Writers Create

 by Suzy Leopold

Writers create the just-right words and sentences on a page to tell a story.

Illustrators and artists create just-right pictures and art to enhance and support a story. 

Creating is powerful and allows writers to see themselves and reflect on their writing.

Time to create.

Gather together the following suggested supplies:

• scrapbook paper, and/or card stock (various sizes)
• paints--watercolor 
• crayons or felt-tip markers
• paper cutter or a scissors
• glue stick; hot glue gun (optional)
• folding tool (optional) or ruler

Additional supply ideas:

• stickers
• photographs 
• magazine photos
• discarded books
• colored pencils
• acrylic paints 
• wrapping paper or construction paper
• rubber bands
• stapler

Accordion Book

For step-by-step folding and cutting instructions, read this post on This Little Project to make an accordion-style mini-book. All you need is one sheet of paper of any size. I created mine with an 8 1/2 X 11 piece of card stock. 

Another creative idea with one sheet of paper is shown here:

For additional ideas check this video on Red Ted Art. 

Mini Journal

To make a mini-journal use one sheet of scrapbook paper, 8 1/2 X 11, for the cover.  Cut the paper in half length-wise. Then cut five sheets of white paper also in half length-wise. This is for the inside pages of the journal. This equals a total of ten pages. Next fold the cover page and journal pages in half. I bound the journal together with small rubber bands. A long-arm stapler could be used. Decorate the cover. Begin writing a story and illustrating.

A StoryTelling Box

Fill a small box with various items. A small paper or cloth bag can be used instead of a box. Create and write an imaginative story as you refer to each item. Write the story in your mini-book. 

A Book Recommendation

For many more creative ideas to write, create, and tell a story, read:

Show Me a Story

40 Craft Projects and Activities to Spark Children’s Storytelling

Written by Emily K. Neuburger

Storely Publishing, 2012

I read. I write. I create.

Consider creating and writing a mini book, mini journal, and a storytelling box with kids. Share and read your story with students during classroom visits, (or via Zoom) readers, writers, and creators. Encourage children to share and read their creations.

These creations make great handcrafted gifts for family, friends, and writerly friends.

Hopefully, this creative approach gives you motivation and confidence to use with your writing projects.

Rethinking Social Media Time for Creatives

By Suzy Leopold

How are you doing with social media [SM] during these unprecedented times?

Is SM supporting your reading, writing, and creating goals? For many creatives, SM can be a distraction as one attempts to stay informed with issues and concerns during a global pandemic and a call for kindness and respect for all.

I notice when I step back from social media for short, frequent pauses I find more time to do what matters to me. I’m not planning on giving up on my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts completely. However, I’ve found these social media breaks impact my life in positive ways, including more reading, more writing, more creating, and most importantly more family time. I am thankful for the connections I’ve made with like minded writers I’ve met online, from trusted critique partners to friendships. 

Taking conscious SM breaks provides more headspace for creativity to show up in new ways.

I picked these flowers for you!

Social media and smartphone use are destroying attention span.

We’ve become a distracted world. Research shows our attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish. Research shows our attention span is becoming less. Check out the research in this info gram:

We are interrupted by notifications, reminders, and alerts almost all day long.

Often we interrupt ourselves to quickly check email messages, Facebook posts, create a tweet on Twitter, and/or scroll through Instagram. “Just checking in” derails deep, concentrated creative work and usually extends longer than just a five to ten minute quick look.

The human brain needs twenty minutes to resume and get back on task after a distraction.

As a writer, having an online presence somewhere is important for followers and a reading audience. However, one doesn’t need to be everywhere, all of the time on line.

Social media impacts our creativity in positive and negative ways.

Social media and searching the Internet can spark creativity. There are valuable emails to read, blogs to learn from, and FB posts written by like minded creatives. Many of these posts share information, inspiration, and encouragement for readers, writers, and creators.

These online communities can push your creative boundaries. However, there needs to be a balance. Spending too much time on SM can derail your goals.

The Internet and social media offer resources to writers and illustrators and can be an excellent tool.

There may be times to step away from online communities and engage with people in your community to bring fresh ideas that you won’t find on your FB feed.

