Tag Archives: Creativity

I Love Apps

26 Sep

I create scripture posts for our church Facebook page. I find verses during my morning quiet time and save them to Notes with the date. Then when I need to upload a verse, I have a collection to draw from. I also enjoy pairing the verse with photos and backgrounds.

My go to app of the moment is Adobe Spark Post, but I have been experimenting with The Bible app this week and like it quite a lot. It doesn’t give me as much creative control, but the plus side is the program will offer up two or more layouts of the same verse. This gives me the opportunity to share the same verse on different platforms without appearing to be repetitive.

Here are two examples, strikingly different in appearance so it can be tailored to each audience.

My heart has been sore this week and I am thankful for the programs and apps that give me an outlet to express my emotions.

I would enjoy hearing from you about programs and apps that you use. I need simple and free!

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Comparisons- Helpful or Damaging?

18 Aug

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

 

 

 

 

When we compare, we want to be the best.
The paradox of “fit in and stand out.”
Comparison is the thief of happiness.
Acceptance of our self and others is what
Life is all about.

 

Be kind to yourself.
Accept yourself for who and what you are.
It will relieve that inner strife.
In God’s eyes, you are already a star.

 

Take time for creativity.
It’s important to your well being. don’t you see
Is achieving and competing truly deserving of
all your attention and energy?

 

Have you made achieving too important
and creativity as no longer of value?
Re-think your priorities, be kind to yourself
You will be a much more contented you.

 

“Why do we struggle to be something we
are not when God created us to be a
unique flower in His garden?”

 

Photo credit Judy Wills

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Teddy and Praise Dancer

7 Dec

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

 

My pal Onisha and I sometimes get into writing letters as they were written earlier in our lives. Now they seem old-fashioned because of the way we meandered when we wrote them, but since it’s almost Christmastime, we thought you might like another glimpse at the way things were.

DiVoran:

Here are a couple of our old friends. Teddy is on your left and Praise Dancer on your right. I imagine you figured that out.

Teddy and Praise Dancer

 

Onisha: Adorable!!  Are these friends at your house?

DiVoran: Yes, they live in the scriptorium. Mother crocheted Teddy’s clothes. I’ve had him since I was five. That makes him sixty-two years old, and he’s an excellent listener.

Onisha: I wondered who crocheted Teddy’s outfit. How wonderful that you have been able to keep Teddy and his clothes all these years without loving him to pieces.

It’s wonderful to have him. Mother crocheted two outfits when she was here one year, so his clothes aren’t vintage. Mother could just look at something and crochet it, but she never figured out how to follow a pattern. Crocheting was the way my mom kept her sanity. We can all use a pastime that will do that for us. She made decorative pillow covers, granny patterned Afghans, and lap robes for the nursing home. When she was ninety, she crocheted butterflies and attached magnets so you could put them on your refrigerator. All friends and family had something she had made, but only Kewpie Doll has this little set.

Kewpie

 

Onisha: People like that have an inner eye that can see how things go together. It is a gift. What is the story behind Praise Dancer?

DiVoran: You are so kind to ask. Sure, Praise Dancer has a story.

When Julia Cameron wrote another book after “The Artist’s Way,” I rushed to buy it. One of her assignments in “The Vein of Gold,” was to, “make a creativity doll.” That’s how I got Praise Dancer. With a few items from the Craft Department she became something besides a cotton body, curly hair from a package, and a bit of tulle and paint. She and Teddy have been good friends for about twenty years. Poor Raggedy Ann used to be Teddy’s best friend but she now lives in the old doll cradle with the “Winnie the Pooh” gang. Alas, although Praise Dancer doesn’t have a heart she is still a sweet girl and she loves the Lord. I suspect she dances for Him when we are sleeping.

 

Onisha: Praise Dancer does not need a heart on the outside, it shines on her face

DiVoran: Here’s Teddy and Raggedy Ann, they were so glad to have a visit during the photo shoot.

Teddy and Rageddy Ann

 

DiVoran: Thank you for saying Praise Dancer was loving as well as beautiful.

 

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Bon Appetit

29 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

       Author, Poet and Artist  It’s always a good idea to stop once in a while and ask ourselves what we have an appetite for. Did you know that God gives us appetites, or desires of the heart, as the Bible calls them?

Many of us have an appetite for reading, even more have one for learning, and then there are those of us who have an appetite for writing.

I started writing in elementary school where I received valuable help from my teachers and family. In my college years, I took as many English and comp. classes as I could. Later on, after Bill and I married and had children, I worked with the publishing group at our church. I learned a great deal from that.

When our children got close to fledging, I knew I needed to invent more of a life for myself, so I started a novel, and became active reading writing books, going to classes, and attending writer’s conferences.

Around the time my grandchildren were born, I began to take painting classes and discovered I had an appetite for art, as well.

Here am I, three published novels later. I’m working on blogs promises, meditations, and a serial novel, Go West. I am now paiting illustrations for almost everything I write. My nest overflows.

If you don’t already know, why not ask God what your truest appetites are for. If He says chocolate, well, you’re in business right off the bat.

Bon Appetit

Psalm 37: 4

Chapter 20 Neiuport Bebe copy

Original art for my Go West serial novel

You can read the first  twenty chapters of Go West at Rebekah Lyn Books

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Painting Flowers

25 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

 Paint comes in wondrous hues, Reds,

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The Art of Living the Bible

4 Aug

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistAt one time in history it was essential that educated people knew and understood the Bible, especially writers. It is still necessary for Christian writers because we are teachers whether we think of ourselves that way or not.

