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“To bring an idea to image you need first to have an idea.  Cultivating and enhancing your awareness of yourself and your world are essential.  Finding the things that make your heart sing and the ideas that rouse your passion is part of the journey of creativity.”

So starts Laura Cater-Woods’ new self-published book, “Idea to Image: Tempting Your Muse – a Guided Studio Workbook.” This 42 page book is not a how-to book, but rather a guide book, designed to be “dipped in and out of, begin at any point and tracked backwards.”  It gently directs you to follow your unique journey to see what makes your creativity tick.  She encourages the use of a journal, or multiple journals, to record snippets of ideas, big and small.  She explains design elements and principals while encouraging your awareness of them.  She flows into learning to be in the moment, if even only for certain periods during the day.  A variety of exercises are included.  The book includes several photos of Laura’s soothing and beautiful work, which seems to echo the calm and quiet encouragement to slow down and take in the world around you.  It also includes quotes — food for additional thought.

“The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting the first one.” – Mark Twain

Personally … my muse is often stubborn, and it needs a good kick in the pants to show some life.  Then again, I often need a good kick to chill.  To relax.  To slow down.  I’ve admired Laura’s work for a long time, and I like curling up in my favorite LaZBoy chair to read and absorb her words and to look at her soothing work.  The chair happens to be in my office, and happens to face my computers, ever on and temping me to come over and work just a bit more.  Laura’s book is now on top of one of my journals near my favorite chair.  At the end of the day, I’m on my chair, putting my feet up on my other favorite chair, and I’m paging through her book.  Then I’m reflecting, sketching, writing, and, can it be?  Relaxing?  Experiencing a semi-state of happy?   Good job, Laura!

Visit Laura’s site to purchase the book.  While there, sign up for her free newsletter.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 9:43 pm and is filed under Book Reviews, Gadgets/Good Finds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.