Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Generating Ideas

How do we come up with ideas? Where do they come from? Today our assignment in the Blog Triage class is to come up with at least 20 ideas about which we can blog. In the spirit of sharing that is the hallmark of social networking I decided to write them down here, in my blog, and share them with all of you. I have only one proviso: if you want to write about any of them yourselves, PLEASE GO AHEAD! These are ideas that I am curious about and either want to tackle, or, just as much, read someone else's take on them. And if you think about it, no two people are going to write about the same subject the same way.

So here goes. Top of my list this morning:
•1) The Middle Age Brain and Art. I just listened to Terry Gross interview Barbara Strauch on "The Surprising Strengths of the Middle Aged Brain. How does this affect art making? How many of us can relate to this?
•2) Taking an artist's retreat for a day
•3) Creating an artist's retreat for a group of like minded artists
•4) Going to an artists' retreats in the Western United States (can you sense a theme developing here?)
•5) Working green: finding and using sustainably made art supplies.
•6) Taking a tour through a local artist's studio and writing about it.
•7) Interviewing my artist friends (you know who you are!)
•8) Asking one of these same friends to interview me (I would love this because I love questions.)
•9)  Interviewing a local art therapist in private practice and looking at what an art therapist can offer an artist.
•10) How to turn your ideas for classes into a reality privately or very publicly. (Working on the latter!)
•11) Creating art programs for underserved populations.
•12) Choosing a medium I love and arranging to tour an artists' studio who works in this medium. I would love to tour a mosaic artist's space and a jeweler's (Lynn and Tracey, are you listening?).
•13) Blogging about our local open studio tour.
•14) Blogging about an exhibition in the making--I've already got mine picked: an art quilters exhibit that will open in 2011. I haven't started on my pieces yet so this makes perfect grist for the mill.
•15) My transformation this summer into a still life painter for an upcoming exhibit.
•16) What do you do when you know you need to go in a new direction, but you're not sure how to get going?
•17) New ways to incorporate art making into the fabric of your life.
•18) How to create a portable studio anywhere you go.
•19) How to incorporate my computer into my artwork without it staging a hostile takeover.
•20) How to fit art making into smaller blocks of time.
That's me in the picture above trying to figure all of this out!

16 comments:

  1. Hannah, what a list! You are set for a while. Thank you for sharing the Terry Gross interview on "The Surprising Strengths of the Middle Aged Brain. I can definitely relate to this! I have to listen to it and see what the strengths are. My middle age brain seems to be going downhill...haha.

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  2. Hi Hannah
    Terrific photo! Perfect with the post....and your list is an inspiration...I haven't tackled the homework just yet so I look forward to seeing what pops into my "middle age brain".
    Thanks!!

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  3. Fun watching you think!!!!
    Such a vast array of ideas and plans.
    You are a busy lady/artist!

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  4. You have good ideas for future posts, and yes, I did pick up on your interest in touring a mosaic studio. I think I need to develop a page on my blog for 'how to make a mosaic'. Really, there are so many different styles and techniques that I could make several pages, couldn't I?

    I especially want to hear what you say regarding the 'hostile takeover' by the computer. I need help with this!

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  5. Hannah - isint amazing what we can come up with when someone else gets behind us and pushes a little. Thanks for bringing to my attention that we have to do that list - somehow I had missed that instruction! Selective domestic blindness perhaps! lol - I must go and put my thinking cap on.

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  6. Hannah: Yes, I'd like to listen to that interview, too! Your list is wonderful and I agree with Iona: LOVE the photo.

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  7. Great list, Hannah. You gave me several ideas.

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  8. Great list, Hannah. You gave me several ideas.

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  9. I'm really enjoying the process as we learn more about blogging...Alyson and Cynthia have given me the nudge I needed to get my words in gear.

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  10. I really like the spirit of sharing in this post-sharing ideas and the special mention of your friends and fellow bloggers. I will be tuning in to see which of these ideas you tackle first!

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  11. What a great list! It has a good feel of "community"!

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  12. Thanks Hannah! success has been achieved on my About Me page...and it really was like 'visiting Alice'

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  13. Hannah - I love the tone of your writing...so personal and warm. And I'd love to have you tour my studio! Not sure how we can make that happen, but we're creative women, right?!

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  14. Dora and Iona,

    The woman who wrote the article on the middle aged brain was also interviewed on NPR Morning Edition last week: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126115275

    There was one tidbit that I particularly liked when Barbara Strauch said: "the brain likes a good rut and we need to kick them out of those ruts a little bit..." I think that's exactly the effect the Blog Triage class is having on me.

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  15. I've also been thinking about paradox today. The busyness thing which sometimes leads to confusion and forgetfulness can also feel like a divine nudge (that push Kadira mentioned can come from anywhere). I try to trust that there is a right time for everything--for the studio, for the computer (and of course all the other wonderful parts of life...) and when that time comes, I'll know it and be able to proceed, without having to force it. (Like waiting to write comments until today!) What also helps me is the feeling of community that Karen speaks. Knowing that we are all out there around the globe is tremendously reassuring somehow.

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