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Thanks to our good friend (in blue), Katerina Eriksson, the Head Gardener of Perennials at the Huntington Botanical Gardens (San Marino, California), I had the chance to volunteer at their annual Spring Plant Sale.

I took this as yet another opportunity to exercise my creativity in a totally different way, photographing the astounding array of flowering plants … and to be around people who really know their stuff!

I like cactus … so I took a few shots of the most exotic looking ones.

Personally, I find that when I get out of my regular routine it’s a chance to churn up all kinds of new ideas, whether they are about art, writing or just taking a needed break. Highly recommended!

This is one of our favorite events … the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, held on the campus of UCLA. This one was April 28-29, 2007.

Aside from spending time going from one booth to the next, with about 100,000 people, you have the opportunity to hear world renown authors speak in classrooms there — and it’s FREE (except for parking). If you’re a writer, you should add this event to your “must do” list.

As we strolled around, we saw Hector Elizondo, promoting his current work in the theatre, starring in the Los Angeles hit production of “Twelve Angry Men.” I just had to take his photo and tell him how much I love his work.

Also, took a moment to stop and listen to author, Greg Palast, (seen here in similar baldness and blue shirt, but that was just a coincidence, I swear!) one of our favorite political writers. Wearing headsets, he is being interviewed on KPFK radio, broadcasting live from the Book Festival.

It’s an author’s paradise … certainly a reader’s too. Put it on your calendar for late April 2008. Highly recommended!

Thought you’d like to see what I’ve been up to lately. I am reminded, by the way, that anything we do (well, ALMOST anything) stimulates our creativity. Especially when you do something for the first time…

This was my first time to do anything like this…
I walked in the Annual Revlon 5K Run/Walk (about 3 miles) for Women, a fundraiser to fight cancer.

Photo above, taken of me at the Finish Line, by my good friend Ruth Rivin.

Pat Benatar and band were playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as we returned from the walk …very cool. I heard that Gladys Knight, Kenny Loggins, and others played in years past, but the organizers never reveal in advance who’s going to be playing … so it’s always a surprise reward!

(“The Nanny”) Fran Drescher, singer Sheryl Crow (both had cancer) were there along with Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”) and other actors/celebs, models spoke, posed for photos and signed autographs, etc.

Each runner/walker wore a sign on his/her back denoting in whose honor or memory we were running/walking. I chose my dear friend, Bernadette M. Smith, who was a music business attorney I worked with in Atlanta, Georgia, and who died much-too-young, a couple years ago from cancer. Some people had several names on their lists. Some were “in support of” for cancer survivors … and there were lots of those participating in the walk, thankfully.

Biggest moment for me was when we walked through the tunnels, crowded into a river of about 50,000 people, coming out of the dark & cool and into the sunshine again, entering the “floor” of the Coliseum with people cheering, in the stands, just like we were in the Olympics!

Each participant was presented with a gold medal (shiny-gold colored, heavy, not plastic…maybe lead?) on a red ribbon that volunteer firemen/women placed around our necks, hugged us, posed for photos, just like real ‘winners.’ Very cool.

It was a relatively easy walk (except for lack of sleep! We got there at 7 a.m.), certainly because I was enjoying my visit with Ruth. I’m still energized, having recovered from the almost-blisters on the soles of my feet. Besides, I finally got to satisfy my “Inner Gladiator.”

The whole thing was really very touching…and inspirational. And fun.

If you ever have the chance to enter a ‘walk’ or ‘run’ for a good cause … go for it.

As promised, here are two links — use either one — for Doug Welch’s HOT audio interview (Career Opportunities podcast) with John Braheny, about “A Career in Music.”

Archived here from the live online stream last night (5/8/07), it runs about 60 min., and it’s free!

Link to Doug’s blog post, with all the details:

http://welchwrite.com/dewelch/ce/2007/05/career-in-music-interview-with-author.asp

Link to just the MP3 file itself:

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-7338/TS-20296.mp3

Enjoy!!

For those of you who “play out” or perform your songs “live” in clubs, concerts — even at musicians’ and songwriters’ workshops — here are some notes I’ve taken while listening to literally hundreds of singer/songwriters:

1) If you’re not working with a little video camera, so that YOU see how YOU look in front of your audience, DO IT! This doesn’t have to involve an elaborate, expensive set-up … just some way for YOU to see YOURSELF in action. No one else has to see it, ever! It doesn’t hurt to audio/video your performance each time you perform, so you can hear/see how much you’re improving. You’ll learn a lot just from doing that.

