Category Archives: Creative Life

Jul30

Creative Juice #253

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

Funny stuff. Pretty stuff. Serious stuff.

Some of these will make you laugh and some will make you cry, but it’s all good.
Writers, should you write a cozy mystery?
Did you ever have a great idea, get started on it, take a break from it, and feel guilty about never getting back to it? Sometimes you just gotta let go.
Nathalie escorts us on a tour featuring murals in Jersey City.
More murals; these are from Montreal. (FYI, Norm no longer coordinates Thursday Doors. Go to No Facilities for those now.)
How to say no. Why to say no.
Love flowers? You’re gonna love these photos.
Black artists (and artists of color) lack the opportunities their white counterparts enjoy.
You might enjoy this Instagrammer’s paintings for World Watercolor Month.
You have to see these amazing crochet projects. (I’ll pass on the broccoli hat, but I want almost everything else.)
The most beautiful gifs I’ve ever seen. Depending on your internet connection, they might take a few moments to load, but hang on, they’re worth it.
A sculptor abandons metal in favor of fabric.

Jul23

Creative Juice #252

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

Beauty, brilliance, utility, and laughs.

Never text to find out how the kids are doing.
I love to see what people do in their art journals.
Writers (and other creatives), do you procrastinate instead of creating?
Could trophy hunting actually have benefits?
Agate and geode paintings. And there’s a link to a previous post of stone paintings.
I think painting clouds is challenging.
Are you a Gryffindor? Here’s an easy crochet pattern for a scarf.
All the pictures in this article are watercolors. At first glance, I swore they were photographs.
Check out this artist’s ICAD cards and other posts.
I like this artist’s process for capturing Old Faithful’s eruption.
Ernest Hemingway would be 122 years old now.
I don’t want to pay the price of this gorgeous sweater made of discarded fabric, but maybe, like electronics, the price of goods made with recycled materials will eventually come down. We can only hope.

Jul16

Creative Juice #251

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

A lot of beauty in today’s articles, curated especially for you.

Do you like Irish step dancing?
If you read my post about the Sirens, you know I love to sleep.
Georgia O’Keeffe on the art of seeing. And lots of links, if you enjoy going down rabbit holes.
I may have included these father of the bride photos in a previous edition of Creative Juice. You know what? They’re so beautiful, you should see them again.
Beautiful fruit photography.
Read your children some books about kindness and talk about how to make a difference in the lives of the people around you.
I’d never heard of Sonny Curtis, even though I’m familiar with two of his most famous songs; but I love his daughter’s essay about him.
Would you believe there are 800 pairs of herons living in Amsterdam? Maybe because of the canals. . .
Ingenious and useful creations from toilet paper rolls.
A mom’s June sketchbook pages.
I love this Instagrammer’s ICAD cards.
How a quilter pieced a 60-piece block perfectly!

Jul15

Video of the Week #314: What If You Followed Your Passion?

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

Jul2

Creative Juice #249

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

Works of art. Personal experiences. Articles to enrich your weekend.

Beautiful artwork.
How to invite your viewer into your photograph. This makes me want to take a field trip to the zoo. . .
You can draw pretty leaves.
Meeting John Lennon in India changed his life. (Heads up: this article was published a year ago; some links no longer work.)
Her pet got loose on a flight.
Driving during a tornado watch.
The complex architectural drawings of Benjamin Sack.
Want to improve your life? Here are some little books that can help you change.
These surrealistic paintings give me chills.
Lovely Victorian houses.
How an author wrote her first historical fiction book for children—oh, and there’s a book giveaway too.
A discussion of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Jun25

Creative Juice #248

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

Stuff inspiring and strange.

My kids are full-fledged adults now, or I would be really tempted to buy these incredible toys for them. Maybe if I ever have grandbabies. . .
There are rules for creativity (but one of them is create your own rules).
For the writers: I am critiquing a romance right now, and I’m so impressed with the author’s pacing. The words disappear and I’m watching the action play out like a movie in my head. I love that as a reader. How do I do that as a writer?
I recently bought a few new brushes, and one of them was a wedge. I can’t wait to try it, probably next month during World Watercolor Month.
I love the fabrics this quilter selected for her challenge block.
Here is another artist who is participating in the Index-Card-a-Day challenge.
When my son was a little boy, he called certain cars “face cars.” The term “face” came up in this article about how to draw a car.
Colorful chameleons. I’m itching to paint them.
Islamic tile work.
My God, what have we done to the earth?
I know about the painted desert, but I never heard of the painted cliffs.
The validation of seeing your photograph on a billboard.

Jun18

Creative Juice #247

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

You’re bound to find some inspiration in one of these twelve articles.

Sometimes reverse psychology is just good parenting.
Because Father’s Day is just around the corner.
Lovely scrap quilt.
Who knew chard could be so inspiring?
Interesting facts about James Joyce.
Sculpture and trees just naturally go together.
A herd of elephants in London.
A debut novelist’s journey to finished book. And a giveaway!
Improving your photographs by looking for contrast.
I love this artist’s Instagram page.
Lovely watercolors.
Want to write a story but none of your ideas are working? Here—try one of these story starters.

Jun14

Monday Morning Wisdom #314

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

Never stop learning how to learn.
~ Billie Jean King

Jun11

Creative Juice #246

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Standard

Most of this week’s articles include beautiful things to look at, but there’s also one tutorial and 12 savings strategies.

Writing during the pandemic. The crisis is winding down, but the experience detailed in this article from a year ago still resonates.
Yawn. Red lipstick? How boring.
Wartime sketch journal.
For the writers: silencing your inner critic.
Some pretty quilts.
A fun, easy, and beautiful art piece to make with your kids. Or by yourself.
Parents’ example inspires their children to be lifelong creators and learners.
I love this artsy Instagram page.
I love watching Suhita sketch.
I’ve never seen actual glow worms before.
A sculptor discusses two ceramic deer.
Increase your savings account by spending less. Easier said than done? Here are 12 strategies that might work for you.