-
Portland, Oregon – Beautiful, Historic & Creative
For anyone who has been watching the news this past year or two, Portland, Oregon has had a rough go, image wise… but I’m here to dispel any myths or thoughts you may have. This beautiful Pacific Northwest city is amazing for countless reasons but my number one reason is for the sheer CREATIVE ENERGY and fodder it can provide. “Portland is a town of rugged individualists sprinkled with weirdness. It commends uniqueness and praise all types of entrepreneurs and creators, yet also has a strong commitment to community. The city embraces its industrial past, while also promoting progressive environmental ideas and sustainable practices. Portland exudes a strong sense of…
-
Wanderlust Portland – New Creative Travel Book!
I am so proud to announce the 4th book in my Wanderlust Creative Travel Guide series is here – Wanderlust Portland!!! Welcome to the club. This book will not only teach you a little history of one of the many vibrant neighborhoods of Portland but also provide a creative lens in which to explore! Each chapter has an interactive activity associated with it to really get you engaged with your surroundings in a whole new way! There is also a journal section for you to record the details of your own experiences, places you visited, quotes you hear, doodles from your day. With summer almost upon us, it’s time to…
-
Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon is the epitome of creativity! In celebration of my new book, Wanderlust Portland, let’s dive into some fun PDX inspired creative prompts!!! From bridges to roses, there is no shortage of artsy adventures. I can’t wait to share with you loads of details about PDX (in my book) as well as inspire you with ideas on how to explore this city creatively. So, let’s get exploring with some creative prompts below! Daily Creative Wanderlust Prompts: Portland Monday – Celebrate the bridges of Portland and draw one near you, or draw an imaginary one! Tuesday – Portlanders love their bikes. Photograph bikes around your town and make a photo collage with your…
-
Creativity Tip: Everything Has a Story
I saw this the other day on the sidewalk when I was on a walk… just a simple black rubber glove, tossed to the side. Instantly several stories and scenarios started running through my head about how this glove ended up here abandoned on the sidewalk! Of course, being the crime story junkie, I won’t lie, the stories were pretty troubling. 🤣 What about you? What do you think the story of this glove is?? Could you write a story about the glove?
-
Viva Mexico – A Colorful Collage
There is so much of Mexico I have yet to explore, but from the tiny taste I have experienced, I find it to be one of the most colorful and exciting countries to visit. Color is such a vibrant part of every community, from the festive papel picado flags draping a street to the hand embroidered floral dresses. I created this collage above and tried to represent the energy Mexico exudes. Have you been to Mexico? What was your impression?
-
Discovering What Truly Lights You Up
The last few months have been eye opening for me. Not necessarily because what transpired but more about the revelation I had. It wasn’t a new idea per se, but more of an epiphany that when faced with the contrast of an incredible energetic experience followed by a very low experience. With this back to back contrast, it became absolutely evident in my mind what truly lights me up – what gives me unending energy that I want to share with others, and what doesn’t! In mid-April I returned from one of my favorite spots in the world, New York City. I spent a week doing the thing I love…
-
Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Mexico
I am lucky to live in California where I have the advantage of my state bordering the beautiful country of Mexico providing me the ability to explore it relatively easily. I say relatively, because as most know, California is a big state where driving the length of it, from the California/Oregon border to the Mexico border can take almost 17 hours. This hasn’t deterred me from some pretty extravagant Mexico adventures, especially when I was younger – like driving to Mexico for a margarita! (Yes, that was 16 hours driving time round trip from San Francisco.) Crazy road trips aside, I have had the opportunity to visit some incredible locations…
-
CWC Open House – Decorate Ukrainian Style Eggs
April 2022 – Creative Wanderlust Community Open House RecapTo celebrate springtime, I hosted a wonderful, in person creative open house where we decorated eggs inspired by the rich tradition of Ukrainian/Eastern European egg designs. It was a sublime evening weather wise– almost a bit surreal that in mid-April we were having an 80 degree day, but we took advantage of this warm weather and set up outside to create. With paint pens, glitter markers and more we had a great time decorating painted wooden eggs with a variety of motifs, from traditional egg designs to our own making. As always, it was a wonderful way to come together, catch up on life,…
-
Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan. It’s definitely one of my favorite places in all of New York City, and the area I frequently stay when I visit. When I lived in New York City many moons ago, I rarely went to midtown. I was a student (in graduate school) and midtown catered to the working world. I did go to Grand Central Station frequently as I’d take the train out to Connecticut to visit my sister, but in general, I roamed all the other neighborhoods for my NYC energy, not midtown. Fast forward to today, and I can’t get enough of midtown Manhattan. It fuels me with energy. I’m convinced it’s because of…
-
Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Doodle
The Art of Doodling I’m sure you’ve done it many times before. Scribbling in the margins of your paper in a boring meeting, or while listening to a long lecture. Many times are doodling is just simple mark making, some squiggly lines or a few shapes. Sometimes we doodle more representational items, a heart, a house, a tree, a rainbow. In general, when we doodle we don’t give much thought to the final outcome, let alone what we are actually drawing. Doodling is a passive creative act, a way for us to “space out,” yet did you know if has many benefits to our health and creativity? Studies have shown…