2) I realize we live in a society in which we can pretty much wear whatever … but, puhleeeze, do give some thought to your appearance before you get up on stage. Even if you’re creating a certain casual vibe, make it look intentional, and not like you just walked through a second-hand store and stuff stuck to your body indiscriminately. There’s a reason why pros use ‘stylists’ – so, if you need to, ask your high-design friends to help you get a ‘look’ if you’re not sure about your ‘image.’ People do remember and identify you visually.

3) Do you realize you’re keeping your eyes closed the whole time you’re singing to us?
Remember that you’re cutting us off … and we’re the very people you say you want to communicate your songs to. It’s just a habit. And by the way, if you are staring at the floor, or out the window of the club, while you’re performing, then I’ll be just as disinterested in your songs as you are.

4) Did you remember to warm up your voice? There are several excellent tips on how to do this … including singing in the car on the way to the gig, if you’re pushed for time. We’ll get back to this in a future post.

5) Did you take a moment to relax and focus … not just for speaking in public, but before any performance. A tried-and-true method is to sit quietly and visualize the details of what you’ll be doing — even if you’re doing the ‘same old songs’ or a well-rehearsed speech. Do a mental walk-through. And then, imagine being liked by the crowd!

6) Try to remember that we don’t know the words to your songs. And if the words are important to you, please enunciate them so that we can understand what you’re singing. It’s one of our biggest pet peeves, straining all evening just to hear the words.

7) Between-song-banter. No need to tell us, as you tune your guitar on stage, how you just recovered from laryngitis, or that you still have the flu, etc. No need to tell long and involved stories about your song if, in fact, those details will be in the lyrics anyway. No need to apologize for forgetting the chords or lyrics … we may not even notice if you play on through. (Next time, learn your songs!) No need to tell us all about how and where the song was written, unless it’s really interesting and entertaining to us. If you have to tell us what the song means, then you haven’t written a good enough song. Do tell us, however, if it was co-written, and with whom. Or if it was written by someone else. It’s worth your while to study professional singer/songwriters to learn what it is they say between songs that delights an audience. There is an art to it. It’s not just filling time.

8) It’s okay to be gracious. If you’re the first performer of the night, you can welcome the audience and thank the club (owner/manager) for having you. Surely there’s something else you can say other than, “How y’all doin’ tonight?” If you’re the last peformer, thank the audience for coming, etc. You do have manners.

9) It’s very much okay to promote your CD for sale … and hawk your website, etc. But there are ways to tuck those announcements into your performance so you don’t sound like a late-night infomercial. You can be tasteful.

Hope this helps … it’s meant to do that.

Plus here’s a brief article I found that is what got me started on this topic today:
5 Powerful Hacks to Immediately Improve Your Presentations
(written by Scott Young – but found on Ririan Project).

Enjoy!

Creative people looking at … what creative people have on their desks.

This site’s especially good to show to people who believe that artists are just messy slobs, disorganized, or worse. (OK, it’s possible they tidied up a bit before taking photos … but hey, isn’t that what you’d do if you had guests stopping by?)

[Reminds me of some of the artists I worked with at Disney Imagineering several years ago who were always so neat and clean … never dropping a bit of paint on their clothes. How’d they do that? And then there were others who … well, let’s just say they were ‘joyful’ in their process!]

On this site I like that the artists/writers/designers tell us about their workspace, showing us what’s outside their window (if they have one) and sharing with us the special doo-dads that keep their creative juices flowing.

Enjoy!

Can’t recall exactly how I found this site, but it’s a kick. Olive Riley is the world’s oldest blogger (or so it’s been publicized).

She’s 107 years young, lives in Australia, and only started her blog a few months ago.

If you have time, you’ll enjoy the many comments on her posts from around the world. We should all be this popular!

OLIVE’S FIRST POST – February 2007

“Good Morning everyone. My name is Olive Riley. I live in Australia near Sydney. I was born in Broken Hill on Oct. 20th 1899. Broken Hill is a mining town, far away in the centre of Australia. My Friend, Mike, has arranged this blog for me. He is doing the typing and I’m telling the stories…”

http://www.AllAboutOlive.com.au

Enjoy!

Walter Mosley is one of my favorite authors … and when I saw this on the NPR site, about writing your novel, I just had to share it with you. You’ve heard other authors say similar things … and it must work, because they all have great books on the market.

From the article:

“My only ritual for writing is that I do it every morning. I wake up and get to work. If I’m in a motel in Mobile — so be it. If I am up all night, and morning is two o’clock in the afternoon, well, that’s okay too.

The only thing that matters is that you write, write, write. It doesn’t have to be good writing. As a matter of fact, almost all first drafts are pretty bad. What matters is that you get down the words on the page or the screen — or into the tape recorder, if you work like that.”

His new book, This Year You Write Your Novel:

For years, people have been asking … so here you are!

