to a boy who was wearing a white t-shirt completely covered in little black ants (prints, not real ones that are squished on or anything). The black and white made the contrast stark and it completely captured the characteristics of an ant colony, whilst still being a cool t-shirt design; brilliant!

With this in mind I am asking you to get involved in my t-shirt search. Keep an eye out for t-shirt designs whilst you're out and about. They are everywhere!

What would YOU put on a t-shirt? How would it change for the other gender, or a different market? Would you use transfers or print on the fabric...?

Be different...Be creative...

Day 33: Abraham Lincoln

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

These very true words were brought to the world by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States and boy does he know what he's talking about!

Don't worry, I'm not about to give you a history lesson on US politics. All I'm asking is that you look at his words. Even Abraham Lincoln knew that getting anywhere meant creating a path.

Perhaps he didn't mean create in the 'arty' kind of way, but it goes to show that making things has value, whether it be our futures or a sculptor of a bunny rabbit!

Why can't we create our futures in an arty way? If 'arty' (and by that I mean creative in any way, shape or form) is your thing, then make it your future.

I'm 23 now and 'artiness' is a part of who I am (hence this blog). If I wasn't being arty then I wouldn't be Emma!

So, what I'm saying to you today (with the help of my mate Abraham Lincoln) is to creative your future by being/making what you love. If artiness makes you happy, then do it! Go for it! Keep on doing what you're doing and see where it takes you. That's what I've been doing and it going pretty well for me!

I wonder what you will create in your future...?

Day 32: Vampires

It seems to be the new craze at the moment. Everyone is either on team Edward, Team Jacob or there is of course the Team 'I hate everything to do with Twilight.'

Whatever you think about the saga, it has certainly caught the world's attention.

So lets consider the concept of vampires. They have entered all form of creative story telling for centuries whether they be blood sucking demons or lovable rouges. I watched a film last night where the whole planet had turned into vampires and they were running out of blood resulting in starving, desperate killers. It was a pretty gross film (blood and gore and stuff), but I thought the concept was a bit different. It wasn't vampires in the minority hiding from humans but the other way around.

This got my creative (human) head thinking...have vampire stories been pushed to their limits or is there still more to explore?

I'm a huge believer in the second view. All you young minds out there have definitely got the potential to be fresh, new and original with your stories in all different forms of creativity.

So how about it? What could YOU do with the vampire genre (yes, I think it can have its own genre)? There is ALWAYS another story to tell...could you create it?

Day 31: Word up!

Sometimes you sit down to be creative and there is just nothing there. At least that's what happens to me from time to time.

So to remedy this 'block' here is a little exercise to help:

Open a book, any book. Point to a word and write it down. Do this 3 times (with the same book or different ones I guess) and hey presto, you have a 3 word starting point.

Here is one I prepared earlier! My words came from 'What I Was' by Meg Rosoff (which I've just started and it's going pretty well).

Here goes...

The words: 'examine' 'something' 'impossible' See if you can spot them!

“This is impossible.” I said, trying to unscrew the pipe under the sink. “It’s never going to stop dripping. Just look at it.”

“Who are you talking to, Lucy?” said Michael from behind me. I turned to meet the cupboard door in my face.

“Aww! Who put that there?”

“Err. Luce, it’s always been there. It’s the cupboard.”

“Shut up!” I said standing up, hands on my hips.

Michael pointed at my t-shirt. “You’ve got some brown stuff on you, by the way,”

“Yeah well done, genius. I’m trying to fix the tap. It’s hardly surprising you haven’t noticed. It’s been leaking for days, probably from your stupid party the other night. Dad’ll kill you when he gets back.”

“Chill, sis,” he said taking the spanner from me. “Leave it to me.” He crouched down on the floor, without banging his head I might add. Mr perfect, as always! “And it was a gathering, not a party.”

“Whatever,” I said, arms crossed. He’ll screw up in a minute. All I have to do is wait.

After taking a million years to examine it, he finally started banging about.

“Well?” I asked. He was full on lying on the floor now. Images of beached whales came floating to mind.

“Give me a minute.” he said.

The doorbell rang. “It’s probably Jessica.” I said, running to the door. I opened the door and she stared at my t-shirt as if a dead rabbit had been smeared over it.

“It’s only oil from the pipes,” I said. “Michael and his stupid college friends broke it at their ‘gathering’.”

Jessica giggled. “Was his friend Toby there?”

I rolled my eyes, “Don’t start that again. Come in.”