Talking and reading about writing are not the same as actual writing.

“Social media groups for writers practically beg us to talk about our work, and it’s easy to spend our designated writing time talking about writing instead of actually writing. It’s important that we balance our desire to connect online with our need to guard our work time.”

Jess Townes, Co-Regional Advisor for the Kansas-Missouri SCBWI

Revisit the SMART goals you created at the beginning of the year. Make adjustments if need be. Push your writing to the next level.

For more information about goals click SMART goals. An additional post can be found by clicking more SMART goals.

I picked some more flowers for you

“Don’t wait, write. Take an hour a week, or twenty minutes a day. Or a four day retreat. If writing is something you love to do, then just do it. Plain and simple. You can do it. Don’t wait, write.”

Amanda Zieba, Children’s Book Author

Balance your desire to connect online with your need to set aside valuable time to read, write, and create.

In the comments below share a tip about how you balance your creative time with social media time to be eligible for the giveaway. If you follow the instructions, I’ll put your name in a hat and draw two winners. Each winner will receive a hand crafted bookmark painted with watercolors. U. S. Mail only.

The two lucky winners will be announced on the next GROG Blog on July 22nd. Good luck!

Read, Write, and Create with Tracey English

by Suzy Leopold

It's back to school time!. It's a new school year with a new beginning.

Colored pencil creation
by Suzy 

It’s time for creatives to begin the school year with fresh ideas.

Lives are busy and days are filled with demands. Doodling, drawing, painting, crafting can calm a racing mind and revitalize a weary body. Spending time creating offers healing benefits, new perspectives, and a sense of pride in your writing accomplishments. 

In April, I participated in a 100 Day Creative Project. During the challenge, I met many creative individuals on-line as we shared daily creations on Instagram.

I am pleased to introduce a creative friend, a British artist and author:

Tracey English.

Tracey English 😊

Q1: I understand your parents were both artists. As a child, perhaps you were surrounded by creativity. Did your parents encourage you to be curious and create?
My brother and I were constantly surrounded by creativity, my dad had a home studio, even when my parents divorced we always spent weekends with my dad who could normally be found working away on projects. Not sure they encouraged us as such, I think it was just something that was in our blood. My brother is a film director and producer now a day. My mum taught watercolor painting to adults but was also always producing her own work as well. I can't imagine not being creative.

Q2: How would you describe your lovely, whimsical creations? What inspires you? Where do you find ideas? Please expand on your quote, “I’m an illustrator who loves to create images by snipping designs from hand coloured tissue paper.” 

ABC Creation
by Tracey English

I would describe my work as fun, playful and filled with color. I’m inspired by nature, the environment and pattern, I love the way things grow and interlock together. I originally just worked with color tissue paper but over time found it too restrictive, so I now use all sorts of hand colored and found papers to create my images.

Tracey's journal
with painted paper

Q3: During the month of October 2018, you celebrated not one, not two, but three book birthdays! 

1. PANDA CLAUS CHRISTMAS ABC ACTIVITY AND STICKER BOOK, 2018. 

2. PANDA CLAUS CHRISTMAS 123 ACTIVITY AND STICKER BOOK, 2018. 

Both are published by Bloomsburg Activity Books. 

The third title published by Quarry Books, is a landscape painting and mixed media art. It guides the reader step-by-step.

3. PAINTED BOTANICAL COLLAGE: CREATE FLOWERS, SUCCULENTS, AND HERBS FROM CUT PAPER AND MIXED MEDIA

Please tell us more. Share the experience and the process of writing and illustrating two children’s early learning books. Tell us about your journey to publication for the collage how-to guide.

It was a lovely surprise to be asked to illustrate Panda Claus and Painted Botanical collage both projects came from being seen on social media. For Panda Claus I was commissioned to only illustrate it, the publishers put together the text and gave me guidelines to what they required. 

Painted Botanical Collage was really just left down to me, the art director had seen some of my floral studies from the 2017 100 day project and that triggered off the idea for the book. It was lovely to create a step my step guide and I hope it has encouraged a few people to try out botanical collages.