Books I recommend in my Goosing Your Muse creativity seminars:

Aha! Ten Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit & Find Great Ideas
Jordan Ayan, Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1997

Art & Fear Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Art Making
David Bayles & Ted Orland
1993 Capra Press, Santa Barbara CA

Art Can Heal Your Life
Sean McNiff , art therapist
(2 audio cassette set)
www.soundstrue.com

Art Is a Way of Knowing A Guide to Self Knowledge & Spiritual Fulfillment Through Creativity
Pat. B. Allen, Shambhala Books

The Artist’s Way (A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self)
Julia Cameron
1992, Tarcher/Perigee

Brainstyles
Marlane Miller
Simon & Schuster, 1997

The Corporate Mystic A Guidebook for Visionaries with Their Feet on the Ground
Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., Kate Ludeman, Ph.D.
Bantam Books, 1996

The Courage to Be Brilliant
Marta Monahan
2002, Vittorio Press, LA

The Courage to Write How Writers Transcend Fear
Ralph Keyes, Henry Holt Books, 1995

The Craft and Business of Songwriting (3nd Edition)
(A Practical Guide to Creating and Marketing Artistically and Commercially Successful Songs)
John Braheny
2007 Writer’s Digest Books

The Craft of Lyric Writing
Sheila Davis, Writer’s Digest Books

Creating
Robert Fritz
1991, Fawcett Columbine Books

Creating a Life Worth Living
Carol Lloyd
A practical course in career design for artists, innovators, and others aspiring to a creative life.
Harper Collins Books – 1997

Creating from the Spirit Living Each Day As A Creative Act
Dan Wakefield, Ballantine Books

Creating Internet Entertainment
Jeannine Novak & Pete Markiewicz
Wiley Computer Publishing, 1997

Creating with the Angels
Terry Lynn Taylor
1993, H.J. Kramer Inc.

The Creative Journal (The Art of Finding Yourself)
Lucia Capacchione
1979, Swallow Press Books, Athens, Ohio

Creative Process in Gestalt Therapy
Joseph Zinker
1978, Vintage Books

Creativity: How to Catch Lightning in a Bottle
George Gamez – 1996
Peak Publications, PO Box 451067
Los Angeles, CA 90045

Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery & Invention
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Harper Collins, 1996

Creativity in Business
Michael Ray & Rochelle Myers, 1996

Creators on Creating (several authors)
Awakening & Cultivating the Imaginative Mind, Tarcher Putnam Books

Do What You Are – Paul D. Tieger & Barbara Barron-Tieger
Discover the Perfect Career for You
Through the Secrets of Personality Type
Little, Brown & Co. – 1995

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Betty Edwards – J.P. Tarcher Books

Drawing on the Artist Within
Betty Edwards – Simon & Schuster

Embracing Your Inner Critic
and
Embracing Our Selves (The Voice Dialogue Manual)
Hal Stone, Ph.D. &
Sidra Winkleman, Ph.D.
1989, New World Library

Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman
Bantam Books, 1995

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.
1987, Fawcett Columbine / Ballantine

Finding What You Didn’t Lose: Expressing Your Truth and Creativity through Poem-Making
John Fox, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1995

Five Star Mind – Tom Wujec
Games & Puzzles to Stimulate Your
Creativity & Imagination
1995, Doubleday Books

Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
(pronounce: Mee-high Sent-mee-high)
Harper & Row

Frogs into Princes (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
Bandler & Grider – Real People Press

Get Out of Your Own Way Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior
Mark Goulston, MD., Philip Goldberg, Perigree, 1996

The Grace of Great Things Creativity and Innovation
Robert Grudin
1990, Ticknor & Fields

Growing Up Creative
Teresa Amabile
Crown Publishing

The Heart Aroused Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America
David Whyte
Currency/Doubleday Books

Higher Creativity Liberating the Unconscious for Breakthrough Insights
Harman & Rheingold, Tarcher Books

How to Think Like Leonardo de Vinci Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
Michael J. Gelb
Delacorte Press – 1998

Idea Catcher – various authors
An Inspiring Journal for Writers
1995, Story Press, Cincinnati, Ohio

Idea Power Techniques & Resources to Unleash the Creativity in Your Organization
Arthur B. VanGundy
American Mgmt. Assn.

