Pencil Dancing: New Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit

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The Giant Squid of Confusion

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Classroom friendly

Whimsical exercises for creativity

Pencil Dancing

Pencil Dancing: New Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit
Mari Messer
Manufacturer: Walking Stick Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1582970777

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The back cover of Pencil Dancing asserts that "there is a creative genius within you." Chapter titles include "Going into Your Egg," "Wake Up and Notice the Fuzz on the Rose Petals," and "The Value of Being Weird." The book's author, Mari Messer, leads workshops on creativity, writing, and art, and she loves similes: she likes to think of creativity "as a seagoing vessel encrusted ... with barnacles"; she uses her writer's notebook like a net, "where I could catch a thought and preserve it like a butterfly under glass." She emphasizes the need both to break out of your shell and to build your own chrysalis. Her exercises include designing a coat of arms "to symbolize your vision" and molding in clay "an image of a person, animal or thing that represents your creative muse." She peppers her book with anecdotes from her life and those of her artist and writer friends, as well with quotations from the works of Betty Edwards, Alan Watts, and Ram Dass. She writes about creative visualization and taking "soul days." Pencil Dancing is clearly written to appeal to the spiritually inclined, though it does balance its New-Agey earnestness with a healthy dose of humor and some solid ideas on fostering creativity that will appeal to others as well. --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

Pencil Dancing offers readers a fresh take on developing creative confidence, overcoming blocks and taming their inner critics. They'll discover fun and effective ways to achieve satisfying creative expression and enrich their daily lives, approaching creativity from the point of view of a "dance" between conscious and unconscious, left and right brain, creator and critic, logic and creativity.

The book is divided into fifty short chapters, presented as if an encouraging teacher or coach is standing close at hand. Readers will find prompts, field trip activities, vivid imagery and other methods that allow them to get into a creative mode, and to conquer writer's block and other creative difficulties.

* This book is perfect for anyone who wants to be more creative!
* Contains concise instruction that's lighthearted and clearly organized
* In the tradition of the Artist's Way, Pencil Dancing encourages both creativity and personal growth

Customer Reviews:

The Giant Squid of Confusion.......2004-03-25

"Pencil Dancing" is aimed at anyone who wants to be creative with his life. It takes a deliberately silly tone, designed to get the reader to loosen up and let go, try new things, and take off in new directions.

Mari Messer delves into "hurry sickness", the psychology of "devoted attention", the relationship between our creative and logical minds, playing, collecting useless information, visualization, "practice without purpose", taming your inner critic, and facing the giant squid of confusion(!).

All sorts of things are expressed in terms of weird, extensive, ongoing metaphors; this gives us an idea of just how creative and weird you can get if you try. It does get a little ridiculous (I suspect deliberately so), which might tweak your sensibilities a little if your inner critic is raging. (But then, perhaps that's the point.)

Ms. Messer is honest about some of these lessons being not only tough to learn, but difficult to remember. She isn't shy about explaining the times when she's fallen down. She uses interesting examples from her life, her students' lives, and famous people's lives. These make the principles she discusses come alive.

I've learned a lot in here that's been directly applicable to how I live my life, how I work, specific projects I'm working on, how I deal with people, how I let other people deal with me, and so on. The discussion of criticism, constructive criticism, and their place in the creative process has convinced me to be less harsh and critical in my judgment of others' work. Criticism does have a crucial role to play in creative work, but it's also important to be careful not to apply it too early.

Before I read this book I had forgotten what it was like to have so many ideas for material to write that I constantly had to carry a notebook around with me to catch even a fraction of them. I got halfway through this book and I had to make a trip to the drug store to pick up some pocket-sized notebooks to catch the sheer flood of ideas! It's hard to give the book a more glowing recommendation than that.

Add this one to your personal collection.......2004-02-21

I've never considered myself a particularly creative person. In fact, I'd put off my dream of writing a novel for so long partly because I kept going back to one detrimental thought: "What if I can't come up with any ideas?" Since I started writing, however, I found that ideas are endless - and they're everywhere. Yet developing those ideas, looking at them in new ways, still proves difficult.

That's why a book like PENCIL DANCING is so remarkable. It helps the reader discover new ways to look at the world. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book is directly related to the fact that Mari Messer doesn't just focus on one type of art - whether you're a writer, a sculptor, a painter, a dancer, or even a parent or a businessperson - you'll find ways to reach deep inside yourself and discover a creativity you never knew you had.

Written in a beautifully poetic style, with a lot of allusions to our natural surroundings (many nature writers are quoted throughout, such as Thoreau, and Annie Dillard), this book has a calming new-age feel to it. Far from being off-putting, this particular style oozes the kind of creative relaxation the reader's aiming for, and it allows the author's ideas and teachings to shine through.

