MEANINGFUL

 This spring, I am stretching my creativity by participating in #creativesprint , a 30 day prompt challenge. You’ll see my creative process in three parts: 1. Making an Image   2. Reflecting on Ideas and   3. Sharing insights and excitement about the Art Yowza Camp Heroes Journey.

1. IMAGE

Create an illusion of a window- looking out on to whatever you want - on a wall that doesn't have one.  #creativesprint 21

Create an illusion of a window- looking out on to whatever you want - on a wall that doesn't have one.  #creativesprint 21

2. IDEAS

I love to play with the ipad app Zen Brush. I chose a flecked black background to add a window with a happy cat.  I started drawing Dr Suess-like trees that created a sort of funny space.

Stability, trustworthiness and order are values conveyed by a square logo according to my quick intenet search.  The logos for Legos, Gap and Home Depo are not trianges.  Squares say planning and structure in a way circles might not.  Squares seem to represent foundational building blocks.

If not a window, what might my gold shape illustrate?

BINGO

On Mondays, HERO ADVENTURERS  figure out where we’ve been and where we want to go through Empathy Bingo.

CARRYING CRATE

On Tuesdays, MAGICAL MENTORS  help us feel secure and special by instilling a peaceful place in our minds where we can remember that someone believes in us.

ROCKET

On Wednesdays, WILD CHALLENGERS know we've been launched and are wondering what will happen next as we're moving fast into outer space going toward our hopes, wishes and dreams

FOURSQUARE

On Thursdays, FUTURE INVENTORS bounce a lot of ideas around and everyone plays their part to keep the fun going.

A GIFT

On Fridays, CHANGE MAKERS love to share with others the gift of purpose.

 

3. INSPIRATION

 How can a window be a strong metaphor in the Heroes Journey?

1. HERO ADVENTURERS frame their mission. Their point of view changes as they go through the window and enter the special world.

2 MAGICAL MENTORS help us see things more clearly and build our self-trust intuition through mirroring

3 WILD CHALLENGERS explore their perception by looking out and looking into themselves and reflecting on their decisions.

4 FUTURE INVENTORS are open to possibilities and letting in “fresh air”

5 CHANGE-MAKERS show their consciousness and insight on current events and implore you to share their outlook and perspective.

 

HEROES JOURNEY TIP

A Heroes Journey is your window of opportunity to create a meaningful life.

Creative Comments Challenge

Why is this cat looking in or out?

Guidance

This spring, I am stretching my creativity by participating in #creativesprint , a 30 day prompt challenge. You’ll see my creative process in three parts: 1. Making an Image   2. Reflecting on Ideas and   3. Sharing insights and excitement about the Art Yowza Camp Heroes Journey.

1. IMAGE

Select a photograph from a magazine and extend the image beyond its current frame or edges. #creativesprint

2. IDEAS

As always, I just start creating.   I found a photo of three children jumping in the air and digitally erased everything but the shirts and arms that connected them.   I gave them new faces and legs.

Different from the original drawing, I made one grounded figure and two leapers.   Also, from the direction of the eyes, the figure in the middle seems to be helped by two guides. 

Each character’s legs seem to embody a different energy. Our of curiosity, I googled the dream symbols of horse, kangaroo and frog and the meaning of colors.

On Tuesdays during summer camp, we focus on magical mentors that give us the tools, skills and special powers to be successful going forward on our Heroes Journey.

Perhaps the three figures in my drawing represent magical mentors in the form of camp director, counselors and campers.

 

SYMBOLS

Horse (red shirt) 

The grounded horse is like the Camp Director that provides daring, support and freedom

Kangaroo (green shirt)

The kangaroo is like the Heroes Journey Guides (aka CIT’s) that provide protection, reassurance and growth

Frog (yellow shirt)

The leaping frog is like a camper that delights in potential, friendship and change.

 

CONNECTION

All three figures share…

  • purple arms of imagination and wisdom

  • legs of mystery and power

  • symmetrical hearts of love and  attention

 

3. INSIGHTS

I love that my intuitive drawing gave me the words to further shape the spirit of the Heroes Journey

Monday

Daring, imagination and love start new beginnings for HERO ADVENTURERS

Tuesday              

Grounded support and trust develop intuition for MAGICAL MENTORS

Wednesday

Awareness, strength and growth define character in WILD CHALLENGERS           

Thursday

Stamina, experimentation and expression cause transformation for FUTURE INVENTORS

Friday

Freedom, success and wisdom bring movement for CHANGE MAKERS

 

Heroes Journey Tip

Your magical mentor appears when you are ready for adventure!

