Being more creative often means allowing ourselves to be more engaged with life itself, to be open to that which we experience but do not understand, and to give ourselves permission to feel before we analyze. The result is not just better writing, but better living. –Lisa Rivero

 “Find your voice and be courageous. Don’t make yourself crazy with details and nuances in your draft—look at your manuscript like a cake—let it bake and cool, then go back and decorate. Edit and tighten your prose as if your life depends on it.” –Beth Hoffman

Creativity is a truly unique characteristic of humanity.  If forced, it rears an ugly face of mediocrity. Yet, if patiently nurtured it helps one’s work blossom into a timeless beauty.  Personally I find inspiration from traveling.  The feeling of unity with animals and people of different cultures and races is evoked through powerful emotional and personal experiences.   As a photographer, trying to capture the beauty of our home planet and its inhabitants often feels like a task worthy of Sisyphus.  However, sometimes fortune smiles and a moment is just right.   That is my time of Eureka!  For a fraction of a second I am able to stop time and capture an event or emotion at a click of a shutter.  There is no better feeling. –Michael Siward

“Being a creative mom, and creating, are two different things to me. Motherhood forces me to be creative. And if I’m persistent, it also pushes me to create.” –Rose Deniz

Just as the writing of a book begins with you, the writer, so does the fear that many of us feel when we are staring at a blank page. When I am sitting there with the cursor blinking at me, hearing the not-so-nice voices that dredge up past rejections, maybe even future ones, I think about how freely I used to make up stories when I was a little girl, how the adventure of telling them made me feel, and the kid in me tells the adult in me to stop being so serious and have some fun. Fun, for me, is the key to my creativity; if I’m not enjoying myself on some level during a writing session it’s likely what I’ve written isn’t going to stick. –Rebecca Rasmussen

     “We are two artists who share our lives and art, thus we are in constant dialogue about what we are creating, will create and how to share the end result with others. Our art varies depending on our moods, the season… and materials we find/are pulled towards. It is both a high-minded impulse to connect with others and an innate impulse to express ourselves. It is a compulsion. We can not “not make art”. It is as much a part of us as having freckles or brown hair… it just is. We make things-if we did not, we would not feel we are genuinely ourselves and it is quite astoundingly rewarding each time our pieces find loving permanent homes!” –Claudia Olivos, Sergio Olivos M.

Beloved imagination, what I most like in you is your unsparing quality. –Luis do Amaral

 

 

Collage your way out of anything.  I use collage for my novels, art journals, visual art projects, and as an art form on its own.  Collage has helped me to visualize my goals, dress my characters, decorate my story settings, and illustrate my plots.  Sometimes it’s just about the colors, putting together what speaks to my mood or emotions.  At other times a collage becomes a complete reference on its own, one that inspires me to write or paint it out fully. –Valerie Storey