Courageously Creative

Be more creative in your own way

David Goldstein

RED: No longer banished

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Much more important than red states or who controls congress. Cadmium reds and yellow are some of the most vibrant colors and can be mixed together to make a perfect Halloween pumpkins orange, but that’s not the scary part, they have a dark side too and along with many other careful artists, I have taken the step of banning them from my palette since they are highly toxic. Light fast colors keep the paintings from fading over time but I don’t want to fade either.

Recently, I found them on the recommended list for a painting class I was taking and decided I would not conform with the rest of the class. An artist who is non-conforming? yeah I guess that’s OK, but how else to capture the rosie flesh tones of the models?

I was ordering some supplies from Daniel Smith and noticed an innovation. They formulated a new series of Cadmium “Hues” and say they provide “the richness of classic cadmium colors without the toxicity of heavy metal pigments”. Well I ordered some and can’t wait to try them, but I probably still won’t fit in at class.

Not Just Cheese

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According to The Economist World in Figures 2011, which country is in the top three for the following categories?

  1. Innovation Index (adoption of new tech, cooperation between business/Science)
  2. Technological Readiness (adoption of Communications and information tech)
  3. Lowest Brain Drain (talented people who leave home country)
  4. Business Environment (market/tax/labor, etc.)

The answer is Switzerland, what are they doing right besides cheese, banks, watches and new tunnels?

Calculated risks: Start in the tide pool before venturing into the ocean

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Calculated risks: Start in the tide pool before venturing into the ocean

Creating something new is risky! People may laugh; your idea may not work, costing you time and money. A simple step of calculating the risk beforehand can help you to understand what you are stepping into. Decide what is the worst thing that can happen? And what is its likelihood?

Start in the tide pool before venturing into the ocean. What is the harm of picking up a pencil and making a drawing? You risk wearing down your pencil and wasting a sheet of paper.

There is little risk in singing in the shower, or in your car on your commute, why not try to make up your own words. There is little risk in practicing a speech in front of some close friends, little risk in molding a piece of clay, or writing an essay. Find a low risk environment and use it as test laboratory and see what grows. Practice swimming in the shallows before getting in over your head.

Spend less than you earn – eat less than you burn: Creative ways to lose weight

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Going into the holiday season, it’s a good idea to preemptively get into shape since we are going to see lots of people and will have opportunities for lots of good food.

Weight management is like the opposite of  your budget and savings, To save  you have to spend less than you earn. To lose weight, you must eat less than you burn.  Here are some creative lifestyle changes that will not change your life and allow you to loose weight.

1) Order a glass of wine instead of a hoppy micro-brewed beer.

2) Water at meals instead of soda.

3) Salad/fruit substitution instead of  french fries.

4) Skip the candy bar: calculate how long it takes to run on a treadmill to burn off a fun sized bar.

5) Limit the snacks that are visible in your life, try to keep your home snack free.

6) Instead of melting a pound of bland cheese like mozzarella on your meal, sprinkle little bits of Parmesan or sharp cheddar or other flavor intense cheeses.

7) Cook at home during the week and save going out to dinner for weekends.