My Creativity Blog

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!

Flower arrangement is an art that brings beauty to our environment. It can add a touch of class to any room or office space. Although it may seem easy, arranging flowers is a skill that has to be practiced before you can do it right. Adorning your home with flower arrangements can bring harmony to any house.

Just like other mediums of art, you need to put into consideration different elements such as proportion, color and balance. However, there is no hard and fast way for doing things because ultimately it will depend on the artists’ personal style. There are many people who love filling their home with different kinds of flowers. But if you have to order them from a florist it can be expensive. Why not do it yourself? Here are four flower arrangements you can do at home.

• Horizontal Arrangement. This is a simple style you can do at home. All you need is a shallow container and a huge flower to be used as the focal point. Low lying leaves or drooping branches are added to complement the focal point. This type of arrangement looks great on coffee tables and accent tables.
• Triangular Arrangement. This is a common type of flower arrangement that is often seen in many hotels and stores. As the name suggests, the whole thing is triangular in shape. You can achieve this effect by putting the tallest flowers in the center while smaller flowers are put on the sides maintain is triangular shape. This type of style has a more formal effect and is appropriate for formal occasions and parties at home.
• Vertical Arrangement. In this type of arrangement, tall flowers are used such as roses, tulips and carnations. They are placed inside a short jar and are complemented by shorter fillers to make it appear balanced. This type of arrangement looks good in kitchens and center tables, especially when used in combination with beautiful glass vases.
• Crescent Arrangement. This type of style follows the shape of the crescent moon. It’s a bit more challenging to create, compared to the previous three mentioned. To achieve the curved effect, flowers that have a natural curve are used.

Take advantage of the natural beauty that flowers provide. Decorate your home with flowers today.

Happy New Year! I hope all is well with you and your family. By now most of you are back in the swing of your normal schedule.  Many of you may have made resolutions for the new year and may be trying hard to keep them. Some of you may have already broken your resolutions and given up. Many people don’t make resolutions because they do not want to fail or feel guilty. They put too much pressure on themselves.

I don’t make resolutions for others to hear, but I do make some mental wishes that I try to follow through on. Some of those wishes involve getting healthier mentally and spiritually, exercising more, reading my Bible every day and losing weight. Sound familiar?

Am I always going to eat healthier? No, so when I have a day where it just doesn’t happen should I throw in the towel and give up? No. I will try to remember the words of Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind.  Scarlet said,  “For Tomorrow is another day”.

Some of you may be like me and want to start 2012 with a creative bang. If that is the case, make those desires known. If you want to be more creative and to create more often, add those desires to your mental wish list. Or for added support  share the experience with someone else. You may need that added support to follow through.

What are some things you can do to start 2012 with a creative bang?

1. Sign up for an art class.

2. Buy the art book you’ve always wanted but never got around to purchasing.

3. Create an area in your home just for your art work so you can leave supplies and projects out.

4. Go to an art supply store to see what supplies grab your attention and desire. You can also do this by going to art supply stores online or through a catalog.

5. Go to the library and check out art books or art instructional DVDs.

6. Keep a sketchbook and pencil next to the spot where you watch television. Doodle or draw while watching your shows.

7. Start an altered book. You can read more about this here.

8. Find an art group online where you can share your art work.

9. Visit a museum or art gallery.

I could go on and on but I won’t. I think you get the idea. Inspiration for creativity often comes from the simplest of activities. The main thing is to have the desire. Start out trying to be creative once a month, then once every two weeks, then once a week, then once a day. It may not come naturally. You may have to work at it.  Don’t kick yourself if you postpone your creativity, for tomorrow is another day.

I hope you have a wonderfully creative 2012. I would love to hear some of the things you are going to do this year to be more creative.

My daughter, Lara DeHaven, is a writer for My Creativity Blog. She also writes for her own blog, Texas Homesteader and another blog called Welcome to the Ranch.

Lara is very creative and has been spending weeks creating gifts for Christmas. Lara created a poem for the ranch blog that I want to share with all my readers. The poem was inspired and based on the classic Christmas poem by Clement C. Moore. I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful and safe Christmas.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the ranch
Not a thing was stirrin’ not even a tree branch.
The boots were sittin’ by the fire with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The calves were nestled all snug near their mas,
While they awaited the arrival o’ Santa Claus.
And the horses in their stalls with plenty of hay
Were resting peacefully from their very full day.

When over the treetops there arose such a loud noise,
the animals all shuddered in place even the boys.
Away o’er the pasture the sleigh skidded past,
It tore up the dirt road; it was going so fast.

The moon on the lake and the growing rye grass
Showed the dewdrops had fallen like shiny, clean glass.
When what to our great surprise fell from the sky,
But a light dusting of snowflakes from way up high.

A White Christmas in Texas was too good to hear
I let out a “Yahoo!” and began to cheer.
More rapid than lightning the reindeer did run
They had to deliver  the gifts ’til there was none.

On, Dasher! On, Dancer! On, Prancer and Vixen!
Now, Comet! Now, Cupid! Now, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the hill!  While it is still nightfall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

The mud flew covering the bottom of the sleigh
While the hooves slipped and slid and Santa yelled, “Hey!”
“What is this?  Precipitation has arrived?”
And I thought that this trip would be an easy drive.

Santa pulled back on the reins and shouted, “Whoa!”
Even if the reindeer wanted they couldn’t go.
It would be a short hike to the very next stop,
Just a mile walk, then a jump, skip, and a hop.

He was dressed all in red from his head to his boot
In a very large and fur-trimmed Cowboy-type suit.
A bundle of gifts he had flung on his back,
And it looked as though they would burst out of the sack.

His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like apples, his nose a dewberry!
His cherry red lips were stained with tobacco,
And his once pure white beard looked a might yellow.

He trudged up the hill and then over the road,
Struggling to carry the weight of his burdensome load.
When through the darkness, he saw a twinkling, bright light
A candle in the window was a wonderful sight.

He plodded up the walk to the Holliday’s cabin
He rang the doorbell with his hands still holdin’ and grabbin’
Onto his big bag of special presents and toys,
For all the good little cowgirls and cowboys.

He spoke not a word, when the door was flung wide,
But went straight to work while PawPaw moved to his side.
He whispered a secret into the old man’s ear,
And Santa smiled and said, “It was good to be here.”

PawPaw saw how our stockings had been filled with such care.
With his tractor, he pulled the sleigh from its muddy snare
The reindeer had enough time to lift up in flight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

A few days ago a friend of mine asked me is she should take up her masters degree or fulfill her life long dream of seeing the world.

“The exquisite corpse shall drink the new wine.” Some of you may be thinking, “What in the world is this woman talking about?” Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Apparently I don’t get around much because the exquisite corpse is something that has been around since possibly before the 1920’s. How did I not hear about it? [...]

Georges Pierre Seurat’s work has been a source of inspiration for my Art I classes. I created a power point showing his work and gave a general definition of pointillism. The students were then given an assignment to create a watercolor painting of a flower or butterfly using this technique. I chose flowers and butterflies [...]

When it comes to art and being creative, there are no rules. Here are 5 things that every creative person must know about.