Tag Archives: Productivity

Jan21

Creative Juice #278

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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These articles held my interest this week:

Can you read one more productivity article? This one has some interesting ideas I want to try.
This quilter has many quilts-in-progress.
I never realized the problems that transracial, transnational adoptees face. Poetry helps them cope.
Great pieces of classical music to introduce to your children. I’m familiar with all of these except one. That’s why I love lists like these—I always learn something new. (Sorry, two of the videos are missing. It happens sometimes.)
Amazing entrepreneur journey: the best sake in the world is made in Arizona.
Tutorial: how to draw a cobra, step by step.
Moody watercolor portraits.
One illustrator’s journey.
I never heard of Martin Johnson Heade. I love this commentary on one of his paintings.
These photos might make you wince.
A reading list of older books that were popular when they were released, but I’ve never heard of any of them.
I love looking at this artist’s sketchbook.

Feb26

Creative Juice #231

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Enjoy these twelve creative articles.

These look like photographs, but they’re actually pastel.
Gorgeous zentangles.
The stories behind two quilts.
A complete story in nine frames. I laughed. I cried. I sighed with relief at the end.
This article is a year old, but I just came across it recently. 30 years of Black Barbie dolls.
If you’re not a writer, you might not know that writing has a down side. It’s not all glitz and glamour, people.
Have you been by yourself a lot during the pandemic? Read this pre-pandemic article about the virtues of solitude.
I love this artist’s detailed drawings.
Make an Irish Chain quilt for St. Paddy’s Day. You’ve only got 2 1/2 weeks, but these directions make it easy.
If you use alcohol inks, or you’d like to someday, you might be interested in this sanitary technique.
A brief history of African-Americans in the arts.
For greater productivity, structure your day like a football coach.

May29

In the Meme Time: Odd Moments

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Odd moments

Apr24

Creative Juice #187

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Don’t spend one more day not knowing about these things:

Taking some of the mystery (and fear) out of hardanger.
Did you know Salvador Dali did illustrations for Don Quixote?
Am I the only person not housecleaning during the quarantine?
This is a NaPoWriMo poem. The prompt was effusive compliments.
Everything you ever wanted to know about ouzo.
Noticed while running.
Beautiful free stained glass quilt patterns.
How poetry grows on you.
Your social media practices can have unintended consequences.
The amazing ceramic fashions of Li Xiaofeng.
In a random related story, the art of the “plate thief.”
How to defeat distraction.

Jan31

Creative Juice #175

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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For your weekend reading pleasure. Lose yourself for an hour in these great articles.

Ice spinning like an LP in a river.
Do you want to do watercolor, but have no idea what to paint?
What do you see in the clouds?
Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it. How do you treat the person you love?
Beautiful quilts from the Road to California.
I love taking virtual strolls with this Jersey City artist.
Wonderful travel sketches.
Inspired Zentangles.
Do you know who Judith Leyster was? I didn’t. She was one of the Dutch master painters.
I love this illustrator’s work!
The work ethic of highly creative people.
Maybe it’s not so smart to try to increase your productivity.

Oct18

Creative Juice #160

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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A feast for the eyes, a banquet for the heart.

An amateur artist goes pro.
Knit-look sculptures made from ceramic circles.
Traveling by train in Europe.
Green ideas.
Yes, life is full of disappointments.
Ready for some fall quilting?
Gorgeous photos of mama and baby birds.
Do you have these five qualities of the creative?
Would you like to be more productive?
Pablo Picasso was an amazing artist and a crappy human being.
Now I want to go to Morocco.
What Mary Oliver said about interruptions.

Jan4

Creative Juice #122

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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4, 6, and 7 are especially beneficial for the new year.

I’ve read a bunch of these memoirs and found a few to add to my TBR pile.
Natural fashion.
For all the writers. Especially the freelancers. Do you deserve a reward today?
How to be a good father.
I love The Frugal Crafter! Here’s an upcycling project she recently posted. I love the video as well as the instructions.
Ways to put failures and setbacks into perspective. (Warning: the F-word is used liberally in this article.)
Using the Da Vinci Schedule to increase your productivity and prevent burnout.
I think my next quilt project for myself should be a red-and-white Christmas quilt. Some of these done up in Christmas fabrics would work very nicely.
I’d love to see the tools this artist used to cut this lacy octopus.
Why art matters.
I find this sculpture particularly moving.
Your creativity requires structure.

Jun8

Creative Juice #96

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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I apologize—I forgot to post some Juice for you last week.

Here’s the latest installment of creative ideas from all over the web:

Prize-winning photographs.
If you haven’t read these classics, you should.
Beautiful tangles!
50 years ago they were arrested. What happened to the Freedom Riders between then and now.
Animals acting like people.
How have I lived for 65 years without knowing about the existence of these exotic birds?
This very short article on productivity makes some very good points.
I love this artist’s watercolor journal.
Steve Jobs had some dramatic failures, but he credited them as necessary lessons which made his great successes possible in this speech he made six years before his death.
How the climate of teaching has changed in light of school shootings. (I know this isn’t about creativity, but this essay is so well-written I have to share it with smart people.)
Stop-motion animation.
Need wall art? There’s a robot for that.

Apr13

Creative Juice #89

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Just in time for weekend reading:

Embroidered portraits.
What can you learn from Mozart?
An interesting science connection to Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
Life advice from an old barber.
I can see me living in this houseboat.
I thought maybe it was the mushroom, but that’s not what the mantis was high on.
For anyone who shudders at the thought of public speaking.
How to get stuff done. I’m fascinated with this guy’s daily schedule.
Kyoto, Japan, seen through an artist’s eyes.
Gorgeous tangles.
Lovely sketchbook.
Take a bird’s eye tour of Shanghai.

Mar15

Guest Post: 6 Ways to Increase Your Productivity as a Writer Without Burning Out by Jennifer Louden

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Thank you to Writers in the Storm and to Jennifer Louden for these tips on avoiding writer burn out.

lamca-kubrick-typewriter-jack-dull-boy-shining Just about every day I read an article about a writer who’s written 988 books in the last three months under seventeen pen names while maintaining an active presence on every social media platform.

It’s enough to send me to bed with Netflix and a whole lot of dark chocolate.

But after a good binge, you and I still have to face the fact: it’s a crazy world we authors inhabit. And staying sane and productive without burning out is a skill we must cultivate, right up there with establishing a compelling voice and a thriving platform.

Jennifer Louden, from her website

I’ve spent a big part of my career studying how writers can work with more ease and consistency, mostly because writing has always been a struggle for me (8 books with a million copies in print aren’t proof writing is easy for me, only that I’m stubborn). I hope the following suggestions for sane productivity will help you like they have me and the writers I coach.

Read the rest of the article here.