Creative Comment Challenge

Can you see any symbols of transformation in the drawing?

Change-Maker

This spring, I am stretching my creativity by participating in #creativesprint , a 30 day prompt challenge. You’ll see my creative process in three parts: 1. Making an Image   2. Reflecting on Ideas and   3. Sharing insights and excitement about the Art Yowza Camp Heroes Journey.

1. IMAGE

Make something using money (whatever coins or bills you an get your hands on) as your medium #creativesprint

2. IDEAS

I joyously spilled my jar of change on the table and thought about the beauty of finding shells on the beach.   It's so curious which ones you'll pick up, clean up, carry, keep and share.  I started sorting the change and created the word YES with the quarters, dimes and nickels.

I know a local elementary school has a fundraiser that starts with everyone bringing pennies on Monday, nickels on Tuesday, dimes on Wednesdays, etc.   I love the idea of starting small and building skills and value.  In fact each day of the week of summer camp builds on a heroes journey.

 

3. INSIGHT

We study 

  1. Curiosity and Hero Adventurers on Mondays

  2. Caring and Magical Mentors on Tuesday

  3. Challenges and Wild Challengers on Wednesdays

  4. Creativity and Future Inventors on Thursdays

  5. Change-makers and game changers on Fridays

Here's a brainstorm about how Yes, Change and Money are good teachers on a Heroes Journey.

ON YES

  1. Curiosity---Say yes to adventures

  2. Caring ---Yes is the magic word

  3. Challenges ---Yes, I can

  4. Creativity ---Say yes and you'll figure it out

  5. Change Maker ---Rise up, show up and just say yes.

On CHANGE

  1. Curiosity --- Why change?

  2. Caring--- What is the value of sharing change with another?

  3. Challenge --- How do you deal with change?

  4. Creativity --- What difference can change make?

  5. Change-Maker --- How can change be an investment in the future?

ON INVESTMENT

  1. Curiosity --- Get start to build dividends

  2. Caring --- Choose to invest in something/ someone that grows over time

  3. Challenge ---Discover how to invest wisely

  4. Creativity ---Attract growth and opportunities

  5. Change-Maker --- Offer intrinsic value and empowerment

Heroes Journey Tip

You can support yourself and your community through your creativity

Creative Comments Challenge

What could you change with $1? 

What could you not change with $100?

Collaboration

This spring, I am stretching my creativity by participating in #creativesprint , a 30 day prompt challenge. You’ll see my creative process in three parts: 1. Making an Image   2. Reflecting on Ideas and   3. Sharing insights and excitement about the Art Yowza Camp Heroes Journey.

1. IMAGE

Make something from a disposable cup. #creativesprint

Make something from a disposable cup. #creativesprint

2. IDEAS

 Starting to work with my hands helps me get into 3-D thinking.  As a warm up, I used my first cup to make a chair throne.  

With a second cup, I wanted to be surprised so I experimented  and  

  • made a crown by trimming off the bottom

  • cut a Matisse pattern into the side

  • pulled down wings from triangular cuts

  • taped on legs and details with the warm up scraps

I thought about the riddle of Humpty Dumpty .... the assumption that a clumsy person falling off a wall might not be irreparably damaged, whereas an egg would be.   I thought about Growth Mindset and about getting past labels like good or bad egg.   And then I looked up some quotes about leaping.

3. INSIGHTS

On Thursdays during Summer Camp, we work in pairs and teams as Future Inventors using design thinking.    

It's my job to convey a sense of safety that communicates, "You'll figure it out.  Give it a try. There's freedom in knowing how to fly."  Excited to use their creativity, campers love exploring what could benefit our community partners (Operation Smile, FAAS or the Golden Gate Audubon).  Using empathy, we define, ideate, prototype and test our ideas. 

Hero Journey Guides (ages 12-15) are on hand to help the campers:

  • Understand the need

  • Work with other people

  • Create workable bite-sized pieces

  • Piece together prototypes

  • Share their out of the box ideas

Design-thinking is a rewarding process that kids can use their whole lives.

Art Yowza Camp is a place where  you can

  1. Be curious,play and discover

  2. Share you ideas and listen to your team

  3. Keep an open mind

  4. Try your ideas to learn what works

  5. Make improvements by getting feedback

HEROES JOURNEY TIP

We bust the box and build with the pieces.

We fly by testing our wings.

CREATIVE COMMENT CHALLENGE

What's your favorite quote about leaping?

