Author Archives: RichardB

Advice on how to get out of a rut

27 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by in create, Creativity, Uncategorized

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1. “Get out of the studio… far away from the computer and look for the fabulous in the mundane. Mini road trips to antique malls and thrift shops provide some of the most amazing juxtapositions of function, color, shape and materials, as well as time to ponder them. Not to mention, the drive itself forces an unplugged brain cleanse that makes space for the new ideas to get in.” — Bob Faust, Principal/Designer,Faust Ltd.

2. “I like to have several things going at once. That way, if one’s not coming I can work on something else. If none of them have any life to ’em, the best thing to do is to just take a break. There’s nothing worse than trying to force it and the world doesn’t need any more bad art; there’s already plenty of that.” — Dmitry Samarov, Painter and Writerp03601l6.jpg

3. “I make a cup of coffee instead of miming one. I stop ripping out my hair in large tufts and watch it grow in. I take a walk and get a life. The rut will pass. Not creating with a gun to your head works, too.” — Susan Messing, Improvisor, Messing With A Friend

4. “I always reach out to my mom to get inspiration if I’m in a rut. Childhood memories are big part of our restaurants. At Urbanbelly, menu item number #15 “Rice Cake” is from a street vendor when I was growing up in Seoul, Korea. So my mom reminds me about certain dishes or even tells me a recipe that she has used.” — Bill Kim bellyQ , Urbanbelly, and bellyshack.

5. “After attending a great play, or great musical concert, I tend to become creatively inspired. After listening to someone like Stevie Wonder in concert for 2 hours, it’s kind of hard not to.” — Billy Branch, Three-time Grammy Award Nominee

6. “The most difficult thing for me is to get started on a big creative project. I have many ideas, but putting them into clear form is a true challenge! In those cases, I need to clear my mind of all other life concerns, and I give myself the time to take a nice walk or do some meditation so that my mind is clear of all the little stresses that get in the way. Then, I reserve a good chunk of uninterrupted time to work, as the big creative projects require intense focus to be formulated.”  — George Lepauw, President and Artistic Director of the International Beethoven Project

7. “To dig my way out of a creative rut, I close the door to my hayloft studio…and hit the closets to play “Keep & Toss.” Once everything is bagged & tagged for donation, I pour a red beverage and turn off my brain in front of an old movie;Mommy Dearest paved the way for Spring ’13!” — Peach Carr, Project RunwaySeason 8 & All Star

8. “In order to come up with new dishes, I fast and go for long runs. Being very hungry brings clarity to exactly what I crave and want to eat. Refinements of these ideas often end up on my menus.” — Gray McNally, Tortoise Club

9. “I lock myself in a dance studio, put on good music and improvise.  Without setting any rules, I simply dance, allowing myself the space to move free of judgment.  Removing the pressure of creating on a deadline or for a specific reason, frees me up, resulting in more spontaneous and rich movement.” — Stephanie Paul, Be the Groove, Co-Founder/Artistic Director

10. “Sometimes when I find myself in a creative rut, I look to my cookbook collection. I more often than not go to the books that I bought when I started cooking, like Alfred Portale’s 12 Seasons, Alain Ducasse’s Grand Livre de Cuisineor even recent publications like anything from Stephane Raynaud. Sometimes just a glimpse at a picture can start the creative juices flowing, and get me back on track.” — Sean Pharr, Chef de Cuisine NoMI Kitchen

11. “When I’m in a creative rut, it is frustrating and tortuous because it can lead to self-doubt and the thought, ‘has my artistic well run dry?’ When it happens, I step away from my work, clear my mind through meditation and have a good laugh watching Modern Family.” — Stacy Bowie, Painter

12. “I believe creative ruts are often related to overtiredness and being overloaded. Rest, breath, laughter and nature for rejuvenation are my go-to solutions, and I often spend time with kids playing because it cleanses my mind and starts me at a free, playful, creative place. Taking quiet time with my animals also puts me in a place to start any creative process, and then I trust.” — Melissa Veal, Wig and Make-up Designer, Chicago Shakespeare Theater

13. “It’s easy to get into a rut when you are conceiving and designing shows a lot, back to back. The nature of commercial theatre dictates that you think really far ahead and sometimes that is very limiting. For me, the final creative answers can’t come until you are in the room, so it’s a matter of balancing the practical with the creative.” — Rachel Rockwell, Director/Choreographer

14. “I spend some time outdoors hiking, foraging, camping or fishing. Nature puts me back on track!” — Paul Virant, Chef/owner Vie Restaurant, Chef/partnerPerennial Virant

15. “Navigating out of a creative ‘rut’ means taking an afternoon away from my studio to sit in a hotel lobby and sketch people. I can immerse myself in seeing a variety of fascinating subjects, interesting fashion looks, all while madly capturing them with pencil on paper. Afterwards, I feel creatively refreshed-ready to tackle new fashionable opportunities.” — Rosemary Fanti, Fashion Illustrator

