As part of the ongoing photography challenge, I offer you my latest two throw-up-my-hands-what-do-I-do-with-this shots. These were taken inside an art museum (MOCA in Los Angeles), of an piece installed near the ceiling of a wide corridor, where the floor slopes like a gentle ramp, a passageway of sorts. When I walked through it, it […]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject of  “Time” lately, especially in terms of how we view it and use it and abuse it. Since watching the time and meeting deadlines and so forth seem to be fairly common concerns among  so many creative people,  I’ll be writing about time and our beliefs and […]

Creality Strikes

by Barbara Martin

in Creativity, Uncategorized

Have you ever worked on a creative project only to have it fall short in the execution stage? Of course, we all do!  Well, now we have a formal term and a scientific measurement scale for judging that kind of outcome: creality.  Best of all, the creality scale is not relegated to the negative end of […]

Earlier this month I spent an agreeable day attending a hand made journal making workshop with Lisa Sonora Beam — you may recognize her as author of the excellent visually-oriented creative business primer, The Creative Entrepreneur.  If you aren’t familiar with her work, read on because you might want to experiment with making a journal or two of your […]

A Sweet Path to Habit Change

by Barbara Martin

in Try This

I have been working on a new habit. As a coach, of course I am familiar with theories about how to change habits, or how to stop doing one thing and start doing something else. Unfortunately, in defiance of all logic, my mind generally refuses to play “those games” so progress can be difficult at best.  Like many creative people, […]

This is day seven of the week-long photography challenge.  For today’s photographic adventure,  I set out on a stroll through the neighborhood, enjoying the sunshine, snapping away at this and that without a specific goal in mind.  It felt like a good time to noodle around and try the photographical equivalent of doodling or playing to see what might […]

Day 6 of the weeklong photography challenge and I am happy to report that I seem to have hit a groove this evening. This might have happened because today was in essence an all-day Artist Date. (An Artist Date, as discussed in  creativity expert Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way,  is a weekly date with yourself […]

This week’s photography challenge is killing my urge to take photographs: give me reason to rebel and I’m all over it!  On the other hand, my collage muscle cranked into gear and took off like a shot this morning.  Not that I am complaining, mind you. I think any creative endeavor is worthwhile and it all […]

The phrase “beginner mind” ran through my head this morning while I considered how to approach my photography challenge today — and what to post here on the blog in terms of relating the challenge to creativity.  Here’s the rub: Although I have taken thousands of photographs over the years, and sold hundreds of them, they […]

Showing Up to Create

by Barbara Martin

in Uncategorized

Today’s post is about showing up. I think Woody Allen is the one who is quoted as saying winning or success is 99% about showing up. (Or was that Charlie Sheen?) Nevermind, the point is I made a commitment to publish a photo or two each day during this week-long photography challenge and I am keeping […]