If You Want to Write – A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit
Brenda Ueland
1987, Graywolf Press

Joy’s Way
W. Brugh Joy, M.D.
Jeremy P. Tarcher Press

Jump Start Your Brain – Doug Hall
A Proven Method for Increasing Creativity up to 500%
Warner Books – 1995

Just Open A Vein (Writers on Writing)
Edited by William Brohaugh
Writer’s Digest Books

Keep Your Brain Alive 83 Neurobic Exercises
Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D.
& Manning Rubin
Workman Pub. 1999

Networking in the Music Business
Dan Kimpel (He has newer books too)
1993, Writer’s Digest Books

No Contest: The Case Against Competition
Alfie Kohn, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1986, 1992

No More Secondhand Art:
Awakening the Artist Within
Peter London, Shambhala Books, 1989

Orbiting the Giant Hairball
Gordon MacKenzie
A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace (Worked at Hallmark Cards for 30 years, where he inspired his colleagues to slip the bonds of Corporate Normalcy … shares lessons on awakening and fostering creative genius.) Viking Books – 1998

The Path of Least Resistance (Principles for Creating What You Want to Create)
Robert Fritz. 1984
Stillpoint Publishing Co., Salem, MA

Please Understand Me – Character and Temperament Types
David Keirsey & Marilyn Bates
Prometheus Nemesis Book Company

The Power of Play
New Visions of Creativity
Carol Lawson, A Chrysalis Reader

The Possible Human (A course in Enhancing Your Physical, Mental and Creative Abilities)
Dr. Jean Houston
1982, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam Books

The Power of Myth
Joseph Campbell (with Bill Moyers)
1987, Doubleday

The Power of Your Other Hand
Lucia Capacchione
Simon & Schuster

Practical Intuition – Laura Day
How to Harness the Power of Your Instinct and Make It Work for You
Villard New York – 1996

The Psychic Pathway A Workbook for Reawakening the Voice of Your Soul
Sonia Choquette
1995, Crown Trade, Random House

The Right-Brain Experience An Intimate Program to Free the Powers of Your Imagination
Marilee Zdenek, Two Roads Publishing, 1983, 1996

The Self-Esteem Companion
Simple exercises to help you challenge your inner critic and celebrate your personal strengths
Matthew McKay, PhD, Patrick Fanning, Carole Honeychurch & Catharine Sutker
New Harbinger Publications – 1999

Serious Creativity
Edward DeBono
Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create New Ideas
Harper Business Books

Singing at the Top of Our Lungs Women, Love and Creativity
Claudia Bepko & Jo-Ann Krestan
Harper Perennial Books

Solved By Sunset: The Right Brain Way to Resolve Whatever’s Bothering You in One Day or Less
Carol Orsborn, Harmony Books, 1995

Songwriters Playground (Innovative Exercises in Creative Songwriting)
Barbara L. Jordan
(call 1-800 CMM SONG) to order

Source Imagery
(Releasing the Power of Your Creativity)
Sandra G. Shuman, Ph.D.
1989, Doubleday

Spinning Inward – Maureen Murdock
Using Guided Imagery with Children for Learning, Creativity & Relaxation
Shambhala Publications – 1987

The Thinker’s Way 8 Steps to a Richer Life, Think Critically, Live Creatively, Choose Freely
John Chaffee, PhD
Little, Brown & Co. – 1998

Tune Your Brain – Elizabeth Miles
Using Music to Manage Your Mind, Body and Mood
Berkley Books – 1987

Type Talk at Work Understanding the Workplace and Thriving in It
Otto Kroeger with Janet M. Thuesen
1992, Delacorte Press

A Walk Between Heaven & Earth A Personal Journal on Writing & The Creative Process – Burghild Nina Holzer, Bell Tower Books, 1994

A Whack on the Side of the Head
Roger Von Oech
Published by Creative Think

When You Can You Will
Lynne Bernfield
1993, Lowell House

Who Are You? 101 Ways of Seeing Yourself
Malcolm Godwin
2000, Penguin Books

Who Do You Think You Are? Explore Your Many-Sided Self with The Berkeley Personality Profile
Keith Harary, Ph.D. &
Eileen Donahue, Ph.D.
Harper/San Francisco

Wild Mind (Living the Writer’s Life)
Natalie Goldberg
Bantam New Age Books

The Woman’s Book of Creativity
C. Diane Ealy, Ph.D.
1995, Beyond Words Publishing Inc.

Write From The Heart Unleashing the Power of Your Creativity, Hal Zina Bennett, 1995,
Nataraj Publishing, PO Box 2430,
Mill Valley, CA 94942

Writing Down the Bones
Natalie Goldberg
1986, Shambhala Publications

The Writing Life
Anne Dillard
1999 Harper & Row

Writing from the Heart Inspiration & Exercises for Women Who Want to Write
Lesl©a Newman, The Crossing Press, 1993

Writing from Within
Bernard Selling
1990, Hunter House Books

Zen in the Art of Writing
Ray Bradbury – 1994
Joshua Odell Editions, PO Box 2158,
Santa Barbara, CA 93120