16. “I take a shower. There is something about the rote activity of washing your hair that frees up your mind.” — Jared Van Camp, Executive Chef Nellcote

17. “When I feel stuck creatively, it’s generally because I’ve been at it for too long. When that happens, I delve into another art form for awhile (i.e., if I’m stuck on a painting or drawing, I might go and write a poem or short story, immerse myself in cooking a wonderful meal, or meditate for a bit.) Switching it up really helps. A fresh look is invaluable when you return, and you come back with renewed perspective.” — Lyn Pusztai Co-owner / Co-designer of Roulette 18 jewelry and Freelance Painter/Illustrator

18. “Distraction works best. When I’m out on the road I crave the quiet of the painting studio and vice versa. Making art is my job and mostly I don’t have time to get to all the nonsense bubbling in my skull.” — Jon Langford, Artist and Musician

19. “When I am in a creative rut, I go to art museums and art shows, and look at other people’s art. I also look at books with pictures in them to get the visual part of my mind working and activated. Going out in nature always stimulates my senses and my mind, so I do that to find inspiration, as well, and I usually come back with some new ideas. Also, going to lectures, movies, taking a walk in the city, and listening to some music seems to help free my mind a bit, so that some inspiration can float in when I am diverted and not trying so hard. I am the most creative when I am relaxed and not trying.” — Victoria Fuller, Artist/Musician

20. “One way that I get out of a creative rut is to sit down with super forward-thinking books, as well as ones from cooking school (the fundamentals). It helps me find my center. Usually hyper-focusing on an upcoming season like Spring and Google-searching images helps create a positive flow of thoughts.” — Pat Sheerin, Executive Chef/Partner, Trenchermen

21. “After dinner, I head to the studio for ‘concepting time.’ When I feel the creative rut creeping in, I put on Chicago Tonight and break out a sketch book. That show always provides a variety of intellectual stimulation to get my mind and imagination warmed up. If after an hour my sketches are lame, at least I saw/heard an excellent show!” — Jeff Zimmermann, Artist

22. “I read poetry… Rumi, Neruda, Rilke, and my own poetry, to remind myself of my own art. The words help me to see shapes, colors, form, which then inspire me to write, paint and create.” — Arica Hilton, Poet/Artist

23. “Usually, when I need inspiration, I get more collaborative, working with all members of the team can help spark some initial burst of creativity. Or, I’ll cook something with my wife and children to help drown out all of the noise (budgets, P&L statements, deadlines, etc) that fills my head and I can focus on what I enjoy the most. My kids have amazing palates, too – they let me know if anything is off balance in a dish, so I really focus on clean, simple, well prepared items.” — James O’Donnell, Michael Jordan’s Steak House

24. “If I get into a creative rut, I take a long bath, light a candle, and listen to soft music followed by a nice long slumber. After a restful night’s sleep, I often wake to a morning of refreshing ideas!” — Dee Alexander, vocalist

25. “I choose to spend my time with brilliant people, who excel in many different areas, and this helps me get out of my creative rut. From restauranteurs to investment bankers and from musicians to engineers, the people with whom I surround myself inspire me to create new pieces and come up with ideas that meld different types of art.” — Josephine Lee, President and Artistic Director of Chicago Children’s Choir

26. “To get inspired I love going to some of my favorite Italian restaurants like Balena or Piccolo Sogno and when I can, I also love going to New York to visit my Italian favorites like Lupa, Keste or Il Buco. Going back to my favorite cookbooks, like Babbo and A16, also helps me get new thoughts and inspiration.” — Chris Macchia, The Florentine

27. “I destress. I take the pressure off of creating just for creation purposes. At times, we can focus on the business aspect or the productivity of our craft so much that it sucks the passion out of us. I go have fun and stop thinking so hard. I let life take it’s course and fill me with experiences that shape my art. Also, our competitive nature can block creativity. I remind myself that I’m not competing to win a contest. I remind myself that this is what I love and how and why I fell in love with it.” — Marco The Poet, Poet, co-founder of Speak Life Movement

28. “On the rare occasion that I’m uninspired about a piece I’m practicing, I play something else, and return to the original piece feeling more refreshed. I love talking about music, but can find it challenging to write essays or articles on the subject. My solution is to just write something, anything, and once I get going, I find it usually isn’t so bad after all!” — Rachel Barton Pine, international violin soloist

29. “I go to the movies, go see live theater or music.  I find that experiencing the creativity of others is most inspiring.” — Lynne Jordan, vocalistp03601l6.jpg

Secret life of the cat: What do our feline companions get up to?

