US Government Wants to Control Creative Works

I’m a member of CoachCreativeSpace, a social network on Ning hosted by Dan Goodwin.  One of the members there posted about this.  Here it is as I understand it.

The US government, as well as a few countries in Europe are trying to pass legislation that requires all artists of any kind (artists, designers, musicians, writers, filmakers) to register their creations with private registries for a fee. If creations are not registered, they become “Orphaned Works,” which means basically that they have no copyright and become public domain. Anyone can sell or distribute them without the original artist seeing any income whatsoever.

Can you imagine paying to protect everything in your sketchpad, on your computer, or in your notebook? Or every idea you present to an agency, even the ones they don’t use??

You can read more about it here.

Here is a link to sign a petition against this act.  (I’ve heard online petitions don’t carry any weight, but it doesn’t hurt to try.)

Here is a link with the contact information for the president and all US senators, representatives, state governors and legislators.

OpenCongress – H.R.5889 Orphan Works Act of 2008
OpenCongress – S.2913 Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008

(Posted on CoachCreativeSpace by Lin Neiswender.  Since this blog is about writing, I added the parenthetical asides and the bit about “on your computer or in your notebook.” ~Jen)

Quote: Be Wrong

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

-Joseph Chilton Pearce

Tip: Use the Weather

So now you think I’m off my rocker because I advocate walking in the rain, right?

That’s fine with me.  I’ve never made any claims to sanity and normalcy is vastly over-rated.

Seriously, though, we have to use things around us to help fuel our creativity, to keep the creative well filled and the pump primed.

One constant in life is weather.  Whether it’s sunny or cloudy, raining or snowing, the weather influences us.  Some may hurt when the weather changes.  Some may be depressed when it’s winter and the days are shorter.

I’m solar powered.  I love the sun.  I can’t be out in it long because I burn easily, but by my mood, even if I don’t see it, I can tell you if the sun is out.  Most of the time.

In our creative projects, we have to employ emotion.  Use the weather, either figuratively or literally, to help you do that.

Exercise: Walking in the Rain

For me, water is inspiring.  I get ideas in the shower, elbow-deep in dishwater, swimming, etc.

If it’s not raining hard and if it’s not storming, I love to walk in the rain.  I won’t melt.  I’m not that sweet. 

Today, it’s raning.  It’s actually raining too hard to go walk in it.  When is the last time you went walking in the rain?

Think back to it, or, if possible, go out and get into it.  Don’t use an umbrella.  That doesn’t count.  You have to let the rain fall on your head, down your shoulders, for it to count.

Let the water seep in, refill your well, and energize your creativity.

Quotable Friday: Solution

“Whatever creativity is, it is in part a solution to a problem.”

-Brian Aldiss

Tip: Do Something Different

In a way, this is similar to the “Stretch” tip/exercise posted a while back.  However, it is also different.

Do something different physically.  Chances are, you don’t often lie on your bed with your head hanging over the edge like yesterday’s exercise encouraged.

Doing things in a different way makes your brain work differently, establishing a different pattern.  Different patterns, I have heard, awaken more parts of your brain and increase bloodflow to your brain as well.

The idea, as I understand it, is you will be more clear-headed and more open to new things.  That’s how it needs to be with creativity.  If you close yourself off to something because it’s not what you usually do, you’re closing yourself off to creativity in general.  By physically moving differently, you use your brain differently and, therefore, stay more open, which is where you need to be.

Exercise: Stand on Your Head

Not literally, unless you want to.

When I was a little girl, I would lie on my back across my bed and let my head hang over the edge.  My hair would brush the floor (it was long, then), and I would lie there until I felt a little bit dizzy and my tummy tickled.  I’d laugh when I sat up because it made the room spin a little bit and my tummy tickled more.

What does that have to do with today’s creativity exercise?

I want you to do that.  Do it, then describe it.  See what of that feeling, what of the act of lying down with your head hanging over the edge of your bed, you can use in your current project.  In your description(s), don’t be afraid to use “silly” words, like “tummy,” “belly,” and their like.