moonmajic.com

When was the last time you let loose with your favorite Broadway tune? It doesn’t matter if you were in the shower, the car or alone on a trail somewhere. Singing is good for us! This may be only my opinion, but when I sing I am instantly happier.

Learn to love your own voice, because all of us has a unique one. And encourage your children and grandchildren to sing as well. When I was a child, my days were spent in song, and my entire family sang as well. We harmonized, created tunes, and made up songs about famous people.

Singing is one more way to get some creativity into our lives, and increase our happiness as well as the happiness of the ones we love.

There is nothing like spending time with a grandchild to remind one all the beauty and creativity in the world. And it’s hard to be  serious when your little 5 year old grandson is explaining how elves live in the garden, or how a lion came to visit him in his bedroom last night!

I think everyone should spend some time each week with a child. The children of today will inherit the earth, and we, of course, need to encourage them. If you don’t have children or grandchildren, consider volunteering at a daycare or head start center. Give a child the "gift" of someone being interested in him or her. This will hold a child in good stead for the rest their life.

Attention Deficit Disorder? What does that have to do with this blog? As you know by now, I am big on creative kids. This is why I am big on keeping away from psychiatric labeling. In fact, I have absolute certainty that many of the most creative artists on the planet could have had psychiatric labels affixed to them.

Afterward, of course, they would have been drugged and possibly electro-shocked, thereby ending any possibility of their continuing as an artist. This has happened in the past, it is happening today. Please, if your child has been labeled ADD, ADHD or something similar, look for alternative ways to treat his symptoms.There are nutritional and supplemental ways to handle this. In my book, drugs are not a last choice, they are absolutely NEVER an option to treat a mental "symptom."

Let’s save the artists of our times from psychiatric drugging!

How about a  game of Trivial Pursuit, created by and  for your family?  If you have a large family, all the better. Our family is just about to embark on this adventure. (At least, we keep talking about it!)

Get out your index cards, color code some questions in particular categories (music, art, science and so forth) and then write the answers on the back. Here is an example:

(music) What is Grandma’s favorite band?  (answer) The Rolling Stones. You get the idea. Of course the main problem is finding the time to get the cards created. But you could always have a "Trivial Pursuit Creation Night." I think that would be a hoot. And be sure to have your little ones make up their own cards.

Scrapbooking ideas can be as creative as you want! You know me, I seldom go to get advice on anything involving creativity, and scrapbooking is no exception. When a friend of mine recently lost a much-adored cat to old age, I helped her commemorate kitty with several pages in her private scrapbook. A saved whisker, an inked paw print, and of course plenty of photographs and jotted down memories. She even had a wonderful poem in honor of  her beloved "Ponksy".

Scrap booking can be one way of dealing with a loss. Of course, this can help immensely after losing a loved one. My own dear mother is commemorated in a special scrap book that will one day, I hope, become a family heirloom. It is important to keep a history of one’s family. And scrapbooking is certainly one way to do this.

Nothing like paper crafts to while away a rainy day, right? Do you have piles of old National Geographic magazines that you just can’t bear to toss out? Before they turn into compost in your garage, you might go through them and cut out the photographs that are especially beautiful and inspiring in some way. It is simple to create beautiful greeting cards for your family and friends using glue and some wonderful photos. Just think how happy you would make those photographers, giving their art new life! I get inspired just thinking about it.

You can also craft Christmas ornaments from cardboard, photographs, glitter and glue. This makes a wonderful creative activity for you and the grandchildren. When you are boiling in July, bring the winter cooling a little closer by getting a start on some creative gift ideas. It may sound silly, but it can be a lot of fun. Besides, seriousness is way overrated!

So get out the scissors, markers, crayons and whatever else you can round up and get ready for some fun and productive paper crafts! Merry Christmas in the summertime, and to all a goodnight.

Elephant artists? If I hadn’t seen the video of an elephant creating a beautiful portrait of another elephant holding a flower, I never would have believed it. This alone should give anyone pause, especially those who don’t believe the protection of these beautiful animals is worthwhile.

How can an elephant view the world with such an aesthetic eye if he does not have a soul? I believe the ability of an elephant to create an image on paper should put this to rest. It really makes me wish we had a decent way to communicate with elephants. I mean, REALLY communicate. Wouldn’t you love to know what they are thinking?

After viewing the art work they have created, I shall never view an elephant the same way again. Perhaps they are all elephant artists!

Creativity exercises , what exactly are these? I find this concept fascinating, and always was amazed by people who could come up with solutions to problems in a very creative way. But now I find out there are actual drills and things you can do to help develop this ability, and I am amazed! It doesn’t surprise me, however, that anyone can improve his or her ability to expand their ability for creative thought.

My mother worked on crossword puzzles until she was 92 years old. Her mind remained sharp as a tack, and her ability to problem solve was brilliant until her very last days. In fact, she was so well known for this ability, that everyone in the family would go too her when they had something come up in their lives that seemed difficult to solve.

Old age doesn’t have to mean senility. My brilliant mom was living proof of that! And if you can drill yourself on creativity exercises, who knows how far you yourself might go!

When I was a child, every school day had a period when we kids raised our voices in song. Remember “Drill Ye Tarriers Drill”? I honestly think that music class and art class kept me sane. Growing up creative in the suburban 1950s could be rather tedious at times.

I worry about children today. Diagnosed with ADD or ADHD in grade school, taught progressive politics from kindergarten on, given sex education that might potentially steer them into relationships they neither need nor can handle; all these factors are, in my opinion, leading our country into dangerous waters. And when you up the ante by ignoring the artistic side of life, your children may be teetering on a precipice. Maybe I’m being overly dramatic. On the other hand, maybe I’m not.

Have you ever heard of a quilting bee? In the past, women in the community would get together and work on a quilt, thus having time to gossip, discuss the latest recipes and what the kids and grandkids have been up to. These days, much of the time getting together means watching a ball game, going to a movie or some other distraction. Why not bring back the concept of a quilting bee?

When I see my female relatives, we have so much to talk about we never even consider turning on the television. Come to think of it, most of us don’t even own an “idiot box”! I suppose building a cheesecake together or working in one of our gardens is our version of the quilting  bee.

I long for simpler times. Perhaps an economic downturn will open our eyes to the basic needs of life; communication, love and the mutual realities we share with our relatives, friends and neighbors.