Hi! I'm Terry Holliday. I want to inspire you! Here you will find articles to get you thinking about your creative journey. I hope you enjoy the site. If you are new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and come back often!

I have a wonderful collection of art books on various subjects such as drawing, painting, design, and color. Each book was purchased for a reason.  The books may have been recommended by a friend, a teacher at a workshop, a magazine, or a book club.  Each book was received with great anticipation.

Some how, some way, life gets busy and books get pushed aside.  In my world, reading is a special treat, a privilege I allow myself to indulge in when everything else is done.  Lately, I seldom read.  It was nice when I wrote the weekly articles on Julia Cameron’s book, Walking in This World.  Click here to read those articles. I allowed myself to read because it was part of my job.  Funny how we can rationalize our eccentric behavior.

Anyway, I have a lovely collection of art books, many of which have not been read.  Some I have glanced through; some I have read the first few chapters.  For the most part, my collection of art books has not been read word for word.

The other day I decided to remedy that.  I pulled a book off the shelf and started reading.  Actually, I pulled a couple of books off the shelf and took them with me on a substitute teaching job.  When you substitute teach you usually have one period of the day that you are free. This is the teacher’s planning period or conference period.  That is, unless there is a need for you to pitch in and help in another classroom. So, I take something with me to work on during that time. I hate to be idle. Often, I write my blog articles.

So, I started reading a book I have had for years.  I don’t remember why I bought the book. It could be that I absolutely love the painting on the cover. It could be because the media written about is a combination of all my favorites. Whatever the reason, I am pouring over this book, taking notes, reading every caption.

Sometimes I get bogged down in the demonstrations and have to take a break. It takes a lot of concentration to look at the progression of work in the demonstrations trying to see the difference from one photo to the next.  But over all I am enjoying this freedom to read.

Since I have been reading I have had many ideas for paintings as well as a strong yearning to get back to the drawing board.  Yes, I mean that literally. So hopefully allowing myself to read will kick start a fresh outlook for a painting.

Reading art books can inspire creativity. Reading art books can give you new ideas and new ways to work with your favorite medium. Reading  is a wonderful learning experience. What are you reading today?

Above Triple Falls

My husband and I went for a hike the other day on a trail that starts at Horsetail Falls. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and temperatures in the sixties. I think the day could be ranked as “perfect” by some.

It was wonderful to be alive and see new things. It was wonderful to experience the beauty of nature, to see the power of God’s creation. It was wonderful to feel my muscles aching as I climbed the steep switchbacks. Well, maybe I could have done without the aching part, but it was nice getting some much needed exercise.

Can you tell I enjoyed the day?  I kept telling myself throughout the hike, “This is why people live in Oregon.”

When we reached our destination we had traveled 2.5 miles and climbed 800 feet. We saw four waterfalls, each with their own unique beauty.  Each waterfall roared with incredible power. I felt a certain amount of respect and fear as I viewed the water rushing over the rocks and cascading down the gorge.  We stopped above Triple Falls for lunch.  I sat on a huge moss covered boulder, enjoyed a sandwich and took numerous photographs. Then we hiked back out.

Today I want to share my photographs of the hike with you. Remember, I am not a professional photographer. But, I do love photography. I have wanted to take a photography class for a long time. I know I have a lot to learn. So, I change the camera settings up and take a ton of pictures. That way I occasionally get one or two that turn out nice.

View during lunch

Oneonta Gorge

Clover on the trail

Looking Up

Triple Falls

“Conditions for creativity are to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension;
to be born everyday; to feel a sense of self.”

Erich Fromm

Thought:

What are the perfect conditions for creativity?

Many of us are searching….searching…..searching for the answer to that question.  There are numerous websites. blogs, and books devoted to creativity.  My blog is one of many.

People want to know how to become more creative.  People want the secret to creativity spelled out for them in a condensed top ten list.  It would be so nice if there was a simple creativity formula.  Wouldn’t it be great if we knew:

Creativity = A + B + C

But, creativity is a little more complicated.  We remain puzzled by the illusive nature of creativity; how it can appear and disappear almost on a daily basis.

So, what do we do?

We keep trying to discover what makes us creative.  We keep learning new things.    We wake up each day to a new adventure, a new chance to make a difference creatively.  We take notice of what works or does not work.  We accept that some days will be more creative than others.  We realize that what works one day may never work again.  We understand that what works for one person may not work for the next person. We hope with great anticipation that today creativity will flow freely.

Prayer:

Lord,

You are the Great Creator. You know the perfect conditions for creativity. Please help us as we strive to expand our knowledge and creative skills.  Bless us as we search for answers.  Guide us to the right mentors, the right information, the right activities and functions that will make us more creative beings. Give us fresh eyes and an open heart.

We ask this in Christ’s name.

Amen.

So, how’s the weather where you are?
I know that the weather has been a major issue in many parts of the country this winter. I have been adapting to living in the Portland, Oregon area after living in Hawaii for two years. Sounds tough, huh? Anyway, it is colder here than in Hawaii. Ya think?
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What does it mean to be a patron of the arts? According to Dictionary.com a patron is “a person who supports with money, gifts, efforts, or endorsement an artist, writer, museum, cause, charity, institution, special event, or the like”.  You can be a patron in many different ways.  Giving money is not the only way to support the [...]

“One does not discover new lands without consenting
to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”
Andre Gide
Thought: 
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The other day I was called to substitute for an Art teacher. YEAH!  I wrote a little bit about it the other day when I talked about the Reynolds High School Art Show and Auction.  I was asked to teach about blind contour drawing.
I was excited because I love doing blind contour drawing. I love [...]