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Home » Karen » Page 11

Karen

Let Creativity Flow (Part Four)

By Karen Ballon February 1, 2012
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Great discussions on creativity, everyone. Just reading your comments is sparking my creativity! So here are the last of my thoughts on what you can do when that well of ideas seems to have run dry:

Take a Time Out. Remember how that works? Time outs? When you were a kid and got a little out of control, Mom sent you to the Time Out chair to cool off. Well, this is a similar principle. Too often we try too hard, which only makes creativity that much harder to find. So take a time-out. Give yourself time to play, to move, to get out of the house, away from your everyday life. Get out in nature. The woods, the ocean, a local park. Go to the library. Go to a museum and let the beauty of other people’s creativity wash over you. Go to the gun range and, as my hubby calls it, “plink.” Take a break from being an adult. Getting away from “it all,” at least once in a while, is restorative.

Spend time with creative people. You know who they are. You know the people in your life who seem to overflow with energy and ideas, with thoughts that spark your mind and spirit. Ask to spend a day with them, and watch their faces. Ask them how they stay focused. What they do to refill and rejuvenate. Let those who have gone before you help you on your journey.

Take a 15-minute vacation. Can’t get away for a whole or even half day? No worries. Take 15 minutes. Close the door. Sit in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes. And let your imagination take you wherever you want to go. Or go online and visit the place you long to be. Find pictures, videos, and more. Let yourself be transported.

Laugh! I’ve seen the restorative power of laughter over and over again, how it brings healing and even health. Watch cartoons, funny movies, or whatever tickles your funnybone. I have a whole shelf of videos and DVDs I watch to laugh. Doris Day movies. Red Skelton and Victor Borge comedy routines. The Dick Van Dyke show. And on and on. One of my all-time favs is a video of NFL snippets, set to ballet music. Hysterical! Laughter is a powerful force, friends. Give it full rein as often as you can. You’ll be amazed how that can rejuvenate you heart, mind, and soul.

Never forget, creativity is a precious gift. One a loving Father has given to bless you and those around you. Cherish it. Express it. Let it bless your world. And in those moments when you feel it’s run out, take a deep breath and relax. It’s still there. I promise. And if none of the ideas we’ve shared helps spark it to life, watch for next week’s blog, for a list of “When All Else Fails, Try These!”

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Category: Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, Proposals, Writing Craft

Let Creativity Flow (Part Three)

By Karen Ballon January 25, 2012
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We all know how elusive creative can be at times. You’ve shared some great ways to get those juices flowing. Here are a few more ideas.

Keep an Evidence Journal. Write down your God Stories. The times you saw God act. The times you felt His touch and presence. Do it with story or just key words. But get it down on paper. When God moves in your day, write it down. When someone speaks truth to …

Read moreLet Creativity Flow (Part Three)
Category: Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, Writing Craft

Let Creativity Flow (Part Two)

By Karen Ballon January 18, 2012
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I love the ideas you all shared about finding and sparking creavity. It’s fascinating to see how we’re all wired different. My next few blogs will share some additional things you can do to refill the wells of creavity. Have fun!
1. Disconnect from technology. Okay, don't hyperventilate. But think about it. We have to be the most connected, available, interruptable people ever! Give yourself a …

Read moreLet Creativity Flow (Part Two)
Category: Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, Writing Craft

Let Creativity Flow (Part One)

By Karen Ballon January 11, 2012
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Creativity.

There are days when it flows as free as the Rogue River (and anyone who’s ever been to Oregon knows that’s free indeed!) When ideas come so hard and fast you can scarcely keep up. When the words fly from your fingers, through the keyboard, and onto the page. When creativity happens, it’s electric, exciting, energizing.

And then there are other days.

Days when you sit at the …

Read moreLet Creativity Flow (Part One)
Category: Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, Writing Craft

Ready, Set…WAIT!

By Karen Ballon January 4, 2012
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Ah, New Year’s. When hearts soar with best intentions and resolutions tumble around us like snow-melt waterfalls. Our hearts and minds surge with all we want to be, all we hope to accomplish, all we regret and want to change…

Okay, now, show of hands: How many of you make New Year’s Resolutions?

Again, show of hands: How many of you KEEP them??

If you were here, watching me, you’d notice …

Read moreReady, Set…WAIT!
Category: Christian, Faith, Karen, Personal, TheologyTag: Christian, Creativity, Faith, Karen, Personal, Theology

What A Year It’s Been…

By Karen Ballon December 28, 2011
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2011 was a year for the books. In my household alone, we saw three job losses (two for my poor hubby, one for me), all to lay-off, a new career launched, job searches (which are still going on), loss of a beloved pet, the addition of a newly beloved pet, health crises faced and survived…and the list goes on. Add to that the upheaval in the industry where I’ve worked for over 30 years, well, …

Read moreWhat A Year It’s Been…
Category: Christian, Faith, Karen, PersonalTag: Christian, Comfort, Faith

Before You Say “I Do”

By Karen Ballon December 21, 2011
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Thirty-two years ago today I said those very words to my darling hubby, Don, in a candlelit service, surrounded by friends and family. Ours was a whirlwind courtship and marriage. From the time we met to the wedding was a total of 8 months—and we were apart for 3 of those months. Yes, we were young. And yes, in many ways, we were incredibly foolish. But now, 32 years later, I can tell you that …

Read moreBefore You Say “I Do”
Category: Agents, Get Published, Karen, Personal, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Karen, Personal, Writing Craft

Threads in the Fabric (Part three)

By Karen Ballon December 14, 2011
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Wednesday again! The days go by so fast this time of year! Well, my office Corgi, Mr. Kirby, and I are happy to welcome you inside once again.

Last week we visited the kitchen. Today, let’s meander into the main office, where, no surprise, you’ll see bookcase after bookcase, all overflowing. Oh, I try to decorate and straighten, but more and more I’m embracing the chaos. I’m persuaded true …

Read moreThreads in the Fabric (Part three)
Category: Karen, PersonalTag: Karen, Personal, Writing Craft

Threads in the Fabric (Part Two)

By Karen Ballon December 7, 2011
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As promised last week, during this Christmas season, I want to share with you all the immeasurable gifts I’ve found in the wondrous world of words. So…

Welcome to my office!

The entrance is, as you can see, humble. But what delights I find inside! So let’s slip past my four-legged greeters (Kirby, our Corgi is welcoming you in today), to the first room, which holds not only a table for work …

Read moreThreads in the Fabric (Part Two)
Category: Karen, PersonalTag: Books, Karen, Personal

Threads in the Fabric

By Karen Ballon November 30, 2011
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If you came to visit my office, you’d see my walls are lined with bookshelves. Twelve in all—six ceiling-to-floor shelves and another six half that height. Plenty of room for all my books, right? Yeah, that’d be nice. I still have box upon box of books, all awaiting the day they can come out and play. Trouble is, I’m out of room for bookshelves. So I find myself faced with the painful duty of …

Read moreThreads in the Fabric
Category: Karen, PersonalTag: Books, Karen
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