Not All Creativity Is Appetizing To Everyone
For better or worse, most of the food we eat today is because someone used creativity to pair ingredients that otherwise wouldn’t go together.
Handwriting As An Art Form
Japanese calligraphy, or shodo, turns handwriting into a unique work of art. No matter what our handwriting looks like, it’s also art.
Do You Judge A Book By Its Cover?
Like it or not, finding the right image can make or break your writing. If you want eyes on your work, spend time finding the right image.
This Just In: Support Other Artists
Earlier this summer, a high school senior interviewed me about the pandemic. One of their questions asked if the coronavirus proves governments should fund STEM/scientific research over the arts, particularly in schools. Here’s how I answered: This pandemic is proving the vital need for STEM research and scientific funding. These areas are crucial investments at…
Are You Willing To Trash Your Art?
Morning pages are a way many writers jumpstart their creativity. A lot of the advice surrounding morning pages is fantastic but I’m here with an unconventional take: Write your words and delete. Trash them for eternity. Set fire if you have to. Make like they never existed. Am I crazy? Not at all! In fact,…
Understanding Who Owns Your Art
Taylor Swift’s experience sheds light on an important question: Who owns your art? The answer isn’t always clear and impacts your work.
What We Can Learn About Writing from “Hamilton”
Hamilton is an international sensation. Fusing hip-hop and musical theater, Lin-Manuel Miranda created an impressive telling of Alexander Hamilton’s life story. As writers, there’s a lot we can learn from the show, its creation, and its namesake. As Aaron Burr says in Aaron Burr, Sir, let me offer you some free advice: 1. Inspiration Can…
Write Now with Ernio Hernandez
Who are you? I’m Ernio Hernandez, a writer and artist. A born-and-bred Jersey boy with strong ties to New York City, I currently live in the very author-y haven of Connecticut. What do you write? Short stories mostly. (Fiction, nonfiction, humor) Some plays, songs and poetry as well. I have been writing since grade school when a…
Clarissa and the Cocktail Party
Flash fiction based on a writing prompt from Devon Henry. Growing up, Clarissa never fit in with the children of her parent’s rich friends. She tried wearing the right clothes or getting fashionable haircuts but her hair remained a boring black. Nothing worked. No one accepted Clarissa. No one accepted Clarissa’s family either. Her father was…
What We Can Learn About Writing From Tinker Hatfield
Abstract is a documentary series that features creatives in various fields. The second episode focuses on Tinker Hatfield, Nike’s VP of Design and Special Projects. Tinker has worked at Nike for years and created fifteen to twenty versions of the Jordan line and brought the Back to the Future shoes to life. What does designing…