imagination – Journey to Imagination

Tag: imagination

Necessity is the Mother of Invention, and We Need Sanity!

Posted on March 31, 2020April 1, 2020 by Laura

Welcome back to my blog! If you’re a newcomer, I’m so glad you’ve joined me on this creative journey. I can imagine many things, but I never imagined that by the time I resumed blogging, the whole world would be on lockdown. Never would I have imagined a toilet paper...Read More

How is your Muse doing?

Posted on October 30, 2019October 28, 2019 by Laura

Sometimes my Muse won’t let me sleep, no matter how late. In bed, at various hours of the night, I have to turn on the light and jot down my ideas so the Muse will leave me alone. When I wake up, the Muse is sitting on my shoulder. Really?...Read More

My Kids Grew Up in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood– Part 2

Posted on March 25, 2019March 31, 2019 by Laura

You know someone has arrived when you find his image on a postage stamp. Mister Rogers earned that distinction in 2018. But he was an American icon long before that. Mister Rogers stamps, 50 cents, 2018, licensed under Creative Commons Last time I shared how my son’s kindergarten teacher advised...Read More

My Kids Grew Up In Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Posted on March 19, 2019March 31, 2019 by Laura

My kids were immersed in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. They loved it. And not because it was the only TV show I (usually) allowed during their pre-school years. They were riveted. And so was I. Here I was all grown up, and I felt like Mister Rogers was talking to me. ...Read More

Monday Metaphor Musings #4: Life

Posted on September 24, 2018January 28, 2019 by Laura

"Life is like a doughnut. It can be sweet and tasty, but there’s always a hole in the middle.” That’s just one of many ways people have tried to capture the essence of human life on planet Earth, with all its many facets. The challenges of life have been compared...Read More

Artist Rita Trickel: Beyond Here There Be Dragons

Posted on September 10, 2018August 27, 2018 by Laura

Ahoy mateys! Ever see an old sea map where dragons marked dangerous or uncharted waters? Pictures of dragons, sea monsters, or mythological creatures warned sailors to stay away. No telling what’s beyond. Shiver me timbers! If sailors got too close to these areas, trouble abounded. Danger was at hand. All...Read More

People Watching #3

Posted on August 23, 2018August 20, 2018 by Laura

Have you done any people watching lately? The first time we looked at Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. Last time we examined a 1930s Charles Walton photograph. Today’s picture is a different flavor altogether. Aside from knowing that a picture is worth 1000 words, a picture evokes 1000 stories. If I showed...Read More

Get out that Club

Posted on August 6, 2018June 21, 2018 by Laura

A pastor once said that when he’s stuck on writing his sermon, he cleans out his garage. Yup, that’s it. That’s the cure for his writer’s block. I can totally relate! When I’m stuck on what to do next in my own writing, I start organizing piles, files, and boxes....Read More

Accidental Art & Inventions: Popsicles, Post-it Notes, & Parisian filmmaking

Posted on July 26, 2018June 21, 2018 by Laura

What happens when cooked wheat sits too long? Or when the movie camera jams? When you run out of ice cream cups or baker’s chocolate for your recipe? When your science experiment turns out the opposite of what you expected? Or when your cleaning product becomes obsolete? Sometimes these mistakes...Read More

People Watching, #2

Posted on June 25, 2018June 18, 2018 by Laura

Have you done any people watching lately? Last time we looked at Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. [caption id="attachment_745" align="aligncenter" width="456"] Via State Library of New South Wales[/caption] Aside from knowing that a picture is worth 1000 words, a picture evokes 1000 stories. If I showed a picture to a dozen students...Read More

Should kids get trophies for participation?

Posted on June 21, 2018June 12, 2018 by Laura

When my kids were in elementary school, they received little trophies each year just for running in the jog-a-thon fund-raiser. Speed or agility didn’t matter. The number of sponsors and the amount you raised didn’t matter. You could get a trophy just for the fact that you showed up and...Read More

Are you Celebrating or Lamenting?

Posted on June 18, 2018July 26, 2021 by Laura

Did you ever read a book and wish you’d written it? Have you walked through a gallery and wished you had a better eye and camera for your own photography exploits? Have you found yourself envying the singer with the beautiful voice or the musician with such mastery of his...Read More

Barbara Britton: Perfume Pics, Coloring Pencils, and Records: An Author’s Unconventional Tool Box

Posted on June 11, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

Have you wondered what it would be like living in Biblical Old Testament times? So has author Barbara Britton. In fact, she digs into O.T. history to create story worlds from 1000s of years ago. Her wanderings start with map-making and music. Last year I read the first book from...Read More

Artist/Teacher Laura Fesser, Part 2: Inspiring students

Posted on May 10, 2018July 12, 2018 by Laura

Artist Laura Fesser not only creates art but teaches art. My four children had the privilege of being in her elementary art classroom. In fact, I was thrilled because she had the uncanny ability to bring out the best in them. Because of her, for the first time ever, my two...Read More

Artist Laura Fesser, Part 1: Inspired by Polymer, Playable Guitars, & Portraits

Posted on May 7, 2018July 12, 2018 by Laura

Laura Fesser wears two creative hats: artist and teacher. Her lively artwork brightens our community at the local hospital, library, and gallery, as well as numerous homes. Laura teaches elementary art at Heritage Christian School where I started the secondary art program years earlier. Later, she taught my four children,...Read More