20 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by in cats, Environment, Research

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Ever wondered what your cat spends its time doing when you’re not around? Where do our purring pets go when they disappear through the cat flap? Armed with GPS tracking devices and micro-cameras, a team from BBC Two’s Horizon program in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College set off to a Surrey village to find out. Discover more by clicking this link and selecting a cat.

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Ten Myths About Psychotropic Drugs

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by in brain, medication, Research

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Dr. Peter Gotzsche has created a controversy and sparked criticism over what he sees as a damaging over-prescription of drugs by psychiatrists.

Gotzsche recently compiled a list of ten common myths held not only by the general public, but also trained psychiatrists concerning the safety of psychotropic drugs, and the rationale for their use.1pillst

As an internist, Gotzsche remarked that since he was outside of the political orthodoxy of the world of psychiatric medicine, he was free to express what he believed to be the sentiments of many psychiatrists who must remain quiet in their objections for fear of hurting their careers.

1.  Mental diseases are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain

“We have no idea about which interplay of psychosocial conditions, biochemical processes, receptors and neural pathways that lead to mental disorders and the theories that patients with depression lack serotonin and that patients with schizophrenia have too much dopamine have long been refuted.”

2.  It’s easy to go off antidepressants any time you want to

Here, Gotzsche points to drug trails involving agoraphobics and people suffering from panic disorder, whom were not depressed.  Fifty percent of the patients found it difficult to come off antidepressants even though they were gradually reducing their doses.  It could not be that the patients saw their depression returning, as they were not depressed to begin with.

3.  Psychotropic drugs are to mental illness as insulin is to diabetes

“When you give insulin to a patient with diabetes, you give something the patient lacks, namely insulin. Since we’ve never been able to demonstrate that a patient with a mental disorder lacks something that people who are not sick don’t lack, it is wrong to use this analogy.”

4.  Psychotropic drugs reduce the number of chronically ill patients

“In 1987, just before the newer antidepressants (SSRIs or happy pills) came on the market, very few children in the United States were mentally disabled. Twenty years later it was over 500,000, which represents a 35-fold increase. The number of disabled mentally ill has exploded in all Western countries.”

5.  SSRIs don’t cause suicide in children and adolescents

“The companies and the psychiatrists have consistently blamed the disease when patients commit suicide. It is true that depression increases the risk of suicide, but happy pills increase it even more, at least up to about age 40, according to a meta-analysis of 100,000 patients in randomized trials performed by the US Food and Drug Administration.”

6.  SSRIs don’t have side effects

“Patients care less about the consequences of their actions, lose empathy towards others, and can become very aggressive. In school shootings in the United States and elsewhere a striking number of people have been on antidepressants.”

7.  SSRIs are not addictive

“The worst argument I have heard about the pills not causing dependency is that patients do not require higher doses. Shall we then also believe that cigarettes are not addictive? The vast majority of smokers consume the same number of cigarettes for years.”

8.  The prevalence in depression has increased a lot in recent history

Gotzsche points out that this is difficult if not impossible to determine, as the criteria for being diagnosed as clinically depressed has been drastically lowered over the last 50 years.

9.  The main problem is not overtreatment, but undertreatment

“In a 2007 survey, 51% of the 108 psychiatrists said that they used too much medicine and only 4 % said they used too little. In 2001-2003, 20% of the US population aged 18-54 years received treatment for emotional problems.”

10.  Antipsychotics prevent brain damage

“Some professors say that schizophrenia causes brain damage and that it is therefore important to use antipsychotics. However, antipsychotics lead to shrinkage of the brain, and this effect is directly related to the dose and duration of the treatment.”

Read the rest of the article here:http://www.designntrend.com/articles/10379/20140123/danish-doctor-offers-ten-myths-psychotropic-drugs.htm

Science proves that you love your dog like a baby

13 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by in Do, dogs, people, Pets

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Interesting article about pets and how humans react/respond to them. From the abstract:

Neural substrates underlying the human-pet relationship are largely unknown. We examined fMRI brain activation patterns as mothers viewed images of their own child and dog and an unfamiliar child and dog. There was a common network of brain regions involved in emotion, reward, affiliation, visual processing and social cognition when mothers viewed images of both their child and dog. Viewing images of their child resulted in brain dogclothactivity in the midbrain (ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra involved in reward/affiliation), while a more posterior cortical brain activation pattern involving fusiform gyrus (visual processing of faces and social cognition) characterized a mother’s response to her dog. Mothers also rated images of their child and dog as eliciting similar levels of excitement (arousal) and pleasantness (valence), although the difference in the own vs. unfamiliar child comparison was larger than the own vs. unfamiliar dog comparison for arousal. Valence ratings of their dog were also positively correlated with ratings of the attachment to their dog. Although there are similarities in the perceived emotional experience and brain function associated with the mother-child and mother-dog bond, there are also key differences that may reflect variance in the evolutionary course and function of these relationships.
Stoeckel LE, Palley LS, Gollub RL, Niemi SM, Evins AE (2014) Patterns of Brain Activation when Mothers View Their Own Child and Dog: An fMRI Study. PLoS ONE 9(10): e107205. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0107205

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%253Adoi%252F10.1371%252Fjournal.pone.0107205

What is Mindfulness ?

