Where do ideas come from?

Recently, I had a hamstring pull, a very painful muscle pull that would wake me up at night.  One night, as I was trying to go back to sleep, images that I had seen that day kept going through my head. One image, that periodically shows up on Facebook is this one of window washers dressed as Spiderman.
It irritated me that this image was stuck in my head since I'm not a big fan of Spiderman.  I really wondered how children, especially sick children, would feel about seeing strange men outside their windows. What about the doctors, nurses and other hospital staff, how distracting would they find these window washers?

Most people don't find Superheroes scary like clowns but what if they did? What if window washers were dressed as other figures, maybe historical figures? What if...? How about..? Why not...?

Within a very short time, I had a short story in my head. It surprised me that it was a horror story, since that's not a genre that I often read. The next day I wrote it down. I have no idea at this moment, what I plan to do with it, since The Twilight Zone is no longer in production but it's ready.

So, where did I get the idea for the story?  Here's my theory:

Chance favors the prepared mind.

I write daily. Once a week I meet up with another writer and we work together. So, asking questions like "what if...?", How about ...?",  Why not...?" are ideas that I practice constantly. Topic sentences, subject-verb agreement, punctuation and spelling are second nature since I practice daily. Now, I have no delusions that I write great literature or that I am a future New York Times Bestselling Author, but I have sold some of my work and hope to sell more.

And I believe the same idea applies for any creative or practical endeavor. It doesn't matter if you want to be a fine artist working in oil or a diesel mechanic covered in oil. Practice, practice, practice. Watch YouTube videos. Read constantly. Go to museums, galleries, car shows, wherever it is that you'll find like-minded people. You're on the Internet right now, Google It!

And if you're interested in writing, join me at the Firehouse, here in Del Rio, Texas Mondays from 12:00-1:00 beginning October 5 through November 2, 2015. Call Nancy or Nicki for more details at 830 775-0888. Hope to see you there.

    

Comfort Zone

 

Comfort zones are wonderful places, couches with fuzzy blankets and hot cups of tea, chairs in the back yard on a hot summer nights watching the sunset. But sometimes, you have to step outside of your comfort zone. Go somewhere new, try new food, fossil hunt, learn a new language, zip line.



Southern Coast of England 

Now, for me, traveling is within my comfort zone. I like to travel. To me, the research is part of the trip and with preparation, traveling is fun. So far, I've visited eleven countries and half the states. I know exactly where my passport is. I have another trip planned in a few weeks and two others on the backburner.

Last year, my sister and I went to England. We had activities planned but one day we just looked at a map, hopped on a bus and went to the Isle of Portland on the Southern Coast of England, also called the Jurassic Coast. We had no idea what we'd find. We asked the driver to let us off near a museum and we wandered around. We walked over a hill and had a beautiful view of the ocean in the distance and a hedgerow of ripe berries beside us. We had a lovely lunch at the Hayloft Café and the proprietor told us about a nearby pirate cemetery. We then made our way down to the rocky beach and I took this photo. 

Leaving home is not leaving my comfort zone. I left my comfort zone when I decided to enter this photo and another in a juried photography show. I had to first enter the show online through something called thatentrything, all new to me and I paid the fees. I am not a professional photographer. The photos that I entered, I took on my cell phone. I risked putting work out there and not knowing how it would be received. I was pleasantly surprised to learn this photo was accepted. But being outside my comfort zone wasn't over yet. Then I had to find out where to have the photo printed and where to have it matted to the competition's requirements. Fortunately, I was able to ask a friend.  I had everything done and turned in to the gallery a week before it was due.
I didn't win anything. I really wasn't expecting to but I have received many pleasant comments. What is important to me is that I tried. I took something important to me and shared it.  

What takes you out of your comfort zone? What will you try? 
  




    

Project: Chalk Paint

The Before Photo

Last year, my word of the year was "Project." It's a word that can be a noun or a verb. I had several projects in mind that I wanted to share with you. However, things didn't quite turn out as I planned. Life is like that. Yet, at the end of the year, I realized that maybe I had not accomplished the specific projects I had planned but I had accomplished others.

This dresser is one. I have had it for years. I don't know where it even comes from. It was boring and slated for a yard sale. Then I heard about chalk paint. Evidently, chalk paint has been around for quite some time but it was new to me. Now, here's something I learned last year.

What you experience in person is better than seeing it in print or media.    

Shortly after I saw chalk paint in a magazine, a local antique store, advertised chalk paint on their outside chalk board. So, of course, I had to stop in. There were several pieces of old furniture that had been given a new life with chalk paint. I loved the colors and the textures. The store also sold chalk paint. The price was prohibitive. So when I came home, I researched on-line and learned to make my own with plaster or Paris, water and paint.

Midway through the painting

The painted drawers and drawer pulls

 The little set of drawers seemed like a perfect project for chalk paint, so I took them outside and went to work. It took just a few hours and the chalk paint dried very quickly. the pale green was perfect. I decoupaged scrapbook paper on the drawer pulls for a little bit of pattern and color.

 

 

Here is the final result. it now sits in my studio full of supplies. I'm glad now that I saw the sign at the antique store. Otherwise, chalk paint would probably still be one of those things that I see and think "Oh, I have to try that someday" and then forget about when I turn the page.

What about you? What difference does it make to your creativity to experience something as opposed to reading about it? Do you regularly go out of your studio, your comfort zone to experience new things? let me know.