Divided into thirty-eight short chapters, PENCIL DANCING can be read cover to cover, or savored a chapter at a time. You'll also find tons of exercises, project ideas, and themes for reflection. This book truly has something for everyone, though be warned, not all chapters will apply to your personal needs at the time of reading. This is one book that should find a permanent home on your shelf, to be reached for and browsed through on a regular basis, as your needs and your creative style change.

Classroom friendly.......2004-01-12

I basically got this book to see if there were any writing prompts to use in a classroom. There are many, but most of them are in basic textbooks anyway. If you're new to books on creativity - this will be good for you. If you've explored it already, it may be a bit remedial.

Whimsical exercises for creativity.......2002-08-20

I only give this three stars because it is too much like other books on exercising your creativity that I've read in the past. But, if you don't own any other books on this subject, you might find this is just the ticket for expanding your abilities.

Here's an example of the exercises in the book: "Think like an alien." Here, you are asked to examine flowers, trees, everything on Earth as if you dropped in from a flying saucer. A good idea. How would you describe a pansy to someone who'd never seen one? How would you draw it?

I prefer other volumes I already own (Carbonetti's "Making Pearls" and The Artist's Way, in particular) to Pencil Dancing. But, if you want a somewhat whimsical set of exercises and musing on creativity, this book may just do it for you. It didn't do it for me, but, because the creative process is so different for each individual, you may be entranced. How to judge? If you own other such books and like them a lot, this may not be a good choice. If you like fantasy and directed imagery, and some of the other creativity books seem a bit dull, you will probably like "Pencil Dancing."

Pencil Dancing.......2002-05-04

I like this book because its ideas spark my creative spirit. There are many interesting exercises and discussions that foster different perspectives related to ordinary things. The book should appeal to readers who want to become more aware of themselves and their envionment, who want to view the world through fresh eyes.

Messer, M. (2001). Pencil dancing: New ways to free your creative spirit.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: Roeper Review

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Messer, M. (2001). Pencil dancing: New ways to free your creative spirit.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: Roeper Review
Robert A. Schultz
Manufacturer: The Roeper School
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Roeper Review, published by The Roeper School on March 22, 2003. The length of the article is 665 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Messer, M. (2001). Pencil dancing: New ways to free your creative spirit.(Book Review) (book review)
Author: Robert A. Schultz
Publication: Roeper Review (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2003
Publisher: The Roeper School
Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Page: 136(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Amazon.com

The painter Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is perhaps best known for the surreal compositions and expressionistic colors he used to convey his memories of the Russian Jewish village atmosphere of his childhood. His imaginative visual vocabulary of circus performers, musicians, lovers, animals, flowers, and the ethereal atmospheric settings in which he places them evoke the mood of fairy tales. Chagall's playful use of scale and juxtaposition, combined with the poetic and enchanting narratives he suggests, conjoin to convey a fantastical and singularly unique point of view. This pocket-sized collection of 18 detachable color postcards includes a wide range of themes in Chagall's oeuvre. It's a small treat for fans of his work. --A.C. Smith

Book Description

Attractive, affordable, and adorable, these miniature versions of popular Prestel titles are the perfect gifts.

They're packed with color, yet small enough to fit into a pocket or purse. They're as inviting to the eye as they are to the wallet. And there are titles to suit every occasion, taste, and interest. Like all of Prestel's products, these "Minis" feature amazing artwork of all kinds, elegantly designed and packaged. Whether it's a birthday, anniversary, holiday, or just time for a pick-me-up, these miniature treasures prove that little things mean a lot.

Customer Reviews:

Good quality portable art guide -- NOT postcards.......2006-10-10

Amazon has mistakenly applied the blurb from another Chagall book. This is not a postcard collection but a pocket-sized (large pocket) art guide. It's nicely produced, with a chronology, sidebars, and numerous biographical and artistic episodes in the artist's life, illustrated with photos and captioned color reproductions throughout.

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Chagall: A Book of Postcards

Manufacturer: Pomegranate
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764917137

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Chagall: A Postcard Book
Running Press
Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Jerusalem Windows Postcard Book: 24 Full-Color Cards (Card Books)

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Jerusalem Windows Postcard Book: 24 Full-Color Cards (Card Books)
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Manufacturer: Dover Publications
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Binding: Paperback

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Modern master’s inspired stained-glass designs for windows of Hadassah-Hebrew Medical Center in Jerusalem. Dazzling assembly of animal forms, heavenly bodies and elements symbolic of each of the 12 tribes of Israel. 12 completed windows, along with final sketch for each, painstakingly reproduced on ready-to-mail cards. Introduction. Captions.