Together we walked into the kitchen just as the pipe started spraying something brown everywhere.

“Michael! What have you done?” I said.

“Nothing.” He quickly tightened the nut and it went back to the drip. Casually Michael got up. His t-shirt was now an interesting shade of brown. Jessica burst into fits of laughter.

“Good one, Mike,” I said as he passed me the spanner.

“You’re right, it’s impossible,’ he said and out he went.

So, there you have it, a creative piece inspired by just 3 words. Use my words if you like, or find your own. Whatever takes you fancy.

And don't think this idea is only for story writing. I wrote a story 'cause that's what I do to be creative. Try and use it in whatever you do, dance, drama, music, animation, art...

See what you can do. Go...

Day 30: Green

This is the word of the day, green.

I challenge you to come up with a creative piece inspired by the colour green.

What kind of associations come to mind when you think of green?

Some of mine include grass, my boyfriend (cause that's his favourite colour), Shrek, the environments. My boyfriend also has a t-shirt which is bright green and it says 'fight the bear' on it. I think if I were to do a creative piece it would have something to do with a ninja fighting bear who wears a green bandanna and eats only green things as part of his ninja diet!

Now, I am aware that some of your associations may differ from mine! That's the create thing about creativity, everyone has a different flavour!

What will you come up with. Take the challenge...

Day 29: Think, act, speak...

No I'm not trying to pitch a funky new version of the highway code or promote safety or anything weird like that. I am trying, of course, to inspire creativity!

Task: The next time you see someone (your mum, sibling, friend, the milkman...) ask them a question. Any old question today, ie, 'what did you have for breakfast this morning?'

The changes are it will go something like this: stop, do some kind of action (like looking up, frowning, scratching their head etc) and then they will answer you. Why? Because this is the order in which we communicate.

First, we think. This is usually followed by some kind of body action, to show we are thinking. Then we speak.

What has this got to do with anything??

Well, if you are a writer, actor, figure animator or anything else that involves the way people behave, then this IS important!

How many times have you read a book with a line like this:

' "I can't believe you," David shouted. He raised his arms up in his anger.'

It's SO annoying when you find how they have spoken AFTER they've said it and what they were doing.

'David raised his hands up in the air, shouting, "I can't believe you." '

See what i mean?

This rule can be used in drama too. If you are writing a play, make sure you get the way people act in the right order. That way your creative work will be more believable.

Try it out for yourself. Be a student of people watching!

Day 28: Videos!

Well, hello there all!

Today I want to think about videos. In this day and age it is soooooo easy to make your own video, whether it be a music video, animation, video blog etc, etc.

About a year ago me and my sister made an animation video using a camera (ie, taking photos of every shot) and little Winnie the Pooh figurines (it was all we could find in the cupboard, okay!) Now I have to confess, this video is not the piece I am most proud of creatively, but creative it is nonetheless:



It was a lot of fun making this video and that's really my point. Have fun! Don't worry about getting it perfect, or trying something really difficult, just start and see where you end up!

Check out these videos I found on You Tube. The first two are by a band called Sour and they are proper creative!





This next one is a family effort by the looks of it. It sure looks fun that's for sure!



This last one is by a guy called Charlie and I think it's so clever. It's like I always say, pull on the resources you've already got!



He's a committed video blogger this guy, so you should check out some of his other stuff too. I enjoyed it anyway, http://www.youtube.com/user/charlieissocoollike

That all for now folks. Be inspired, get creative!

Day 27: A picture says 1000 words!

The next time you open a magazine, be it fashion, cars, computers, the big issue...find two random pictures which don't seem to have anything to do with each other. How do they link? How could you make a story/a scene/a dance piece/a painting using these two pictures?

It can be any aspect of the pictures that you chose to use. It's really up to you. Use it as a starting point...

To give you an example (which I so often like to do) take these two pictures:

I have taken them from this month's 'Marie Claire' Magazine. Is the girl - lets call her Sadie - looking at the sign? Is this where she is destined to go? Is this (the sign) what she wants her life to be? Is she an undercover detective, investigating the scene of a murder? Is she the murderer? Is she the next victim...or are they two separate things in the story all together?

Now, I am a writer, so naturally edge towards creating a story from these two images, but do whatever you like with them. Create lyrics, use the colours to inform your painting. Maybe it inspires your own fashion ideas?

Whatever you do with it, be creative. Find your own pictures and let them inspire you own creativity.

Go...