Ode to Broken Crayons: Some do’s and don’ts

Posted on April 30, 2018April 25, 2018 by Laura

We’ve all been there with a huge sigh, staring at a pile of old crayons. Ready to throw them out. Or staring in disbelief as our child peels the paper right off brand new crayons! How dare he! And if he snaps a crayon in half, oh my! Call in...Read More

Backyard Art Fairs & Tie Dye Parties

Posted on April 23, 2018February 27, 2019 by Laura

Tie dye, anyone? When my kids were little, we had the neighbors over for tie dye parties. In the backyard, we dunked T-shirts, pillow cases, and socks into big buckets of dye. My husband Tim monitored the garden hose as we rinsed the colors out. The alley flowed with turquoise,...Read More

Alison Sherwood, Part 2: Memory Maker, Memory Finder, & Memory Keeper

Posted on April 19, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

As a mom of small children, Alison Sherwood says YES to Mess and Mayhem. Not only does she enjoy creating and capturing memories for friends, she makes art for, about, and with her kids. She doesn’t dictate the outcome but engages them in the process, even working alongside them. Their...Read More

Alison Sherwood, Part 1: Memory Maker, Memory Finder, & Memory Keeper

Posted on April 16, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

Need inspiration? Need ideas for a party or craft? Look no further. This woman is overflowing with them! Non-stop. Alison Sherwood is a journalist turned stay-at-home-mom to three kids (Corban, 6, Mara, 4, and Haddon, 3). For nine years, she was a writer, videographer, blogger, and digital jack-of-all-trades for the...Read More

Process vs. Product: the Sizzle or the Steak?

Posted on April 12, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

We all love shortcuts. From dishwashers to washing machines, from cars to planes, from texting to email, from Google to apps for anything you can imagine, the modern world is all about convenience and finding the easiest and fastest way to do something. But that’s not how creativity usually works....Read More

Say YES to MESS & Mayhem – the Joy is in the Journey – right?

Posted on April 9, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

Is the joy really in the journey? [caption id="attachment_408" align="aligncenter" width="759"] Photo credit: cogdogblog on VisualHunt / CC BY[/caption] What price are you willing to pay for letting creativity flow? In other words, what messes are you willing to put up with? This is an ode to my mother. I...Read More

Author Liz Tolsma: Story Worlds steeped in WWII history

Posted on April 5, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

Unlike my friend Cathy, I cannot read and cook at the same time without drastic consequences. Spaghetti boiling over. Overcooked Chicken Divan. Burned biscuits. Have you ever been so engrossed in a novel that you forgot you were reading? Or didn’t hear the oven timer? And your smoke alarm went...Read More

Story Worlds: Places I’ve Been

Posted on April 2, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

I’ve never been to Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, and yet I have. I’ve never been to 19th century London, nor to a workhouse, and yet I have. I’ve never been to France during Napoleon’s exile and final days, and yet I have. Not only have I visited these...Read More

We Need Fairy Tale Dragons

Posted on March 29, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

We need Fairy Tale Dragons. [caption id="attachment_365" align="aligncenter" width="650"] CC BY-SA 3.0[/caption] We need the bad guys, the villains. Jack’s Giant. Cinderella’s and Snow White’s evil step-mothers. The Troll who bullied the Three Billy Goats Gruff. The witch in Hansel and Gretel. The Big Bad Wolf. Not to mention Captain...Read More

Why was Einstein so brilliant?

Posted on March 26, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Albert Einstein? The theory of relativity? The atomic bomb? An image of a wild-haired genius? How about fairy tales? Seriously. He was a huge fan. Here’s what he said . . . ************************** "If you want your children...Read More

The Ruby Slippers

Posted on March 22, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

“Today the ruby slippers went on auction,” I wrote to my college-aged daughter in November, 2011. “They’re expected to be sold for 2 or 3 million dollars!” [caption id="attachment_334" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Photo credit: twm1340 on Visualhunt / CC BY-SA[/caption] Audrey and I share a love of old movies, including The...Read More

In the schoolyard: R.I.P. Here lies imagination

Posted on March 19, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

“My legs have hiccups.” That’s how my daughter described muscle twitches at age three. “There a melted rainbow on that truck.” That’s her four-year-old description of a colorful array of fuzzy, blended images. “It’s the same sky over Milwaukee as in Michigan. God just spreads it over us all like...Read More

Creativity: Popcorn Popper vs. Slow Cooker?

Posted on March 15, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

Ever been on a committee that had to come up with ideas for the next best thing? It could be great fun, depending on what has to be made: --a Super Bowl commercial --a plot twist for a TV show --a name for a new doodad --a catchy slogan or...Read More

Creativity is not just for Artists

Posted on March 12, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

Brad and Joyce, my in-laws, would never call themselves artists, but they are two of the most creative people I know. Give Joyce the high school play title along with yards of fabric and accessories, and she’ll whip out a bevy of fantastic stage-ready costumes that will leave...Read More

Chickens at the State Fair

Posted on March 8, 2018October 23, 2021 by Laura

Every summer at the State Fair, you can bet I’ll visit the chickens. They compel me. Their antics make me laugh. And they amaze me with their variety. From the Belgian Bearded d’Uccle Bantam to the Golden Laced Wyandotte, no two chickens are alike. I marvel at splotches of color,...Read More

Welcome to my Blog

Posted on March 5, 2018October 23, 2021 by Laura

Tender Loving Care for Your Muse (or Hyacinths for Your Soul)Hi, I’m Laura, and I have a muse that shadows me constantly. It won’t let me sit still or sleep.She drinks tea with me in the morning.She goes on walks with me.She nudges me when I watch TV.She pokes at...Read More