“Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.”(Source).
Many of us are familiar with the quote above which was the response given to eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon when she wrote a letter to the editor of “New York’s Sun” in 1897 asking if there is a Santa Claus. Certainly a creative answer! I’m sure there are plenty of creative people in your life, so if you’re wondering what to get them for Christmas, below you will find some fun and whimsical suggestions:
“The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard)”
Jill Badonsky, M.Ed. is a nationally recognized workshop leader, artist, performer, and humorist. Her book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) presents a fresh approach toward accessing your creativity. The nine muses are:
1. Aha-phrodite, the Muse of paying attention, possibilities, and new ideas will remind you that there is no shortage of ideas.
2. Albert, the Muse of imagination and innovation will encourage you to break the rules, think something different, and see things from a different perspective.
3. Bea Silly, the Muse of play, laughter and dance will push you to lighten up, have fun, dance, play with it, be free and do it despite your rigid inner critic.
4. Muse Song, the Muse of nurturing and encouragement will pamper you and sign your praises.
5. Spills, the Muse of practice, process and imperfection will give you permission to make mistakes and will remind you that practice will make you excellent.
6. Audacity, the Muse of courage and uninhibited uniqueness will encourage you to take risks.
7. Lull, the Muse of pause, diversion and gratitude will convince you to take a break.
8. Shadow Muse, the Muse of gifts of the dark side will allow you to let anger, sadness, unlikable qualities, and your quirks be channeled into creative expression.
9. Marge, the Muse of common sense and a call to action will make sure that you get to work.
The Bodyguard will strengthen your conviction and protect you against intruders such as naysayers, creativity blocks, and watching mindless TV. (There’s a rumor that the muses found nude pictures of the bodyguard. Shhhh, don’t tell the bodyguard.)
The Awe-Manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder
And for more by the fantastic Jill Badonsky, she has another great book titled “The Awe-Manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder”
“The book is designed to create less crankiness and more creative joy in the world (i.e. it’s a great holiday gift for irritable, thoughtful, unsuspecting, unpredictable, quirky, passionate, thrifty, keen, size 14, or all other types and sizes of people).” — Jill Badonsky
Anything by the Succulent SARK
SARK’s creativity advice includes things such as: eat mangoes naked; to get past your inner critic you have to slide on your stomach under the gate with your identification papers in your mouth; make little signs that say “yes” and post them all over your house; and basically do whatever it takes. She calls her home “the magic cottage”; it used to be a tool shed and is 180 square feet in size. The magic cottage is surrounded by a garden three times its size. Here are some of the books SARK has written while lying in bed, soaking in the bathtub, or swaying from a hammock in her garden as her cat Jupiter looks on:
- Creative Companion: How to Free Your Creative Spirit
- Sark’s New Creative Companion
- Make Your Creative Dreams Real
- The Bodacious Book of Succulence
- Succulent Wild Woman
- Living Juicy: Daily Morsels for Your Creative Soul
- Inspiration Sandwich: Stories to Inspire Our Creative Freedom
- Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper
SARK also suggests that just for a day you hide all the clocks in your house, that you invite someone dangerous to come over for tea, that you watch snails, and that you plant pots and pots of brightly colored flowers.
Kaleidoscope Coloring Books
At any age anyone can use the coloring books below to cultivate imagination by coloring the abstract images created by Kendall Bohn. The pages are filled with interesting and creative designs.
- A Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book: Abstract Adventure (Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book)
- Abstract Adventure II: A Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book
- Abstract Adventure III: A Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book
Supplies to Create Mandalas
Mandalas—from the Sanskrit for “circle”—have been used for thousands of years in many cultures around the globe as a tool for spiritual growth, creativity, and physical and emotional healing. These resources will allow anyone to get started right away in the practice of creating mandalas:
- Everyone’s Mandala Coloring Book Vol. I (v. 1)
- Everyone’s Mandala Coloring Book Vol. 2
- Everyone’s Mandala Coloring Book Vol. 3
- Creating Mandalas
- The Mandala Healing Kit: Using Sacred Symbols for Spiritual and Emotional Healing
photo credit: angela7dreams
Related Posts:
- 18 Ways to be Uber Creative
- Three Incredibly Effective Creativity Techniques
- Four Outstanding Thoughts on Innovation
- Thoughts to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing
- Creative Thinking Techniques: The Playful Edition
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