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Since 2001, prostitution is no longer illegal in Germany. Patric Fouad gives us rare insights into the interiors of eleven rooms of brothels all over Germany. The photographer left the places he saw unchanged in order to allow the most authentic view of the scene. Despite the absence of any human beings, the interiors speak for themselves: The pompous elegance of some and the imaginative or reduced decoration of others suggest the wishes of the clientele that is being served. The candid images are strong in their impact and yet subtle in their implications. By leaving out the main characters, the viewer's imagination and curiosity is increased even further. A high quality coffee-table book of a different kind.

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Book Description

Thanks to the digital revolution, film artists now have a spectacular array of powerful, new, inexpensive tools for creative expression through digital film. The once powerful studios can no longer stifle an artist's creativity. With the power of the Internet, film artists are finding once unimaginable ways to distribute their creations worldwide.

DV Filmmaking: From Start to Finish covers all aspects of the new digital video frontier, for amateurs and professionals alike--from the nuts and bolts of timecode and aspect ratio; to framing, lighting, and sound recording; as well as editing, special effects creation, and distribution.

The book is written for filmmakers at varying experience levels--taking an integrated approach to media production, and emphasizing the ways different aspects of the process work together to create a vital work of digital art:

Hands-on detailed examination of the artistic aspects of film and video production
Extensive examples use comprehensive step-by-step exercises for advanced editing techniques
Scenes from successful films illustrate techniques used by professionals
Includes a collection of professionally shot video clips, so the user can read and follow along with sets of structured exercises
Develops a highly refined repertoire of advanced skills in editing, effects creation, title design, and more
Inspires advanced readers to work with the included clips on their own and experiment with new ideas
Written for both Mac and PC users and covers advanced uses of both Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects

Written in an engaging, accessible style, DV Filmmaking provides a solid foundation of tremendous value to a beginner, while addressing the fine points of filmmaking with a level of sophistication, detail, and insight that even the most worldly director or educator can appreciate. The author draws upon his years of experience teaching at the college and graduate level, his extensive professional background as a media producer, and his unmistakable love of cinema to create a text that's not only easy to learn from, but also fun to read.

Customer Reviews:

conceptos interesantes.......2007-09-02

este es un libro que explica de manera didáctica ,todos los procesos que tiene una producción audiovisual.
Muy bien ilustrado, con ejemplos que ayudan al nuevo realizador audiovisual a enfrentar sus primeras producciones de una forma segura, buscando que éste no cometa errores que luego pueden demeritar su trabajo.
La única crítica que tengo para hacer de esta obra, es que los ejemplos de montaje los realizan en programa específicos , como Final Cut, algo que de alguna manera deja sin posibilidades a aquellos que manejamos plataformas de edición diferentes.

A basic primer on differences between digital and print mediums.......2006-09-08

DV Filmmaking From Start To Finish by Ian David Aronson's will reach both amateur and professional digital video users with a basic primer on differences between digital and print mediums. Familiarity with Final Cut Pro or Adobe After Effects, the two programs used here, will aid in understanding DV applications in either PC or Mac formats, while the author's background as a teacher of digital media lends a logical progression to his tips and practical applied examples.

A strong reference for digital film making process.......2006-08-13

DV Filmmaking for Ian David Aronson gives you in 18 chapter a coverage for the production, post-production and distribution process of the digital film making.
The book starts with basic digital Cinematography principles. It covers he process stages such as composing shoots, lighting, shooting, working with cameras, audio, still images and titles.
This book doesn't give you a specific software tutorial, but if you are working learning with video production and video editing program, you should get a background about the whole film making process. However, this book gives you a strong background in this industry. I find this book useful for animators, multimedia designers and creative directors.

The two appendixes in the end of the book gives you a tips about getting your work in various media and selling your products.

Great Resource, Great Job!.......2006-07-04

DV Filmmaking- Start To Finish has been a great resource for my own first feature film Hot Rod Girls Save The World.
I had checked DV Filmmaking out from the Seattle Public Library last week, now I must buy one for my personal library. I find myself refering to it again and again.
Great Job!
D.A. Sebasstian
Go-Kustom Rekords & Films

A great book that gave me the answer !.......2006-06-22

A great book!
"DV Filmmaking" is an excellent book for anyone who wants to go beyond the basics of digital video.

I recently completed a video-based project for my M.A. thesis, and used this book as my guide. Each time I encountered problems, this book gave me the answer. For example, after I shot, I noticed some severe lighting trouble in a few very important interviews and I started to panic because I didn't have enough time to shoot them again. I had more than three hours of interview footage that looked pale, shady, and just plain depressing. Frustrated, I opened this book. The solution was there, in the section on color correction!!! I could fix my footage so that it was not only usable but looked really good.

