Watching a scarlet cardinal splish\u00a0and splash\u00a0in the bird bath\u00a0this morning\u00a0caused me to stop my responsibilities of the moment and\u00a0just be delighted by the scene. The image of\u00a0the red bird\u00a0wriggling\u00a0from head to tip of tail\u00a0in the cobalt blue ceramic dish, with a background of emerald green lawn appealed to me.<\/p>\n
I was struck\u00a0by\u00a0the bird’s\u00a0total immersion in\u00a0its activity. It reminded me of my day last week at BookExpo America<\/a>. BEA is the largest North American publishing trade show. Just like the cardinal I dove into the trade show experience full on. You can read more about\u00a0it\u00a0in the\u00a0Fairfield Writer’s Blog<\/a> where I penned a report.<\/p>\n This morning, the\u00a0ease of the\u00a0cardinal in the bath reminded\u00a0me of those things that help an artist or writer\u00a0be in their zone of creativity. At BEA I heard the author Cornelia Funke<\/a>\u00a0speak about her writing\u00a0process. What fascinated\u00a0me was learning\u00a0that she\u00a0started her career as\u00a0an illustrator. This explains her use of visual objects to inspire\u00a0her writing.\u00a0She writes in what she calls her “writing house,” a small building on her California property, formerly owned by the actress Faye Dunaway. Built-in\u00a0shelves originally lined the walls\u00a0to hold Dunaway’s dramatic awards. Funke\u00a0now uses\u00a0the shelves\u00a0to hold bits and pieces\u00a0of color, texture, symbol, and shape as fodder\u00a0for her imagination. As an artist I can\u00a0relate to the comfort zone of using the visual to enhance the written.<\/p>\n Creativity\u00a0and wellness message for today: What is your zone of creativity? What can you use to expand your awareness and deepen your expression?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Watching a scarlet cardinal splish\u00a0and splash\u00a0in the bird bath\u00a0this morning\u00a0caused me to stop my responsibilities of the moment and\u00a0just be delighted by the scene. The image of\u00a0the red bird\u00a0wriggling\u00a0from head to tip of tail\u00a0in the cobalt blue ceramic dish, with … Continue reading