Recently the Creative Oasis Day Trippers journeyed to Photographs Do Not Bend in the Dallas Design District to experience "From Uncommon to Blue," an exhibit of photographs by Keith Carter. Inspired by Carter's photos of everyday life taken in dozens of small Texas towns, our pre-trip creative prompt was to capture something from our daily world through a creative lens. Even commonplace objects such as a coffee mug became art when we took the time to view them as such, and we all agreed it was fun to step into the role of photographer in this way. But taking our photos was just the beginning!
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| Comfort by Jill Allison Bryan |
Spirit quenching warmth
Serves up earthy blue comfort
Feels good in my hands
After taking in the exhibit, we shared our own images with each other. Then we created word pools (a quick list of words inspired by our photographs) as a jumping off point to write haikus, which provide the opportunity for creative expression in a low pressure way with a short, gentle, easy-to-use structure.
Five syllables
Seven syllables
Five syllables
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| Anticipation by Suzy Doss |
Hope springs eternal
comfort of nature's promise
peaceful beginnings...
We all agreed that this was a wonderful reminder that it doesn't take a tremendous amount of time to experience a tremendous amount of creative joy and satisfaction. Here's one more example:
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| Fun by Maribeth Flowers |
Glowing shapes. Bottles
It's color for the party.
Jump in. Dance tonight.
Looking for some quick, fun, easy-to-do creative fulfillment?
Why not take a few simple shots around your home? Then, simply choose an image you like and take a minute to jot down a dozen or so words that come to mind when you view your photo. Choose words from your word pool to write your haiku. (no need to use them all and feel free to add others once you begin to write)
Want to head straight to the haiku? I'll provide a word pool for you below using some of the interesting names of the small Texas towns photographed by Keith Carter.
paradise, oatmeal, pep, blossom, bebe, air, earth, birthright, looneyville, noonday, blessing, uncertain, sweet home, lovelady, art, sublime, fate, welcome, splendora
Have fun and please feel free to share you haikus!
Until next time, all the best from my creative oasis to yours,
Jill