10 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by in creative arts therapy, Meditation, mindfulness

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Mindfulness is a concentrated state of awareness that can help us see and respond to situations with clarity and without getting carried away by emotions or the constant chatter in our heads. Mindfulness enables us to:

· Better manage tension and stress

· Enhance objectivity, mental focus

· Communicate and make decisions more effectively

· Improve productivity

· Quiet’s noise in the mind

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Meditation

Meditation is the tool we use to cultivate mindfulness. With meditation, you intentionally pay attention to a particular object as a way to strengthen concentration. There are thousands of meditative techniques: Tai Chi, yoga, focusing on the breath and using a mantra are all examples. People often think that meditating “correctly” means clearing all thought from the mind. This is a myth. The mind never stops thinking – it’s when we get caught up in our thoughts that we lose mindfulness. By witnessing thoughts, allowing them to pass, and returning to your chosen object of focus, you can actually build the muscle of concentration. Think of meditation as a fitness routine for the mind.

Are there other benefits to mindfulness?

In addition to boosting brain power, numerous research studies have shown significant physical benefits including:

· Reduced blood pressure

· Lowered cholesterol levels

· Enhanced immune function

· Reduced headache, migraine, back pain

· Improved respiratory function

Mindfulness does not require a particular set of beliefs in order to learn and practice – it is a quality of mind, accessible and available to all.

Mindfulness allows us to live every moment fully without the filters of bias, judgment or emotional reaction.

Mindfulness helps the body cope with physical challenges such as headaches, back pain and even heart disease.

Mindfulness keeps us from reacting too quickly – it helps increase the gap between impulse and action.

Yoga & Depression

03 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by in creative arts therapy, Depression, Yoga

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From an article on the Yoga International web site:
Anyone who has suffered from depression understands how deep, abiding sadness or worthlessness can infiltrate and affect every aspect of our being. Our psychological makeup, physical health, mental outlook, and even our ability to interact with friends and family and be present to the world around us can get shaken to their core. Why? Because we identify with and attach ourselves to things that will inevitably change. As our feelings and other symptoms of depression persist, we have an increasingly difficult time imagining a life in which we break free from their spell and avoid “becoming” them.
Yoga teaches us that we aren’t our feelings or our symptoms but live in multidimensional relationship with them. 1472891_10151996608469691_438298404_n.jpg

One way to grasp this paradox is to picture the Self (purusha or pure, undifferentiated awareness) as pervading all nine interlocking and interdependent spheres of influence without being any one of them. See More here.
https://yogainternational.com/article/view/yoga-for-depression-an-integrated-practice

Meditation and creative thinking

19 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by in creative arts therapy, mindfulness

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Certain meditation techniques can promote creative thinking, even if you have never meditated before. This is the outcome of a study by cognitive psychologist Lorenza Colzato and Dominique Lippelt at Leiden University, published in Mindfulness.

Long-lasting influence

The study is a clear indication that you don’t need to be an experienced meditator to profit more from meditation. The findings support the belief that meditation can have a long-lasting influence on human cognition, including how we conceive new ideas. Besides experienced meditators, also novices may profit from meditation.

Different techniques, different effectsmeditation-1.jpg

But the results demonstrate that not all forms of meditation have the same effect on creativity. Test persons performed better in divergent thinking (= thinking up as many possible solutions for a given problem) after Open Monitoring meditation (= being receptive to every thought and sensation). The researchers did not see this effect on divergent thinking after Focused Attention meditation (=focusing on a particular thought or object.)

Setup of the study

40 individuals participated in this study, who had to meditate for 25 minutes before doing their thinking tasks. There were both experienced mediators and people who never meditated before. The study investigated the influences of different types of meditative techniques on the two main ingredients of creativity:

  • Divergent thinking Allows for many new ideas to be generated. It is measured using the so-called Alternate Uses Task method where participants are required to think up as many uses as possible for a particular object, such as a pen.
  • Convergent thinking Convergent thinking, on the other hand, is a process whereby one possible solution for a particular problem is generated. This is measured using the Remote Associates Task method, where three unrelated words are presented to the participants, words such as ‘time’, ‘hair’ and ‘stretch’. The participants are then asked to identify the common link: in this case, ‘long’.

Lorenza S. Colzato, Ayca Szapora, Dominique Lippelt, Bernhard Hommel. Prior Meditation Practice Modulates Performance and Strategy Use in Convergent- and Divergent-Thinking Problems. Mindfulness, 2014;