Direction ~ by Lexa Fisher

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Direction. Where am I headed?

I learned a lot about myself this past quarter. Work was really busy—longer days, weekend hours—and I let it consume my life. It was so easy to look at my day calendar and know what I would be doing the next 10 hours. I’d planned out everything I had to get done, I knew what those tasks were, what the finished goal looked like. My direction was forward.

Image from Unsplash

Problems developed, however, during my non-work hours. I had no path forward, no goal. When I had free time I wasn't able to be creative. Like unused muscles, in those non-work hours my brain couldn’t come up with a single creative thing I wanted to do.

Making Christmas cards finally gave me a goal in December, but I'd failed to do any of the other crafting that I usually enjoy. So this year I'm setting hobby goals--a road map for where I want my creativity to take me.

Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash

To reach my goal of regaining creativity, I've had to take baby steps to stop work and switch to crafting. In planning this journey, I've set out small tasks. It's a lot like looking at a map and plotting a route to your destination. 

Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first destination in my quest for creativity is the felt ornaments I've wanted to make for years. I have a Pinterest board with dozens of examples to get me started.

The first step was to search out patterns, then collect my felt and bits and pieces for decorations. Like packing for a vacation, I've sorted out what I need and what I'm missing--such as having only a single, bent embroidery needle. 🙄

I'm on my way!

Now at the end of the day I have more than just those pretty examples to look at, and knowing how to get started, it's a lot easier to stop work. The journey to greater creativity in 2021 begins!

 

Exploring Creativity ~ by Guest Richard Bist

I’ve always been someone who has been interested in creativity. Part of that comes from being a writer and having a curiosity for the world. I admire other forms of art: painting, music, sculpture, cooking, or anything that involves self-expression and imagination. I love to learn how things are created, how the paint it mixed, how the pieces of a song come together, how chefs can mix and match ingredients to create a beautiful and tasty dish. 

It’s like seeing a magician perform an amazing bit of slight-of-hand and then having the trick explained. Knowing how it’s done doesn’t diminish the trick, but instead the knowing makes it more interesting. What I enjoy is learning how an artist can envision something in their head and the process they follow to make it become real.

The other reason I wanted to explore creativity is because I didn’t have much opportunity to do so when I was growing up. While I had support from some members of my family, there was a vocal group who discouraged my creativity because - in their words - it wasn’t masculine. So my love of writing fiction and poetry was something I expressed quietly and with a degree of reservation. I continued to write, but most of it I kept to myself and only showed to a few close friends. Other forms of art were more difficult to hide.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I finally broke free from that toxic mindset. I realized that I have a need to express myself, not just in words, but in ways I hadn’t yet explored. One of the things I’ve had on my ‘want to try’ list is podcasting. I think it’s an interesting format to express and exchange ideas, sort of like terrestrial radio used to be back in the day. The big difference is that with a podcast, I could do what I wanted. There’s no restrictions on format, length, or subject matter. Complete freedom of expression. I like that.

As I began planning the show, thinking about topics I’d like to explore, I had an epiphany. You see, I originally wanted to do the show for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to explore creativity, figure out how artists performed their magic tricks, and maybe expand my own creative boundaries. While I felt empowered, I realized that my thinking was too narrow. That was due to a conversation I had with an acquaintance.

The young woman I spoke to told me about how she was struggling with her fiction writing. She was the creative one in her family, and they didn’t quite understand her need to be creative. They didn’t want to read the stories she wrote or provide any encouragement. I found it sad and it hit close to home because it was similar to what I had gone through.

That’s when I decided that my podcast needed to be broader. Instead of focusing on how things are created, I thought I’d still discuss creativity and the creative process, but I also wanted to include motivation, inspiration, keeping focused, and nurturing ideas. Basically, I wanted to help people - artists and creators - who were going through the same things that I had. I understood what it felt like to be teased for being creative, for being different. While I couldn’t go back in time to fix things for myself, my hope is that I could instead help others.

The only thing left to do at this point was come up with a show name. That was actually the hardest part. If you’re at all familiar with podcasting, you’re aware there are hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there covering almost every conceivable topic. That meant finding an appropriate name was

important. I spent the better part of two weeks researching names before I stumbled upon the perfect one: The Prometheus Project.

Why Prometheus? A very good question, and one I’ve been asked a few times. If you aren’t familiar with Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, thus bestowing knowledge and civilization to the world. Additionally, he was also seen as the creator of the arts and sciences. In my mind, that was perfect. Not that I think I’m a Greek god. Narcissism isn’t one of my strong suits. No, I felt that the purpose of the show - to inspire, motivate, and explore - fell in line with the acts of Prometheus. I’m trying to share my creative fire with others.

To me, what it comes down to is a need to express myself and my ideas. I’m not the best writer, best musician, or best artist. However, being best isn’t what I’m striving towards. I simply want to explore ideas and imagination. I want to try new things, broaden my horizons, and maybe along the way, inspire others to do the same.

I think art is often underappreciated by the general population. What I mean is, while many people listen to music and watch movies, for example, they usually don’t consider where it came from and the process it took to become real. I think that the more people who get to see behind the scenes, who get to see how the trick is done, will end up with more appreciation for art.

But it doesn’t end there. I also think that self-expression is necessary for good mental health. I know that when I take the time to do something creative every day - writing, playing guitar, cooking, whatever - I feel better than on the days I don’t express myself and my ideas. Maybe it’s a release of endorphins, or maybe it’s simply cleaning out the junk drawer in my brain. All I know is that it helps me.

