Category Archives: creativity

Nov16

nothing more nor less.

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early evening in the washington boulevard historic district of detroit

i’m reminded of the whimsy of willie wonka’s chocolate factory

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‘genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will.’
-charles baudelaire
*Charles Baudelaire was a 19th-century poet French poet, critic and essayist who explored themes of modernity, urban life, and decadent beauty. He is considered a father of modern poetry and an influential figure in Symbolism, a movement he helped inspire through his exploration of subjective experience, mortality, and “spleen”—a state of melancholy and ennui.  

Baudelaire was fascinated by the details of the bustling, modern city and its inhabitants, capturing both the beauty and the decay he saw in everyday life. 

Aug14

expression.

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DZ’S (the artist) ART

while at the downtown library

with my young student, EZ

formerly in my class

where we met once a week this summer

as he strengthened his reading and writing skills

by using them to write and illustrate a book

we discovered a tiny work of art

tucked in at the bottom of a crumbly pillar

created by local chalk artist David Zinn, DZ

who likes nothing better

than finding little cracks and imperfections

 filling them in with his whimsical art

leaving them for people to discover

what a lucky day this was

EZ finished writing his very first book

a huge accomplishment

he came so far

we had our last lesson together

he is ready to move ahead

he plans to put on a special outfit

do a world premiere reading

of his book

for his whole family

and we discovered a piece of DZ’s tiny secret art

double happiness.

downtown ann arbor library

EZ’S (the boy) BOOK

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David Zinn, DZ, (the artist’s)  link  

https://zinnart.com/pages/about-the-artist

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‘man needs spiritual expression and nourishing…

even in the prehistoric era, people would scrawl pictures of bison on the walls of caves.’

-Fernando Botero

Aug8

prophet mary proctor.

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The Story of My Grandma Old Buttons

mixed media on door;

house paint, acrylic, buttons, liquid nails, mason jar, hot glue

no date

courtesy of laura lippman

—

Mary Proctor (1960- )

Mary Proctor’s store, Noah’s Ark Antiques, in Tallahassee, Florida is a wood cottage where you can still buy used records and faded photos. Her yard is a labyrinth of clutter, surrounded by a chain-link fence. She lives with her husband and four children in a mobile home behind the store. Mary Proctor began painting on doors in 1995, after her aunt and two other family members were killed, trapped inside their burning house trailer. Firefighters failed in all attempts to pry open the swelled metal doors. Mary says that God then spoke to her, telling her to “paint onto the doors.” Renaming herself, “Prophet Mary Proctor,” Mary’s doors are covered with her spiritual teachings and observances of righteous behavior garnered from everyday life and, especially, from her wise Grandma. Her doors range from cabinet size to large double garage doors on which Mary typically uses paint and a collage of buttons, cloth, and found objects. Mary likes to think of herself as a missionary rather than an artist. “I’m just a messenger and they (the people who collect her work) are the deliverers.”

—

‘in a time of destruction, create something.’

-maxine hong kingston

 

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American Visionary Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

 

Jul18

creative endeavors.

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here we meet again

 my former kindergarten student

now at the annual Ann Arbor art fair

having grown into a wonderful human

and innovative artist.

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‘creativity is like scientific research in that it involves things that haven’t been done before. as such, creative endeavors are essentially experiments, and if they really unique, you have no idea what will happen.’

-tina seeling

 

* tina seeling is an american educator, entrepreneur, and author of 17 books on creativity and innovation. she is a faculty member at Stanford University and currently the executive director of the Knight-Hennesy Scholars.

 

https://www.masonkupina.com

Jan30

all things become possible.

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on a crisp and bright morning walk, we find a great blue heron waiting

—

‘creativity is the blue heron within us waiting to fly;

through her imagination, all things become possible.’

-nadia janice brown

—

art credit: john goss, great blue heron

mill creek park north, huron river, dexter, mi, usa

winter 2025

Jul17

‘if you can dream it, you can do it.’ -walt disney

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Today, the “Happiest Place on Earth” turns 69 years old. After a year of construction and a $17 million investment  (the equivalent of nearly $200 million today), Disneyland welcomed its first visitors, inviting thousands of studio staffers, construction workers, members of the press, and company sponsors to preview the Anaheim, California, park before it opened to the public the following day. At the time, tickets to explore Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Main Street USA cost $1 for adults and 50 cents for kids.

American movie producer, artist, and animator Walt Disney (1901 – 1966) at the end of opening day, as he sits on a bench in his Disneyland amusement park, Anaheim, California, USA. 
“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land,” Walt Disney once said.

 

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‘it’s kind of fun to do the impossible.’

-walt disney

 

 

 

 

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source/image credits: travel and leisure, getty images, gene lester

 

 

Feb22

the language of hands.

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“look, i made a map! and it goes right to my house!”

 

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‘the most expressive part of the body when it comes to art. 

for a child, their hands often become their voice.’

-the art of creativity

Feb18

how i see it.

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like me when driving at night, or writing, if you added in a pair of glasses and fingers crossed,

knowing i’ll get there somehow, not sure exactly when, and just trusting the process

 

—

 ‘writing is like driving a car at night.

you can see only as far as your headlights,

but you can make the whole trip that way.”

-e.l. doctrow

 

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art credit: homeward bound by Natalia Shaloshvili
Dec9

move-in ready!

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this looks like my kind of place!

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i have such fond memories of childhood forts-

blanket forts

pillow forts

under the table forts

box forts

tree forts

garage forts

lower bunkbed forts

underground cave forts

behind the couch forts

secret forts

forts with passwords

anything/anywhere/anytime

we could find to makeover into a fort,

we did.

—

are you ‘pro-fort?’

is yes, what kind of forts did you enjoy?

 

—

“forte is french for fort.”

*buddy wakefield,  

*american poet, three-time world champion spoken word artist, and the most toured performance poet in history

 

 

 

 

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image credit: facebook, ty to b. miller

Sep29

coffee art.

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on international coffee day

Meet the Italian Artist who creates Incredible Works of Art From Spilled Coffee

Italians are known for their love of coffee, but while most enjoy espresso for its taste, artist  Giulia Bernardell appreciates it for its creative potential. She turns spilled coffee into works of art that look like detailed watercolor paintings.

Many of us start our day with a cup of joe, but Bernardelli indulges in a dose of inspiration, too. Her bio reads, “My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” Bernardelli’s journey to creating coffee art began by chance. One day, the artist accidentally spilled coffee over her canvas as she was working. But rather than clean it up, Bernardelli grabbed a spoon and used it to guide the brown liquid around the white space.

Today, Bernardelli continues to use spoons in lieu of a paint brush, but she also uses matchsticks to achieve intricate details. From architectural sketches to studies of the human face, Bernardelli takes inspiration from everywhere. She even recreates Italian Renaissance masterpieces in her coffee art style. She’s “painted” the  Mona Lisa and The Creation of Adam,  using spilled coffee as pigment.

Since making a name for herself as a respected “coffee artist,” Bernardelli has branched out into new, edible mediums. She also creates art from melted ice cream, fruit, vegetables, and much more.

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“coffee is the best thing to douse the sunrise with.”

-terri guillemets

 

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art credit: spilled coffee art, guilia bernadelli

source credit: mymet, emma taggart

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Giulia Bernardelli