Quote: Erich Fromm

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. ERICH FROMM

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: A. A. Milne

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. A. A. MILNE

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Martin Ritt

I don't have a lot of respect for talent. Talent is generic. It's what you do with it that counts. MARTIN RITT

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Lawrence Calcagno

As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied! This isn't greed, though it might be appetite. LAWRENCE CALCAGNO

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Colette

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm. COLETTE

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it. JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Stephen Nacmanovich

Creative work is play. It is free speculation using the materials of one's chosen form. STEPHEN NACHMANOVITCH

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Mae West

Whenever I have to choose between two evils, I always like to try the one I haven't tried before. MAE WEST

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Eugène Delacroix

Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything. EUGÈNE DELACROIX

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. ALBERT SZENT-GYORGYI

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: MC Richards

All the arts we practice are apprenticeship. The big art is our life. MC RICHARDS

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Louise Nevelson

I have made my world and it is a much better world than I ever saw outside. LOUISE NEVELSON

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Quote: Stella Adler

Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. STELLA ADLER

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

Walking in the World

My Friend Christina posted this excerpt from "Walking in the World" by Julia Cameron:

"As artists, we are often in the ugly-ducking position.We have been born into families that regard us as 'odd'- and we come to regard ourselves that way. (Sometimes our families are supportive, but our culture, as a whole, is not).

"Our desire to make things and to make something of ourselves in the arts is often reflected back to us as 'Who do you think you are?' I call this 'growing up in the fun house' where our soul's aspirations are mirrored back to us in a distorted and distorting fashion that makes them appear egotistical and unrealistic: 'Don't get too big for your britches,' 'Who do you think you are?'

"We often don't really know the answer to that. We know something along the lines of 'I think I might be...' When we are surrounded by people who either cannot see us or cannot acknowledge what they see, our image blurs. We begin to feel both a certain self-doubt and a certain stubborn inner knowing that we may then dismiss as crazy. Part of us knows we're more than they see, part of us fears we're less than we hope. This inner friction is painful. As artists, when a shoe doesn't fit us, we may try to walk in it anyway. If we are told that it fits, we may start to use our excellent creative imagination to imagine that it fits.

"We may further tell ourselves that our own discomfort at the pinching and the pain of a wrong shoe- and a wrong personal and creative identity- is just our 'ego.' And, we might add, just our 'grandiosity.' For many of us, declaring ourselves an artist is a 'coming-out' process. 'I think I am, I think I might be, i really identify with... oh, dear God, I think I am.' Like any coming-out process, this is turbulent." (p. 258)

"All of us need and require accurate Believing Mirrors. Believing Mirrors reflect us as large and competent creatively. They mirror possibility, not improbability. They ignore 'the odds' against us. These mirrors are held by people large enough and expansive enough spiritually not to be threatened by the size and grandeur of another artist shaking out his sizable wings." (p. 259)

Thoughts: Who are the BELIEVING MIRRORS in my life, your life? How can I/you be a believing mirror for others?

Learn more about the book Walking in the World by clicking HERE.

©2009 \\ COSMIC \\

St. Petersburg Studio Tour

If you are looking to dive into something creative this weekend and you are in the St. Petersburg, FL area, check out the St. Petersburg Studio Tour sponsored by the Craftsman House.

The event is on Saturday, March 14 and you'll get a chance to visit the studios of some of St. Petersburg's most respected artists. The event is completely free and open to the public.

For more information and a down loadable map go here.

©2009 David Scott | Cosmic: Advertising & Design

UCDA Campus Violence Poster Project

Shaking your head ruefully at the evening news doesn't accomplish much, but designing a poster might. In response to recent incidents of campus violence, the University & College Designers Association, UCDA, has launched the Campus Violence Poster Project. It's a visual round table where any designer can respond to these events on a 12 x 18-inch or smaller canvas. UCDA plans to sell posters through an online auction and feature them in the organization's magazine and website.

Deadline: April 4, 2008.

http://ucda.com/posterproject.lasso

©2008 David Scott | Cosmic: Graphic Design & Branding

Fred's Trains

I recently met a guy named Fred who appraises people's homes for a living. Which to some, may sound like a fairly ordinary career choice. As I understand it, it is just something that pays the bills.

As I got to know Fred further, I learned that he is an award winning train modeller. He builds these working trains from scratch and the amazing thing about his work, is that these trains are built to fit on a track that is a mere 1/4" wide. To give you an idea of the scale, the people shown in the photos here are less than a half inch tall. His sets are 100% built by hand. Everything is custom painted and lettered. Nothing is purchased as a completed piece. As I said, he builds everything from scratch.

I was inspired to learn that even though there are those that have uninspiring careers, they still go out of their way to find that creative passion in their life. For me, it's cooking. For Fred, it's building highly detailed minature train sets. What about you? Do you have a creative passion in your life? If so, feel free to share it here.

©2007 David Scott | Cosmic