Book Review – Organising for the Creative Person – Lehmkuhl & Lamping

Right-brain styles for conquering clutter

I originally brought this book in 2001 and skimmed it telling myself that I would evenually get round to reading it. I never did, and it sat on my book shelf gathering dust. I recently took it out to get some ideas and was quite surprised at how much useful information unfolded.

It is not just a book about organising, it gets you to look at your style of working and develop strategies working more like a coach come personal organiser. I had many ‘aha moments’. It gets you to think about your goals and then offers suggestions that really challenges your thinking but also enables you to set up systems to support you, with key points summarised at the end of each chapter. You get to look with new eyes at your environment and more importantly how you interact, helping you to find the style of organising that works with your personality and those around you.

Book Review – E-Kidz in Cyberspace – Alan Springer

This is a really great read, it has action, adventure and a message on E-Safety. It appeals to age bracket of 10 – 16 years.   As a parent we can often feel that our children are way ahead in the technology stakes and we can feel out of touch with what they are doing, but this book can open up a way for dialogue.  Do you know what websites your children are looking at?  Did you know there are ways in which they can get round the schools internet security to log onto inapproriate sites?

As a parent you need to make sure you can engage at all levels with your child. This book and support material are also being used in schools as a way of engaging children in responsible internet use.  I would recommend you check out the author and his website.

Book Review – The Chocolate Diaries – Karen Scalf Linamen

Reading the stories of encouragement by the author Karen Scalf Linamen and other contributors was like a breath of fresh air, the interesting thing about experiences is that we can relate, there are a range of emotions that most of us at one time or another have felt.  In the mix was humour, wisdom as well as some great recipes.  There are no miracle ‘cure all’ revelation, but an understanding that we need to dig deeper for the answers and look at the joy that we have in our lives.  At the end of each chapter there are additional questions for reflection.  This is a light read and would be great for a book club or group to work through.

I was reading an e-book version, and look forward to checking out some of her other titles.  I received an ecopy of this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review – Art Saves – Jenny Doh

This is one of the best books I have brought in a long time.  I am totally blown away by the work Jenny Doh does  with her courses and website with so much excellent information, when I heard about this book I knew I had to order a copy.  The artists come from all walks of life, and share how the creative activity is an important part of their life. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much they actually shared, each giving a mini lesson with instructions for working in their favourite material, and I am still working through the generous lessons.  They shared their words of wisdom and ways in which we can impact on our own community and use art to tell our own stories.

Art definitely Saves, If you are thinking about getting this book I suggest you go ahead, you won’t be disappointed, from photography, mixed media, assemblage pieces, digital art, fabric and more…. there is so much colour, and examples of the artists work for you to be inspired and let your own creative voice be heard!

Book Review – Image Transfer Workshop – McElroy & Wilson

If you’ve never tried transferring an image then you have to get this book, it’s bursting with an amazing selection of 35 techniques for you to try, some of which uses materials that you would find in most homes, such as cellotape – which is a quick and easy method to the more complex, which is why if you are a more experienced artist you definitely won’t be bored. It is clearly written and has step by step photographs for your to refer to. Being in the UK you might find getting hold of a few of the materials challenging, but where there is a will there is a way!

What is great about the book is that it doesn’t assume you will get a perfect result the first time round and there is a trouble shooting section for each technique which identifies some of the most common problems, why they might have happened and suggesting alternative approaches. The techniques offered in this book are definitely worth giving a go and you won’t be disappointed.  I will be working through some of the techniques and sharing the images on my mixed media site