Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "creativity"

When was the last time you had a good laugh? I don't mean a little chuckle. I mean the kind of laugh that makes your stomach hurt and leaves you breathless.
It happened to me last week -- and believe it or not, I was laughing at my own expense.
The cause of my hilarity can be found in a little brown essay book with "Rats!" on the front cover.
Yes, as a little girl I had a very vivid imagination. So I was probably eight or maybe nine when I wrote a short story about a massive rat invasion. Not surprisingly the great rat invasion of 1980 portrayed in the story caused a great deal of panic, especially in New York and Chicago.
Even though the rats in my story were rabid, "I" kept my cool when I came home and found a gigantic rat sitting on my pillow. I just figured the rat "was an expectant mother."
And when I saw another gigantic rat sitting on the table when I went to do my homework, I just figured he was "an expectant father."
While I was trying to get my homework done, scientists were busily devising a plan to vanquish the rabid rats. Plans to poison them with spray guns failed, but just when it seemed the rats would win, reinforcements arrived in crop dusters!
Looking back on it, the plot was laughable and there was absolutely, positively no character development to speak of. There were lots of errors; words were misspelled and I had a thing about putting hyphens where they didn't belong.
But, hey, I was just a little kid when I wrote it. And who knows. Maybe I wouldn't be an award-winning author and journalist today if I never plucked up the courage to write about those damned rats!
Until next time, "That's life..."

There's something about the holidays that inspires creativity.
They've influenced literary types, film makers and musicians. They've influenced the designers tasked with creating festive window displays at some of the largest and best-known department stores in the United States, and homeowners responsible for the indoor and outdoor decorations.
Personally I have always found that decorating the Christmas Tree is a wonderful creative outlet.
It's something I started doing when I was little. Back then we got a real tree. When I got married, I opted for practicality and bought an artificial tree. No matter. I was still in charge of decorating it.
The tradition continued when I lived in Virginia and came home for the holidays and when I came home for good in 2012.
Last year, I decided to create a new tradition. Inspired by the "alternative Christmas Tree trend" I decided to "make" and decorate an eco-friendly, DIY, "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree with sticks and branches from my yard. The new tradition continued this year.
I started by finding the perfect tree limbs and a vase to put them in (pictured here).

Then I added some ornaments. Since I've been a fan of loft living and industrial decor since before it became trendy, I decided to give this year's tree a bit of an edge. In addition to traditional ornaments, I decided to use some ball and chain I had sitting around as garland. The work in progress can be seen in the following photo.

On Christmas morning, added the finishing touch by putting all of the presents around the tree. The only thing that's missing is some sort of tree topper (like and angel or a star). Oh, and my cat. For some reason he didn't feel like joining in the festivities this year (he was sleeping). In any case, I like the final product.

What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below, on Twitter or Google+.
Until next time, "That's life..."

Inspiration. As defined on merriam-webster.com, it simply "something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone."
It can also be, "a person, place, experience, etc., that makes someone want to do or create something," or it can simply be "a good idea."
It is essential to us creative types. It can also be extremely elusive... and that is so annoying.
Some people find it in nature. Some find it in something as simple as a sunrise, a sunset or the sound of the waves lapping on the shore. Some of us draw it from far less appealing places... like the bottom of a bottle.
Sometimes inspiration strikes out of the blue. Sometimes it strikes in the strangest of places. Believe it or not, I've heard it even hits some people while they're on the toilet.
But personally, I get my best ideas while I'm in the shower. That's where I came up with the lyrics for the "Dexter's Pile jingle," among other things. It's also where I come up with the topics for a lot of these blog posts -- and I suppose that explains a lot.
Seriously. I don't know why. I guess there's just something about hot water, shampoo, conditioner and soap that sparks my imagination.
What about you? Where do you find your inspiration, and when does it strike? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Until next time, "That's life..."