Greeting Cards
by Tracey

Painted paper
by Tracey

Q4: In addition to your published books, share additional creations you design and sell.

I have an Etsy shop where I sell tea towels, posters and greeting cards that I produce myself, it is great to be able to sell direct to the general public. I also work through an agent where I license designs for various clients and commissioned pieces with art directors.

Q5: As a creative myself, I enjoy reading, writing, and creating. For the first time, I participated in The 100 Day Creative Project in April. Tell us about your experience with the 100 Day Project. Who can participate? What is the challenge all about?

This is the third time taking part in the 100 Day Project, this year I created 100 collaged postcards. It is a fun project, which helps to motivate you, and to enable you to discover new avenues. It’s definitely not easy and takes a fair bit of discipline. For me this year it helped me develop some new ideas and a new body of work.

Anyone can take part, you just need to think of a goal and a reason, it helps to share things on line and become part of the community that surrounds it, they in turn help you stick to your goals and remain focused.

Danish Houses
by Tracey

Q6: Share your advice and words of encouragement for aspiring writers, artists, and illustrators. Do you have suggestions or tips for writers and illustrators 

“under construction”? 

To stay motivated and inspired I think they are the two most important things, and also not to be afraid of hard work, it is a tough competitive industry that often isn’t very well rewarded. But if you are passionate about being creative, then hopefully good opportunities come along. It is always a bit of a roller coaster ride, lots of highs and lows. I took a long break while my family grew up but I am extremely happy to have returned to such a bright, vibrant community.

Finally, How can we connect with you on social media? Where can followers of the GROG Blog find more of your work?

Check out more of Tracey's creations and follow her on:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

To purchase Tracey's whimsical art work, go to her Etsy Shop and Jehane Ltd sites.

Tracey's Studio

Thank you for your inspiration, Tracey. Thank you for creating beautiful, whimsical art and books filled fun, creative activities. 

For additional information to participate in future challenges, search online. You'll find various opportunities: Creative 100 Day Project

Here's what I created during the #100 Day Creative Challenge that began in April 2019. 

I don't read write, write, create, discover, and explore because I have to. I do it because I want to. 

Read
Created with watercolor
by Suzy Leopold

#100 Day Creative Challenge
by Suzy Leopold

More #100 Day Creative Challenge
4 X 6 Postcards
by Suzy Leopold

Mediums used:
acrylic paints, colored pencils, watercolor,
painted paper, scrapbook paper
by Suzy Leopold

As a writer, you too, can incorporate creative concepts of art discovery in your stories. The benefits of creating may bring new energy and inspiration to your stories.

Consider adding art forms to your writing journey because you want to.

Read. Write. Create.
Watercolor
by Suzy

Thanksgiving Wishes ~By Suzy Leopold

Thanksgiving is a special time of the year to express gratitude as family and friends gather together to celebrate.

Why do many give thanks only once a year on the third Thursday of November? There is power in giving thanks every day. Research indicates the importance of giving thanks makes one happier, healthier, and more productive.

My list of gratitude is long. It includes: 

1. My husband Perry, who believes in me
2. A loving family that includes seven grands
3. Our son who is serving in the United States Air Force
4. Good health and happiness
5. The freedom to make choices
6. A garden on the Illinois Prairie that produces fresh, organic vegetables, fruit, and flowers.
7. Opportunities to share my love of reading and literacy with young adults at Lincoln Land Community College and my [after school elementary level] reading buddies
8. Story time at Afterwords Book Store and much more.

Airman Nathan

I'm also thankful to read, write, and create every day.

Homemade pumpkin pie

May I serve you?

Do hope you can spend some time reading and writing this Thanksgiving weekend. Grab some leftovers, a piece of paper and pen or your computer.

Perhaps you will:

1. Create a gratitude list
2. Write about your Thanksgiving traditions
3. Interview family members at your Thanksgiving table.
4. Set new writing goals

And as you write, think about how thankful you are to express yourself. 

"Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity; it must be produced and discharged, and used up in order to exist at all."

~William Faulkner

Autumn creation

Celebrate the meaning of Thanksgiving throughout the year.