I don't think it's a coincidence that some of the most creative people I know are also some of the funniest. The popularity of tongue-and-cheek crafts, from so-ugly-they're-cute knitted monsters to googly-eyed play food, proves that sometimes all it takes is a smile and a chuckle to get the crafty mojo flowing.
That's why I'm so excited that humor imprint TOW Books is now offering complete downloads of four of their wittiest titles--for free! Simply click here to download your very own copy of Really, You've Done Enough: A Parents' Guide to Stop Parenting Their Adult Child Who Still Needs Their Money But Not Their Advice, by Sarah Walker; Oh, the Humanity: A Gentle Guide to Social Interaction for the Feeble Young Introvert, by Jason Roeder; Everything Is Wrong with You: The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding Self-Confidence Through Self Loathing, by Wendy Molyneux; and So You Want to Be President? Find Out If You Have the Ego, Bankroll, and Moral Flexibility to Lead the Nation and Take on the World, by John Warner.
Do you love the idea of wearing your own artwork, but shy away from the idea (or the mess) of altering or creating wearables? Now Keds Studio makes it easy to customize your shoes with your own artistic designs. Upload your own sketches, paintings, photos, graphic designs or even journaling to customize a pair of kicks from the comfort of your computer chair! Then get ready to let your inspiration guide you--literally!--on your creative path.
Are your summertime dishes as sticky as mine? Barbeque sauce sun-dried onto plates, empty ice cream bowls left in the sink a bit too long, that last bit of peach cobbler stuck to the bottom of my favorite baking pan. These days I seem to go through kitchen scrubbies faster than I can stock up. The Mindful Momma offers up a great DIY project for making your own kitchen scrubbies from leftover plastic mesh bags--the kind bulk onions or citrus fruits come in. It's fast, it's easy, it's cheap, it's earth-friendly, and it's handy in a pinch, too. What else could you want in a weekend craft project? (Besides a side of homemade peach cobbler, that is.)
I'm not from New York, but it holds a special place in my heart, right down to the borderline-campy "I [Heart] NY" key chain I've carried since a vacation there in 2002. Artist Jason Polan is currently inviting subscribers of ESOPUS magazine to e-mail him and tell him their favorite thing about New York. (Did I mention he's also currently on an ambitious (if I do say so myself) mission to draw everyONE in New York?) If you're not already a subscriber, check ESOPUS out online. To quote from the publication's Web site, "Esopus is a twice-yearly arts magazine featuring fresh,
unmediated perspectives on contemporary culture from a wide range of
creative professionals. It includes artists’ projects, critical
writing, fiction, poetry, visual essays, interviews, and, in each
issue, a themed CD of new music." If you already subscribe or plan to, why not contact Jason Polan? You may just inspire a cartoon that will appear in a future issue. You can read more about the opportunity here. But hurry! All submissions are needed by the end of the day tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15.
I firmly believe that those who embark on creative endeavors of all sorts have more in common than they may ever know. Writers, crafters, fine artists, skilled artisans, designers--we all struggle with frustrating, sometimes unavoidable roadblocks to our creativity; we all revel in rushes of adreneline when inspiration strikes; we all gravitate toward and away from different phases of our creativity like the changing tides. As a former editor for Writer's Digest publications and a current editor for North Light Books, I am lucky enough to have a firsthand perspective on this, having been fortunate enough to work very closely with writers, crafters, artists and designers of all types.
So it's with a happy heart that I share with you this free excerpt from The Pocket Muse: Endless Inspiration. In the strictest sense, it's a book by a writer, for writers. But in the truest sense, it's a wonderful pocked-sized guide for the creative soul in all of us.