Hope


This spring, I am stretching my creativity by participating in #creativesprint , a 30 day prompt challenge. You’ll see my creative process in three parts: 1. Making an Image   2. Reflecting on Ideas and   3. Sharing insights and excitement about the Art Yowza Camp Heroes Journey.

1. IMAGE

Create something that fits in the palm of your hand, using materials found only in your immediate environment

Create something that fits in the palm of your hand, using materials found only in your immediate environment

 

2. IDEAS

I often see my campers trying to save popcorn seeds from snack time.

Nearly everyday during camp, I get the questions......

Can we keep them?

If I plant it - will it grow?

What will happen if.....?

Will it make me dance if I swallow it?

Are the ones at the bottom of the bowl--more buttery?

Can I have more?

 

HEROES JOURNEY TIP

Kernels of hope spur the adventure forward.

CREATIVE COMMENT CHALLENGE

TO YOU, WHAT DOES POPCORN SYMBOLIZE?

Experimentation

This spring, I am stretching my creativity by participating in #creativesprint , a 30 day prompt challenge. You’ll see my creative process in three parts: 1. Making an Image   2. Reflecting on Ideas and   3. Sharing insights and excitement about the Art Yowza Camp Heroes Journey.

1. IMAGE

What words can you spell using only the letters of your name? Make something inspired by what you come up with.

What words can you spell using only the letters of your name? Make something inspired by what you come up with.

2. IDEAS

I made a list of words I could find using the letters A R T  Y O W Z A.

Here's a few observations from this creative exercise--

!. I changed the order of the letters to see more possibilities.

2. Making up new words is so fun.   Yas and Zow could be fun names for cats.

3. The words "Rat, Tar and Rot" seem like wild challengers in a way that "Arty, Tray and Toy" do not.

 

3. INSPIRATION

Heroes are explorers on a unique path.

Discovery comes through play and staying curious.

Having a mission gives your Heroes Journey a starting structure .

HEROES JOURNEY TIP

Get ready to improvise creatively. You can’t know what’s ahead.

CREATIVE COMMENTS CHALLENGE

Can you make a new word with the letters in ART YOWZA?

Resilience

This spring, I am stretching my creativity by participating in #creativesprint , a 30 day prompt challenge. You’ll see my creative process in three parts: 1. Making an Image   2. Reflecting on Ideas and   3. Sharing insights and excitement about the Art Yowza Camp Heroes Journey.

1. IMAGE

Find out something that happened today in history and make something inspired by it.May 7, 1934- World's largest pearl (6.4 kg) found at Palawan - Philippines

Find out something that happened today in history and make something inspired by it.

May 7, 1934- World's largest pearl (6.4 kg) found at Palawan - Philippines

 

2. IDEAS

I started drawing a pearl that morphed into something more.   

Can you see .....

a map,

a rock,

a bird,

an island....  

ripples

and dawn?

 

3. INSPIRATION

Occasionally, at the end of the day, we play a treasure hunt game.   

I always say keep your eyes open AND it's ok if you don't find anything this round because I'll teach you how to seek.  

The fun of the game is often what grows perseverance.   

 

HEROES JOURNEY TIP

Grit is what starts the pearl.

CREATIVE COMMENT CHALLENGE

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU FOUND THIS MAP AS A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE?

Mentoring

This spring, I am stretching my creativity by participating in #creativesprint , a 30 day prompt challenge. You’ll see my creative process in three parts: 1. Making an Image   2. Reflecting on Ideas and   3. Sharing insights and excitement about the Art Yowza Camp Heroes Journey.

1. IMAGE

Incorporate pattern into what you make today. #creativesprint

Incorporate pattern into what you make today. #creativesprint

 

2. IDEAS

In my drawing, my rainbows became mountains and my heart became butterflies.

 

3. INSPIRATION

The CiT's are so excited to become heroes journey guides and magical mentors.   

I was thrilled to see sixteen young women, ages 12-15 step into creative leadership this Saturday during CIT TRAINING. 

We met for 5 hours to brainstorm how we can bring more bold creative fun everyday into camp.

Most of my CIT's (Counselors in Training) started as campers when they were five years old.

 

Just like my drawing, I look forward to seeing these young leaders evolve

happiness, innocence and hope   (Rainbows)

into

energy, challenge capability and accomplishments (Mountains)

 

And grow

empathy, caring and passion (Hearts)

into

excitement, grace and transformation (Butterflies)

 

HEROES JOURNEY TIP

Magical Mentors help you believe in yourself and take positive risks.

CREATIVE COMMENTS CHALLENGE

What do you think the blue could symbolize in this picture