This stunning photo, by the incredibly talented Malorie Shmyr, is part of a series called Delicate that is featured on the Opalus Magazine website. Malorie is also the editor of the publication by the same name that features incredible work from artists and creators all over the world.
Read MoreAgainst All Odds: Artists Tarzan and Arab Creating Art on the Gaza Strip
If you think you've met a struggling artist before, think again.
Tarzan and Arab (real names Ahmed and Mohamed Abu Nasser) are 25-year-old twins who were born and raised in Gaza City where theatres don't exist (the last one was destroyed a year before they were born), and artistic expression (of ANY kind) is considered to be pornographic.
Read MoreCreative Personality: An Interview With Artist Malorie Shmyr
After just one visit to malorieshmyr.com it is obvious that this talented creative director, fine artist and 3D modeler is something special.
The last couple of years have brought a world of success for this Edmonton, Alberta-based talent whose whimsical view of the world has been translated in movies, on the runway, on canvas, in print, and in photographs. I have had the honour of knowing Malorie for many years now and have had the pleasure of interviewing her to get some insight into the life and mind of a working artist.
Read More"642 Things To Write About" by The San Francisco Writers' Grotto
Write a short story that is set in Argentina in 1932, in which a teacup plays a crucial role. Describe the greatness of sandwiches. You are a pirate — describe your perfect day. What is a character holding a blue object thinking right now? Write ten new cheers for a high school cheerleading squad.
Read MoreReads For The Road: "The War of Art — Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles" by Steven Pressfield
“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance”
I have always avoided (like the plague) anything that could be considered a ‘self-help’ book, but The War of Art came into my life exactly when I needed it (thanks Scott!). It gave me the motivation to get off my butt, stop making excuses and realize that the only person preventing me from doing what I REALLY wanted to do, was me.
In his book, Steven Pressfield calls procrastination and all other forces preventing you from exploring your inner potential (aka, getting off your butt and doing that creative thing you keep dreaming about doing) "Resistance".
According to Pressfield:
“Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt. We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in-potential. It’s a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us way, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.”
The book goes on to further define this term and gives straightforward, logical tools to combat Resistance that are meant to help readers feel empowered and turn their dreams into reality.
This book is not geared only to those who are creatively inclined, however, if there is anything that you have ever wanted, but just keep putting off (tighter abs perhaps?), this book is worth the read.
