Graminated!

We’ve been very remiss in keeping up with our blog for the past couple of months, but the fourth quarter of the year is our most hectic. Our last post was in late October, right before the holiday rush hit and kept us hopping into January. Our last post was also about listening to music being offered as Grammy possibilities. What I didn’t mention was that our own children’s CD “GulfAlive” - the one written, performed and produced by my partner, Sid Berger, and I - was one of many in the mix of music up for consideration.

It didn’t seem worth mentioning. We certainly had no expectations…whatsoever. The Grammy’s is a competition voted on by industry professionals, so the better connected you are, the better chance you have. We are as unconnected as it gets.

But on November 30, right after the Grammy nomination show was broadcast on TV, the full list of nominees was published online. And there it was, “GulfAlive, by The Banana Plant.” We didn’t believe it was real until we started receiving follow-up correspondence from NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), the organization behind the Grammy’s.

So, we are one of five nominees in the Best Children’s Album category, picked out of more than 120 entries. We’re heading to L.A. to attend all the festivities and ceremonies with plans to embrace the experience to the max. And since getting nominated was far beyond our wildest dreams, we will enjoy every aspect of this honor. It would be nice to win (long, long, long shot!), but we’re sufficiently overjoyed to be nominees. For those of us who revel in the creative process, it’s nice to get a pat on the head for it.

Gwynn Torres

The Creativity Institute

Grammyland Delights

Along with running The Creativity Institute, my husband and I are musicians and songwriters. Through our affiliation with NARAS, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, we’re able to vote on music known and unknown to be nominated for the annual Grammy awards.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve spent hours and hours listening to musicians of various genres. What an exciting and inspiring endeavor it has been! Sure, we encountered some artists who were at various levels of lackluster, but, overall, we came across some amazing talent lurking in the wings of discovery.

Here are just a few of the musical acts who were a delightful surprise for me: Parris Lee, Carolyn Malachi, Light of Love, Allison Tartalia, LR-60, Kathy Sanborn, Terri Lynn Carrington, D Woods, Sylvan Street Jazz, Linda Chorney, Vernell Brown, Jr., Bombastic Meatballs….I could go on and on.

And what I love most about this experience is that it is pure creative food. Have you ever felt an urge to paint after walking through a gallery? Or wanted to design an outfit after watching “Project Runway?” Or maybe start that book you always knew you had in you after reading a particularly memorable story? Embrace the bountiful creative buffet at every opportunity. You can never get too much.

If I weren’t feeling so good right now, I might jump on my soapbox about keeping the arts alive in schools…but, for now, I am drifting happily on a music high and expect to stay there for a while as I explore the full repertoire of the artists we’re just getting to know.

I encourage you to listen to some music you’ve never heard before, and if it feeds your soul a little bit, meet me in the clouds!

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

We’re Spoiled!

For his birthday, we recently gave our neighbor’s little boy an activity house made by The Original Toy Company. We knew he’d like it, because he’d shown interest in shape sorting toys at our house. But we were especially pleased by his mother’s reaction. She was surprised and delighted to see that this toy is crafted of wood, and beautifully crafted, I might add.

I realized how those of us at The Creativity Institute have come to take it for granted that the toys we offer are of superior quality. We’ve been in the toy business for almost eight years now, and we’re just spoiled. Oh sure, we’ve been very picky about what we carry, and we’ve discontinued a line or two that we appraised and decided weren’t worthy of our brand. But our neighbor’s appreciation of the workmanship of this relatively inexpensive toy reminds us that not all toys are made alike.

Most of our toy vendors are not the giant, multi-national brands, which produce in great mass and measure quantity sold as the more important definition of success. In fact, a number of our manufacturers are relatively small, some even family-owned. They offer lines of artistically crafted blocks, trains, easels and more, their beloved designs honed by tradition and a commitment to quality.

We love our toy vendors. We know them personally and have come to respect their integrity. And that’s why we like being a specialty toy store. We carry the toys that become classics and make parents feel as good as the kids.

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

“…permission to have crazy ideas”

My partner and I spent many years on the creative side of the advertising and marketing industry and still do a bit of consulting. It was a fun, exciting career, but you were only as good as your last campaign. Expanding the horizons of your imagination was a necessary and ongoing pursuit. This fascination with the importance of thinking beyond obvious boundaries ultimately led to the creation of our store, The Creativity Institute…which brings me to the phrase “…permission to have crazy ideas.”

I borrowed it from an article in “Fast Company” about a company that built has been building a culture of creativity. It talks about inspired employees and customers and the resulting growth. But what does “…permission to have crazy ideas” mean to us as parents, grandparents and educators?

Creativity is freedom. Freedom to think without repercussion. Freedom to push the imaginary envelope without ridicule. Freedom to find the crazy in all of us that frequently leads to brilliance.

Adulthood offers more than enough opportunities to squash creative egos. For those of us fortunate enough to be in positions to inspire kids of all ages, please inspire, motivate, encourage…and most of all, give permission to find the crazy.

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

Crazy for Cards

Working in the creative department of ad agencies brought lots of exciting artistic opportunities through the years. Despite busy schedules, we were constantly called on to make custom cards for employee or client events…birthdays, promotions, new babies, etc. And they usually had to be fast and clever. Some were more challenging than others, but it was always a good exercise in creativity.

It’s also a great exercise in creativity for children, and as long as they know they can’t fail, it’s fun for them. Help them along with hints if they need it. You can ask them questions such as, “What does Grandpa like to do?” Encourage the child to fill the card with things that are dear to the recipient. If Grandpa loves to fish, the child could draw or cut out a giant, colorful fish. And have fun with the message. For instance, for the giant fish concept you could write, “I hope your birthday fun is THIS big!

A homemade card for someone special is a gift in itself, an heirloom to treasure. And the simple act of creating it can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

The Potion

When your schedule accommodates the needs of several children, not to mention your other obligations, it's hard to make time for one-on-one experiences with your kids. But when the opportunity arises to give all your attention to one child for a little while, the results can be both memorable and enriching.

Once, a simple walk with my 8-yr. old daughter turned into a delightful treasure hunt. As we headed out, she asked if we could gather “things” along the way to make a potion. What a fun idea! We gathered things both organic and not. Cedar balls, cypress blades, pine needles, pansy petals, acorns, string and more. When we got it all home, I gave her a large bowl, spoons for stirring and water to add to it. Together, we mixed it up. Surprisingly, it had a pleasant, room-freshener aroma (thanks to all the cedar balls).

Best of all, she was inspired to create wonderful stories about the magical powers of our “potion,” all the while pretending to be a wizard.

Practically anything can lead the way to pretend-play, but if you need inspiration, consider puppets or maybe even a playtent. Imagination is a wonderful thing, and watching it flourish is a joyful experience for both parent and child.

Gwynn
The Creativity Institute

And the moral of the story is...

We’re trying to advance good values for children and help positive behavior support(PBS) programs by creating original puppet show scripts that use light demonstrations to get across the message. The combination of the drama, the puppets and the humor hold the children's attention while the points are being made. Some of these are scripts based on the model of Aesop’s Fables with positive “morals” that also communicate positive values to children.

The scripts are available with and without puppet sets, and can even be acted out by children not using puppets.

http://www.creativityinstitute.com/Positive-Behavior-Support.aspx

Gwynn