Moving on up!

We're moving ... to a new website!

Yes, Blogger has been great but it's time to try something new.

Find us here:
http://crosstowncreativity.wordpress.com/

Writing Prompt - Going Home Again

Flickr-SarahJane

They say you can't go back. But what if for some reason you have to? Create a character that left home 20 years ago, but needs to return. What was their reason for leaving? What brings them back? Who do they run into while they're there? And when it comes time to leave, are they ready to say goodbye?

A Quote ... Capable

Writing Prompt - Competition

Flickr-VivianChen

There seem to be more and more shows popping up on TV that have some sort of competition: singing, dancing, diving, romance, etc... Create a story that is based upon a competition. But think outside of the box and make your competition truly unique. What is the prize? What are the challenges? How do the players feel/ Are they excited, scared, nervous? Who is the winner? After all is said and done, does the winner feel it was worth it?

A Quote ... You Can Imagine

A Quote ... Mistakes

Writing Prompt - Brave Enough

What is one thing that you've always wanted to try, but have never had the guts to do it? Create a character that is brave enough to try it (maybe it's a funky haircut you've always wanted, or skydiving, or packing up and moving to a new city) and play the experience out through their point of view. Who knows, maybe when you're done, you'll be able to summon enough courage to try it yourself!

Painting the Art House (round 2)

Color! We need color! And dots ... and dots and more dots! With the Richfield Wednesday Farmers Market kicking off in a mere couple of weeks, we needed to spruce up our Art House. Four bottles of spray paint and two pizzas later, I'd say we did a pretty good job!

Have you ever had a spray painting experience? How'd it go? We all have new respect for graffiti artists!

A Quote ... Tomorrow

Doodle Day! (round 1)

According to Merriam-Webster, a Doodle is: an aimless or casual scribble, design, or sketch. On Saturday, folks got together to try their hand at "community doodling." Though very simple, it was very addicting! We started with a blank sheet of paper and took a few seconds to do a quick scribble to get the doodle going. We then passed the paper to the next person on our right. The timer was set for five minutes and we got to drawing. When the timer dinged ... we passed the paper one to the right and started it up again. Doodle, Ding, Pass ... Doodle, Ding Pass ... on and on it went and slowly the designs started forming ... 

Keep watch for June Doodle Day!

And so the doodle starts ... 

The gang hard at work!

Amanda and Molly, sharing their work.

Bob and Judy, doodling away.

Art for the Art House!

A Quote ... Intensely

Courtyard Cleanup - Update!

Last Saturday the weather held off just long enough for us to get our hands dirty and do some cleaning! With two strong guys to do the heavy lifting, one power saw, and one determined guy on the leaf blower we were able to stuff a dumpster full of rain-soaked tables and leaves. Now that the gunk is out, up next - the decorating!  Anyone have any ideas? How would you like to see the Art House Courtyard look?

The pink work gloves were a fashion statement ...

Just a few simple cuts ... and we're done!

Those white boards ... they were once a bookcase!

Why ... where did all that junk and leaves go?

Writing Prompt - Fairy Tale

Write a story from the perspective of a character in a fairy tale. What secrets did this character keep out of the storybooks? What items are on their bucket list? Or perhaps you want to pick up from where the story stopped and write a new chapter in this character's life.

Courtyard Cleanup!

All it needs is a little elbow grease and it'll sparkle like new!

We're gearing up for summer and starting a bit of "spring cleaning" on the Art House. Are you free tomorrow afternoon? Wanna join us for some fun in the sun? We have big plans for the Art House Courtyard this summer (community art projects, tea parties, concerts, variety shows, oh my!) but first, we need to get all the winter dust and grim out. We're looking for some folks to pull weeds, haul wood and trash, and help with overall tidying.

 

Feel free to stop by anytime from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, May 4th. 

 

If you'd like to help out but are unable to join us tomorrow, we're always looking for supplies: trash bags, rakes, gardening tools, sand, extra house paint, brooms, and dustpans - basic yard supplies. Let us know!

We're at 6340 Lyndale Avenue South - Richfield, MN 55423. 

See you then!

A Quote ... Success

Writing Prompt - 6-Word Memior

Have you ever heard of the 6-word memoir? (read more here) This week, choose either your past self, present self, or future self and write a memoir for that stage of your life in only 6 words. Share yours with us! What's your mini memoir.

A Quote ... Mystery

Writing Prompt - Write a Letter to Your Future Self

Photo by Darren Molon

Let's celebrate this last week of National Poetry Month with one more writing prompt. This week write a letter to your future self in the form of a poem (choose any form you like: free verse, Haiku, or perhaps even a sestina!) And as always, feel free to share your creations with us - post a comment below.

Visual Journaling - Tearing it Up!

This weather is a bummer. It's hard to not let the grays and browns and overall dreariness of the season sink into your bones. What helps - getting together with some great, creative folks in a bright and warm room to talk art, creativity, writing, travel and visual journaling. Molly brought some of her beautiful, handmade journals to share with us and provided enough materials to get us going. The crinkle of paper and the scratching of pencils would overtake the quite of the room. Then someone would ask a question and soon paper mixed with pencils mixed with stories.

Though the weather outside was (and still is) frightful, I think it's safe to say we all left that afternoon a bit more cheery than when we woke up. I apologize for wee amount of photos ... I was a little tied up tearing pages out of an old thesaurus and playing with glue sticks!

If you missed our Visual Journaling afternoon, never fear ... more will be on the horizon!

Writing Prompt - Tell the Weather ...

Photo from Robert Donovan

I think it's pretty safe to say that we're all sick of winter and we're ready for spring to finally arrive. This week, write a letter to the weather and let it know how you feel (or perhaps you'd rather address it to your favorite weather person). What frustrates you? What are you looking forward to? What smells do you miss the most? Describe the way newborn grass feels on your feet. In the spirit of National Poetry Month, try working some of these lines into a poem. Or, if you'd like to try something different, use one or more of your lines as a starting off point for a piece of flash fiction. So, what do you want to tell the weather?

Writing Prompt - Two Truths and One Lie

Have you ever played the game two truths and a lie? This week, write a poem inspired by that game in which you tell two things about yourself that are true and one that is made up. If you really feel daring, share your poems with us in the comments below. Think we can find the lie?

Writing Prompt - Spring Haiku

photo by bengt nyman

Happy National Poetry Month! To kick off the month, let's write a haiku about spring. A haiku is a Japanese poem that consists of three lines and traditionally has a seasonal reference. The first line has five sounds, the middle line has seven sounds and the last line has five sounds (these "sounds" have been translated to English as syllables). So grab a coat and a notebook and let this chilly spring day awaken your poetic spirit!

Think Green! Tons 'o Fun ... !

What fun! Our Think Green! event was a success. We met some wonderful ladies and made some beautiful eggs. Martha Stewart did it again ... Silk Tie Dye Eggs worked like a charm. Take a peak ...

This looks about right for an artist table ... 

Silk and scissors at work!

Ladies hard at work.

The cooking station!

Drop 'em in!

Boiling in vinegar and water (a splash of vinegar ... according to Judy).

Strain 'em out.

Let 'em cool!

And unwrap!

The best part - unwrapping the eggs. You never know what you'll find!

Unwrapping ...

... the finished product!

We just had to stop for a quick coffee break.

Look at our fun, unique eggs!

Reds worked the best.

Such detail.

Swirls!