We can get anything from the Bible we want. If we’re militant, the military is there. If we regularly stress with too much work, we can find more work and pressure in the Bible. If we’re tired of driving our lives in the fast lane, we can find peace on almost every page of the Bible. It’s all in how we perceive it.

In addition, we can find various ways, to read the Bible. Seminary students must study the Bible as a textbook, a history book, a literature book, and a language book, but as open-minded writers, we are free to read it any way we want, especially if we ask the Spirit of Christ to guide us into understanding.

This is my favorite way to utilize its wisdom at this time in my life.

Every year I buy a small, page-a-day Bible verse calendar, and each day I tear off the page and splack it to a new journal page. I then use it as a prompt. I get out a Bible and write out the verses using four criteria.

  1. Write from the point of view of the author, which is God, not man.
  2. Write in the present tense. For instance if it says, I am going to bless you, write, I bless you now.
  3. Don’t dwell on descriptions of sin. Jesus has already atoned for our sins and shortcomings. We’re interested now in going ahead with Him.
  4. Write down things that expand the passage to your satisfaction. (Judge these things against the rest of the Bible.)

In this way, I receive revelation and insight and welcome many joyful surprises. Here’s a sample from Ecclesiastes 3:11. This book of the Bible tells repeatedly how futile it is to live out of our own intellect instead of following the Spirit of Christ.

My Beloved Child, I made everything beautiful for its time. One flower, one butterfly, one tree—although impermanent, is beautiful in itself–nothing added. So are you. Love and work are my gifts to you.

Stop trying to fix the past or re-live the good times. Stop Worrying about the future. Nothing your imagination makes up is going to happen, but if something seemingly bad happens, you won’t have known about it in advance. Relax, do your jobs, always try to love and forgive. “One handful of peaceful repose is worth two fistfuls of worried work.” (Direct quotation)

Here’s another quotation, this one from artist advocate, Jill Badonsky from her book, The Muse is in. “Everything in life is art. From how you walk and how you smile at a stranger to how you love someone and the way you choose to feel. It’s art.”

2 Timothy 3:14 in The Message says:

There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word, we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

What is your protocol for absorbing the Word of God these days?

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Be One Spark!

20 Apr

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Onisha

 

We had the pleasure of attending One Spark this weekend and I am here to tell you, creativity is alive and well in Jacksonville, Florida.  The whole downtown was awash with ideas, inventions and art; creators were eager to tell you their dreams as they all vied for your vote to capture a portion of the $250,000 pot of money.

Our daughter, Rebekah Lyn volunteered to take a couple of two-hour shifts at the Biblio Connection booth in the spacious Jacksonville Public Library. The “creator” Betty Poole collected books and videos from Indie authors and beautifully displayed them. She lives in Jacksonville and dreams of turning an old building into a center for authors to come together to write, brainstorm and interact with readers. She even envisions a future expansion that would include artists in other mediums. Imagine what a boon to the local Indie author community to be able to socialize while choosing a cover artist and an editor.

Businesses downtown opened their doors to the creators and we roamed the streets collecting cards from the creators to use for voting. My favorite venue was the sixth floor of the Sun Trust building.

One artist who caught my eye was Robert Adelman. His work is dark yet compelling and I could easily see his art as book covers for the horror and fantasy writers. I mentioned this avenue to him and his response was that he really wanted exposure. If you would like to check him out click here.

The other art that captured my imagination was Beyond the Facade .The artist is a photographer who enlarges photos of nature and covers the façades of abandoned buildings. He chose outdoor photographs of the local area to blend in with the cityscape.

Of course it was much more than art. There were portable solar panels, apps galore, people seeking funding for documentaries, a refrigerator barista, urban gardens and even someone seeking funding for a shrimp and grits food truck (that got my vote, the shrimp were de-licious!)

I can’t end this post without offering a huge thank you to Betty Poole of Biblio Connection. She put in a lot of time preparing for One Spark as well as manning the booth Wednesday through Sunday. Betty is not an author but loves to support the Indie author community. A lot more people know about Indie authors thanks to her passion to help. If you are an author, consider joining her at Biblio Connection as she works to build an interactive community.

Rebekah Lyn at the Biblio Connection booth

Rebekah Lyn at the Biblio Connection booth

 

 

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Pallet House

12 Jul

On The Porch

Onisha Ellis

My son, Matt enjoys raising chickens. I don’t know why, but he just can’t seem to have enough chickens or chicken houses. Recently he decided to raise bantam chickens. He got eight of the Cochin type and four others of a breed I can’t remember. I’m not up on my chicken knowledge. This caused a problem since these chickens are smaller than his other ones. He decided to build another chicken house but like with many of us money is tight so he had to be creative.

Matt worked in a factory, which had a surplus of wooden pallets, and they were glad to get rid of them. He took seven home and started building. He framed it with five wooden pallets, put two pallets down to make a floor and used two by fours to create a roof. He picked up some Masonite siding from a surplus supply store to finish the outer walls and put two four by eight corrugated fiberglass panels to make a nice roof. He finished it off with two by twos and chicken wire for a door. This chicken house is so deluxe it even has an automatic water dispenser made using a five-gallon bucket. All total, he built a fine chicken house for sixty dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m so proud of him. He has the ability to look at a problem and find creative, practical solutions. In these hard times, we all need to look into ourselves to rediscover that mindset. I fear that in our busy lives we have found it easier to throw money at a situation rather than using our minds to solve problems.

Matt’s chickens even get water front living.

 

Luke 12:42

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