When it’s all said and done, I know that I’ll look back fondly on the stories I’ve written and the music I’ve made, but what’s really going to make me proud is knowing that I helped other people to explore their creativity and hopefully built up their self-confidence and self-esteem.

Writing will always be my first love, but I feel that inspiring others to be creative gives me more satisfaction.

Richard Bist has been writing professionally for over twenty-five years, but he’s been writing stories

since he could pick up a pencil. His work has been published in a wide variety of both online and print publications, and he’s recently self-published two short story collections.

When he’s not writing, he works on his creativity podcast and cooking videos, plays guitar and keyboards, and finds time to procrastinate with his two mutts. You can contact Richard by clicking on the links below.

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Refilling the Well ~ Lexa Fisher

Photo by Frederick Tubiermont on Unsplash

Creatives often feel negligent if they aren’t generating new ideas constantly, but there are times when the creative well needs to be refilled. On my staycation last month, I indulged in activities that took me away from my normal routine, though I still made sure I got in my daily writing time. 

Abandoned railroad track 

As I put the staycation days to good use, my first stop was visiting the actual town and surrounding area that my next story is based on. A hike along an old mining trail showed how rough life was back in the early 1900s. This old railroad track was abandoned shortly after it was built because winter snows repeatedly washed it out.

The heroine in my next story will be using a metal detector to uncover history. My love of tangible history led me to this hobby and it seems my husband was equally as intrigued when much to my delight he bought a metal detector. We visited and detected on beaches and parks I had never been to. 

Before we went in search of treasure, we found great pleasure in a new YouTube channel on metal detecting. As with any hobby, there is a lot to learn. We invested in a quality detector that will serve us for years. Lesson one: metal detectors are LOUD, so I was glad we purchased a model with wireless headphones.

There is quite an acquired skill to metal detecting with the many beeps and tones that one hears. Different pitches cue you into what type of metal you may be hovering over. One spot we dug had two coins nestled together, known as a "spill".

We also found a disturbing number of rusted nails on beaches, likely from burning wooden pallets for bonfires. It's hard to think of going barefoot along a beach again.

Over our week off we developed blisters from digging into cement-like, arid soil to uncover coins, cheap jewelry, but mostly beer bottle tops. 

 

It's said, write what you know, and now I know a lot more about metal detecting. Swinging the three-pound metal detector over the ground got tiring on my shoulder in about half an hour, so I gave my heroine a job that will give her better upper body strength.

The total find for our staycation week? $1.28 in change, lots of time together exploring in the fresh air, and plenty of story ideas sparked by expanded new experiences. 

Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

A Platform for All Creatives ~ Amy Crouch and Chloe Mogg

The platform began with Chloe and Amy wanting to create a place

where both musicians and artists could share their talents in the same place during the COVID-19 Global pandemic. After seeing various Facebook groups based around music but none for other areas within the arts, the Facebook group 'The 7 Arts Still Exist' was born.

“While the world suffers, art is still being made by creatives behind closed doors. Here you can share your passion with the globe and make yourself known for your talent. The 7 arts still exist and are constantly in motion”

On March 26th 2020, Amy proposed the idea of an entirely online festival to Chloe, with the aim of showcasing live music and curating an online exhibition. On April 18th and 19th 2020, the festival went live, with a line up of 36 music acts, 18 hours of music, 26 artists and 118 artworks. They had support from their local BBC radio station, online magazines and the local news. This led the festival to great success; each live performance had an average of 650 views equaling to an overall of 23,400 views (circa) and the art exhibition had over 1000 views.

“After the success of the first festival, we knew straight away we wanted to do festival number two. We quickly started planning, and before we knew it our second festival took place 29th, 30th and 31st May - making it our biggest achievement yet.”

The 7 Arts Still Exist’s social media pages came to life with a website, Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram to go alongside the ever-growing Facebook group. Streams and artists were shared across socials to gain more coverage for the talented acts.

“We had viewers and performers from across the globe (US, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada and more) and gained over 45,600 views approx. Split 31,000 via live streams and 14,600 via the art and exhibition, we are absolutely overwhelmed and so grateful with the response.”

Now taking a couple of weeks off to research for future events, The 7 Arts Still Exist can’t wait for whatever lies ahead in the future.

Amy Crouch is an abstract painter who was born in Worcester on

Amy Crouch, Co-Founder of 7ASE

7th February 1997 and grew up in a small town called Stourport-on-Severn. Her interests range from listening to music and attending music events to ghost hunting near and far, her favourite location being Drakelow Tunnels.

She studied Media Studies, Art & Design and English at Stourport High School and Sixth Form Centre before moving on to University in 2015; graduating in 2018 with a Bachelor's with Honours degree in Art and Design from the University of Worcester.

Amy now continues to study her artist practice back in her hometown, Stourport, where she has her own studio space in the heart of the town and will begin her Masters of Fine Art study at Birmingham City University in September 2020.

 

Chloe Mogg is a singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist, music

Chloe Mogg, Co-Founder of 7ASE

journalist and now music promoter residing in Stourport-on-Severn. Chloe studied Level 3 BTEC & HND Music Performance at Kidderminster College from 2014-2018 before becoming a full time musician in 2018.

Known for her rainbow, ‘parrot’ hair, Chloe’s goal is to always bring colour to every project she participates in. Teaming up with life long best friend Amy Crouch to create The 7 Arts Still Exist, the two aim to give a platform for artists and musicians across the globe to showcase their creativity.

To learn more about this program, please click on the links below.

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