I also relied on the section on compression and encoding to make
professional quality video for the Internet (something I would not have been able to do otherwise).

This book covers all aspects of the video production process, from planning, to production, and distribution. I'd like to
recommend it to anyone who is new to the world of digital video, as well as people who want to take their work beyond the level of
point-and-shoot to make something really creative.

Creacion de video digital/ DV Filmmaking: From Start to Finish (Medios Digitales Y Creatividad/ Digital Media and Creativity)

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Creacion de video digital/ DV Filmmaking: From Start to Finish (Medios Digitales Y Creatividad/ Digital Media and Creativity)
Ian David Aronson
Manufacturer: Anaya Multimedia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Pas de Deux has been widely regarded as the foremost existing textbook on the art of partnering.

First published in 1969 in Russian by one of the world's most respected experts on partnering, the original book was created for the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, the school that produced Pavlova and Nijinsky. This expanded edition contains new text, sketches, and photographs that describe 32 new poses and lifts, along with new information about strengthening exercises and balance points. It is adaptable to instruction based on the Royal Academy of Dancing and the Cecchetti methods, making it invaluable for teachers and dancers of all three major methodologies.

Beginning with simple exercises for young dancers, the comprehensive text guides students, teachers, and choreographers safely to complex lifts and tosses. The instruction is useful to all forms of dance, including ballet, jazz, modern dance, ballroom dancing, and ice dancing.

Customer Reviews:

Finally a tell all book.......2007-05-25

I have been teaching pas de deux for the past 3 years at my current studio. I am not the owner nor director of the company just a student that has been with them for 6+ years. This book tells you everything you want to know about placement, balance, turns, jumps, lifts and more.
Very unique holds and cradles that are just so appealing! I would recommend this book to any dancer that wants to learn how to partner or any teacher that needs to teach something new.

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Pas de Deux: The Art of Partnering
Anton Dolin
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486443132

Book Description

Essential guide for dancers and teachers, and an eye-opening trip behind the scenes for balletomanes. Its practical advice for both ballerinas and partners begins with such basics as standing, walking, and taking bows, and it fully covers such topics as bearing and attitude, and lifting without visible strain. 29 black-and-white illustrations.

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PAS DE DEUX: THE ART OF PARTNERING.

Manufacturer: Adam and Charles Black
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CHRDD

Book Description

So You Think You're Smart is a delightful book of word games that the entire family can enjoy. All games are concise, uncomplicated and, most of all, a lot of fun. They are about ordinary words and things that everybody knows about so only common knowledge and a bit of resourcefulness are needed to solve them.

The games are only one of the fun features. All answers are encrypted! Each is given on the same page as the game, but is printed upside-down and backward - as in a mirror image. To ensure that they cannot be accidentally read, the answers are further obscured by using italics and a reduced size type. A mirror is needed to reveal the answers - and a special unbreakable plastic one is provided with each book.

Customer Reviews:

So You Think You're Smart.......2006-08-31

Fantastic book and THE most prompt service I have ever received from a publisher.
Very much appreciated!!! You won't be disappointed with ordering this selection.

Ideal for parties or simple personal enjoyment.......2002-08-04

So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun And Challenging Brain Teasers compiled by Pat Battaglia is an eclectic collection of queries and riddles to boggle the mind, from sports trivia to word games to graphical puzzles. Each conundrum has hints and solutions, written in reverse to avoid casual reading yet easily looked up with the aid of a small paper-thin mirror that doubles as a handy bookmark. Ideal for parties or simple personal enjoyment, So You Think You're Smart is enthusiastically recommended as a fun and engaging selection of riddles to challenge readers of all educational backgrounds.

Fun and Creative Puzzles.......2002-06-13

Your puzzles are great! We're having so much fun with them. You are so creative

Captivating and Enjoyable.......2002-06-13

One I got started I discovered it (the book) captivating and soon found I must limit my time with it or I wouldn't get anything else accomplished during the day. It brings me enjoyment each time I go back to it.

So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Tea.......2001-03-17

Wow...I planned on spending about a half an hour working on these challenging mind bogglers, next thing I knew I was depriving myself of many hours of much needed sleep and enjoying every moment of it. If you want a mental challenge and some real mental stimulation the key to maintaining mental acuity at any age then this is the book. ~Dr. RJ Shick, Winter Haven, FL

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Classic Who the Hinchcliffe Years
Adrian Rigelsford
Manufacturer: Gardners Books Ltd U
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0752207490

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