ccreative process

What Have You UnLearned Lately?

I love learning.  I love going to the downtown library here in Houston because there is so much knowledge in the shelves.  I am always amazed that they let me take as many books as I like.  And then there is the Internet.  Have a question?  Type it in and boom, the answer appears.  I am in awe that so much knowledge is available for a willing learner.

Having said all the above about learning, I would also like to make a case for unlearning.  Let me explain.  With all the knowledge out there it is so easy to become a know-it-all. 
It is easy to become rigidly set in ways and ideas that may have moved past their worthiness or validly. 

I believe that a creative person challenges the status quo.  A creative person will question what she knows as true and move past what she may have been taught.  If you can do that you open yourself up to the mystery and wonder of the muse. 

You become a new beginner and you become teachable. 

Energizer Break:

Set aside some time to question something.  It doesn’t have to be the meaning of life.  Questioning why you do something the way you always do can give wings to a new method that could make your art soar.  How would your art benefit if you unlearned a bad habit or an old fear?  Unlearn something today. 


Here's How to Make a Cool Video

Hello Creative Friends,

I recently discovered One True Media, a great easy place to make vidoes like the one I am posting for Valentine's Day above.

Create Your Own Video the Easy Way

There aren't a lot of directions on the site but if you can get your photos or video to one spot on your computer you can probably do this.

Here are the basics:

1.  Think of  theme or topic you want to highlight or show off and select your photos to support it.  Artists, here is a great opportunity to show a montage of your work.  The possibilities are absolutely endless.

2.  Collect your photos in one place on your computer for convenience.  I like to use my desktop and then put them in folder when I am finished.  It is good to get more than you think you will need, but you can always upload more later if you need them.  You also can delete the ones that didn't make the cut.  (See, I am already talking like a film director.  You will too!)

3.  Go to One True Media.  (This is after you have visited there and played around, looked at other people's creations.  You can also open one of the sites montages and edit it yourself to see how it works which is great cause you can screw up all you want to and get the feel of how things work.)

4. Find a tab that says:  Create.  (One of my favorite words.)  That page will open and you will see another big green Create button.  Click and you will be sent to an upload page.  Skip the "Select A Theme" button.  You have much more creative contol when you edit everything yourself.

5. Upload your photos from your desktop.  Hint:  If you hold down the control button while you make your selection with your mouse, you can upload more than one photo file at a time.  Repeat the process until you have uploaded all the photos and/or videos you want.  Click the the done button.

6. This will take you to the edit console.  This is where the fun begins.  Immediately OTM (One True Media) shows you what your montage will look like, including music. 

7.  Depending on how savvy you are with these kinds of things, you can feel your way through to make a great video.  Like most computer programs there are more than one way to do things.  I naturally did it the slowest way possible the first time around so here are some tips, but you will figure out things your own way.  It is kind of hard to mess this up.

  • Get your photos in first.  Use the numbers under each slide to put them in order or click and drag the cross under the photo.
  • Create text slides and move them into place.  You can edit how they look and preview until you get them exactly as you like.
  • You can add effects till you don't even recognize your photos.  Caution:  This can become too much and take away from the effectiveness of your message or the look you want.  But try it all.  It's fun.
  • When you open your montage, OTM appoints you a song.  Don't like it?  Change it.  Before you finish, be sure your song is as long as the time it takes to show your creation.
  • Once you finish and save your montage, give it a title and go to the Share Button.  You can upload it to Youtube, Facebook by following the easy steps.  If you want to email it to all your friends, press the easy button.  Get the html code from that same page page and embed it to your website or blog.  WooHoo!
  • BTW, a friend of mine could not access it from her Ipad, so there may be an issue with Apple products.  The only bummer I could see.

I have not given you step by step directions.  Be brave.  Click on everything.  Hit Preview and see if you like it, if not, no problem, don't click save or better still find some other way you like better.

Give this a try but just know that it can become addictive.  Beware, you may have just discovered another way to be your creative self! 

Hugs, Diana