7 Creative Resolutions for 2021 - Part 1
2021 is here and Arts Los Altos wishes you good health and happiness this next year.
But … resolutions—again!? Naturally the 10 most common resolutions are: exercise more, lose weight, get organized, learn a new skill, live life to the fullest, save more money, quit smoking, spend more time with family and friends, and (sigh) travel more. OK - so much for that!
Want something fresh? Try some CREATIVE resolutions: here are 7 ideas to inspire you:
1) Branch Out: Try a new medium: photography, mixed media, collage, etc ... Search online for “art tutorials,” “beginning photography tutorials, or “online painting lessons.” Visit GetSetUp and click on Creativity” for lots of FREE classes. If drawing skills are on your wishlist, try this.
2) Go Local: With museums and galleries closed, take a field trip to see public art: visit Arts Los Altos latest projects Mandahlia and Floral Therapy, the LA Public Arts Commission’s works, or take advantage of the unusual calm on the Stanford campus by visiting their Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden, the Rodin Garden or Andy Goldsworthy’s Stone River.
4) Go Virtual: Try a virtual visit to a museum. Start HERE.
3) Say Hello: Learn to use my smartphone’s camera; it is probably better than that camera mouldering in the closet. Udemy offers a course for $17 that will open your eyes.
5) Complete 1 Thing: Finish THAT creative project: photo sorting (maybe just 1 box...), sewing/knitting item, vacation album, picture framing/hanging, reorganizing art supplies, etc...
6) Open Up: Share my work with someone: really go public by learning to post work on Instagram or just show it to family or friends. Here is a How-To guide for Instagram.
7) Capture It: Start an idea journal. First, pick the medium that fits you and your life—a dedicated notebook, a whiteboard, a simple digital tool like TextEdit or something more techy like EverNote—keep it simple, handy and jot down ideas as they come to you.
Announcing the Monthly Creative Challenge from Arts Los Altos! Each month you’ll receive a new short exercise or activity to expand your creativity. Please feel free to share this “subscribe” page with others.
About Us Arts Los Altos is a donor-funded non-profit founded in 2020 that creates dramatic public art works on privately-owned property (plazas, walls) for year-round appreciation by residents and visitors of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. See our latest installations, get involved or DONATE here.
Want more creative inspiration? In her New Orleans neighborhood, artist and TED Fellow Candy Chang turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard asking a fill-in-the-blank question: "Before I die I want to ___." Her neighbors' answers -- surprising, poignant, funny -- became an unexpected mirror for the community. (What's your answer?) Watch it here (3 minutes).