Creative Endeavors

Using Your Hands and Mind Creatively

“Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself.” – Alan Alda, from his article “Dig Into the World” (Reader's Digest, 1981).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Childhood Amnesia: Lost Memories of a Paper Doll Collection [PDF]. Barbara writes about the paper doll collection she didn't remember playing with as a child and then ties this discussion to her research on the realities of “childhood amnesia.” This PDF includes photos of some of the vintage dolls in Barbara’s collection and the story behind them; with links to related articles on the web and information about today’s market for vintage paper dolls. 

• Cashing in on Your Creativity: Two Ways to Look at It. Learn how to use your time and skills to make money by profiting from your know-how, and save it by “doing it yourself” or by bartering.

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia

• My Memory Box of Life with Harry Brabec. This creative endeavor was essential to Barbara’s emotional healing as a grieving widow and one that will inspire many to create a memory box of a loved one. Includes ideas and tips on how to combine memorable photos with a loved one’s personal possessions.

• Picture Yourself in a Typesetter's Tray. This creative project illustrates how to transform an antique typesetter’s tray into a unique memory box of your life or someone you love. This one is a pictorial presentation of Barbara’s life from childhood to about age 43.

“What we express through our art (whatever it may be) can give us a sense of self-worth and purpose. Without pursuing these creative endeavors, we risk living a meaningless existence, one which is sure to deeply affect our happiness and well-being.” - Steven Handel, TheEmotionMachine.com

• How to Make a Father’s Memory Box. An idea for a unique gift to make for your father or for yourself in remembrance of him. Originally published in Crafts 'n Things magazine as a how-to project, it will spark ideas for how to combine photos with personal objects.

“The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” - Eden Phillpotts, English author and playwright

• Wall of Bengal Tiger Cross-Stitch Embroideries by Barbara [PDF]. Of interest to cross-stitchers, cat lovers, and home office workers, this wall in Barbara’s office represents thousands of hours of stitching over a period of years, and it’s one of her best stress-relievers now..

“Gather and save your good ideas and those from other sources so you’ll always have an inspirational file to rummage through when you’re planning to do something new and aren’t sure how to proceed. Once your mind is filled with ideas and impressions gathered from many sources, ask, ‘How can I combine these ideas in a way that is different from what everyone else is doing?’ That is creativity!” – Barbara

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