Words by Katy Slany

The one thing that almost stopped me from becoming an artist and why nothing should stop you from ge

The one thing that almost stopped me from becoming an artist and why nothing should stop you from ge

A previous post I wrote about people labeling themselves as non artists made me want to share something about my own story that is relevant. Something I'm a little afraid to admit. I can't draw, or paint. To be clear- I know how to draw (and paint). At one point in my life I was able to visually replicate images or scenes on paper with graphite- however I lost this ability over ten years ago. Towards the end of high school I started experiencing symptoms that were misdiagnose

How to flex your creativity muscles and start making more art!

How to flex your creativity muscles and start making more art!

I was out and about in the world the other day, when a lightning bolt of inspiration hit me. I felt weak at the knees, giddy with excitement, my fingers itching to get to work immediately, my mind racing with planning, I needed to take some measurements, gather my materials, maybe do a test with my materials. As the day wore on any time my mind drifted to this idea I felt all giddy again. Like I was falling in love for the first time. Then it struck me, I've become so intimat

Why boredom is the new busy!

Why boredom is the new busy!

These days because of constant technological saturation we rarely get the chance to feel boredom. The first thing we do when we feel a sense of boredom coming on is look at our phone or another device. We tend to want to avoid any sense of boredom like the plague. We are always busy with our phones, feeling that specific sense of importance that you get from being sent a text or having to respond to a comment on an Instagram post. It's a rush that quite frankly, many of us ar

What happens when you mix mindfulness with material practice

What happens when you mix mindfulness with material practice

The Imagination Project recently had the opportunity to work with local Mindfulness training program Mindful Changes. The goal was to introduce pre-teens to Mindfulness practices and art making tools and the result was a beautiful blend of thoughtful and conscious activities. I was touched by each child's willingness to take a pause in their day, step away from their devices (does every kid these days have an iPhone?) and just listen to their breath. It reminded me of how som

5 ways to raise creative kids when you don't think you're creative

5 ways to raise creative kids when you don't think you're creative

Anytime I tell people what I do they there are usually two kind of responses. One response is usually the kind that comes from a fellow creative, someone who is also an artist or musician or has some experience being creative. It can be encouraging, or engaged or excited and usually leads into some kind of dialogue around art making. The other response is much more common and it comes from people who just don't think they're creative. "I'm not an artist." they say or "I can

The secret to endless magic

The secret to endless magic

As I was growing up anytime my siblings and I ever said "I'm bored" the expected response was "Only boring people get bored." This became a challenge- let's see how un-boring we can be! Our tried and true method of entertainment was almost aways our imagination. We didn't have a lot of toys or access to technology or after school activities so my siblings and I spent our time making up games, imagining we were different characters, and creating a whole world for them. We wer

Why it's important to believe in Magic

Why it's important to believe in Magic

What does art have to do with magic you might ask? To me, art has everything to do with magic, and in some ways it IS magic. First, let's define what "Magic" means in this context. It's not stage magic, the kind you see magicians doing; like pulling a bunny out of a hat. Instead this kind of magic is really another name for possibility. With magic the edge of what we have been told to be true starts to become blurred. Magic is believing that anything is possible, even ideas o

why THIS is so important to art making

why THIS is so important to art making

So often when we begin our journey as tiny artists (still unable to grip our creative utensils) what we are shown of art making is usually a final result; your Thanksgiving hand turkey will look like this, or your pasta christmas tree might look like this or draw a house like this. Of course as every child works they alter it with their own touch and make it a little bit different than the example given- but generally the way we learn art as kids is to replicate a product tha

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