Quotes about art by Pablo Picasso and Thomas Merton.

I think this comment illustrates beautifully the power of books (or poetry, or art, in general) to help us heal, empower and transform.

My daughters loved Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny when they were small. I must have read them aloud hundreds of times. We don’t always think about the writers behind these children’s classics or the lives they might have led. What was your favorite children’s book? Do you remember who wrote it?

Would you be happier if you spent more time discussing creativity and the meaning of life — and less time talking about the weather? According to a blog post at the NY Times, a study has shown that deep conversations make people happier than small talk.

There is nothing “magical” about doing three to six months of revisions on your novel. It’s hard work. The first drafts of manuscripts, like the personalities of the chronically unaware, are raw, unrefined messes. To put first drafts out into the world is not only naïve but careless. They are almost always ineffective and even embarrassing when read a few years down the road. It is only in the subsequent drafts, where the true gold of a piece can be found.

Jennifer Higdon has composer anxiety, but she stuck with it and now she has a Pulitzer Prize for music for her Violin Concerto. Here is some of what Ms. Higdon had to say in a recent article in the New York Times.

Quotes about Writing and Creativity. Which one is your favorite?
“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way. – Ernest Hemingway

“Becoming a writer is not a ‘career decision’ like becoming a doctor or a policeman. You don’t choose it so much as get chosen, and once you accept the fact that you’re not fit for anything else, you have to be prepared to walk a long, hard road for the rest of your days.”

In this video, NY Times bestselling author, Elizabeth Gilbert, muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius. It’s a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk and will change the way you think about your creativity.

Talk about getting your work out there. This guy is leaving his art on sidewalks all over the world. Julian Beever is an English artist who has created his 3D masterpieces on pavements in England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium. Which is your favorite?