{"id":371,"date":"2017-05-23T16:56:22","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T22:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=371"},"modified":"2017-08-14T20:45:52","modified_gmt":"2017-08-15T02:45:52","slug":"its-a-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=371","title":{"rendered":"It’s A Process"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Two awesome books by Austin Kleon<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I recently read two books by Austin Kleon (1,2<\/em>) , each one full of pearls. At almost every page turn I found myself either nodding along in agreement, or whapping my forehead in moments of sudden clarity. Kleon\u2019s writing is easy to read and packed with useful information about creativity and the creative process. I liked his ideas so much that I\u2019m incorporating many into my daily routine, and thought I\u2019d share a couple of these new activities with you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Austin Kleon wrote<\/strong>: \u201cSocial media sites are the perfect place to share daily updates. Don\u2019t worry about being on every platform; pick and choose based on what you do and the people you\u2019re trying to reach\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(p.51) (2<\/em>)<\/p>\n

What Melissa read<\/strong>: Figure out what creative thing(s) I want to do and identify who I want to tell. Concurrently, find a social media site that I like, and stick with it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A few months ago I created a Facebook page for Peanutmark.com (http:\/\/fb.me\/PeanutMarkTheBlog<\/a>)\u00a0to separate \u201cpublic\u201d blog information from \u201cprivate\u201d news (up until that point I had been sharing new blog posts on my personal page and sometimes forgot to reset my privacy settings afterwards). Now that I\u2019ve made a PeanutMark Facebook page, it\u2019s readily available for notifications and such. I\u2019m still figuring out what the \u201csuch\u201d might look like, and am exploring some Facebook tools I can use to make the page more engaging.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On May 1st I opened an Instagram account, and started posting a daily picture. I like Instagram\u2019s photo-first approach. It speaks to me in a way that\u2019s different from Facebook, and I feel like it\u2019s an easy compliment to the thoughts that ultimately shape new PeanutMark blog posts. Unfortunately, the account name PeanutMark was already taken by a fellow in Australia, so you can find me on Instagram as MelissaCMark (http:\/\/instagram.com\/melissacmark<\/a>).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Austin Kleon wrote<\/strong>: \u201cThink process, not product\u201d<\/em>, \u201cShow your work!\u201d<\/em> and \u201cKeep a log book\u201d<\/em>. (1,2<\/em>)<\/p>\n

What Melissa read<\/strong>: Art isn\u2019t just what you make, art is also what happens along the way. Therefore, it would be a good idea to chronicle what I\u2019m doing, as I\u2019m doing it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instagram posts are an enjoyable way for me to show the process of different creative efforts. Everyday I look for something to grab my attention or spark a feeling, and then snap a picture of that something on my phone. Taking the picture is the easy part; figuring out appropriate hashtags is harder. Right now, I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019m not using the whole image-label-hashtag thing quite right, but that\u2019s part of the fun for me. I did make up my own hashtag for organizing this daily picture endeavor — #melissasdailyview. I\u2019m still wrestling with what exactly I mean by the word \u201cview\u201d in #melissasdailyview. Is it what I\u2019m actually taking a picture of? Or is it how I think about what I\u2019m looking at, before I take the picture? I haven\u2019t decided yet, and that\u2019s another part of what I like so much about the project thus far.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I also started keeping a small notebook to jot down highlights of what I\u2019ve worked or ruminated on each day. Kleon specifically speaks to this kind of logbook, stating that entries aren\u2019t supposed to be diary-like. To that end, I only allow myself one small page to write or draw on, making sure to include only those day-bits that really stood out to me. It\u2019s been a good practice because I\u2019m easily frustrated by not having daily tangible product to show for my creative efforts. But when I look back at the growing number of these short entries, it\u2019s clear that I AM doing stuff and making progress. Having an accessible, direct, and tidy record is both satisfying and validating.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My creativeness\u00a0is definitely a work in progress. Some days are easier than others, but as one of my sister writers at Twin Cities Writing Studio\u00a0puts it, \u201cCelebrate each step along the way. It\u2019s a process.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thank you for taking part in my process!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Take Away<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to learn about how other folk approach activities that you also enjoy, because their insight can add richness to your own endeavors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Being creative is an active process that is vital to any final artistic product. Embrace your daily work, and record the journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can follow me on on FB here:\u00a0http:\/\/fb.me\/PeanutMarkTheBlog<\/a>
\nOr on Instagram here:\u00a0http:\/\/instagram.com\/melissacmark<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Twin Cities Writing Studio:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.juliebburton.com\/tcwritingstudio\/<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0http:\/\/ninabadzin.com\/twin-cities-writing-studio\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. Kleon, Austin. Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Workman, 2012.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative-ebook\/dp\/B0074QGGK6\/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495577589&sr=1-1&keywords=austin+kleon<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Kleon, Austin. Show Your Work!: 10 Ways To Share Your Creativity And Get Discovered. Workman, 2014.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Show-Your-Work-Austin-Kleon\/dp\/076117897X\/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495577589&sr=1-3&keywords=austin+kleon<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I recently read two books by Austin Kleon (1,2) , each one full of pearls. At almost every page turn I found myself either nodding along in agreement, or whapping my forehead in moments of sudden clarity. Kleon\u2019s writing is easy to read and packed with useful information about creativity and the creative process. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-random-subjects"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6ZedX-5Z","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":115,"url":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=115","url_meta":{"origin":371,"position":0},"title":"Star Wars and Pizza","author":"Melissa","date":"December 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m a big sci-fi nut. 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I know others would disagree, but I don\u2019t see things like laundry and grocery shopping as chores. I choose to look at these activities as a comforting framework to my otherwise dynamic and slippery schedule. One errand I really\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/image.png?fit=640%2C1136&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/image.png?fit=640%2C1136&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.peanutmark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/image.png?fit=640%2C1136&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44,"url":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=44","url_meta":{"origin":371,"position":3},"title":"Hankscraft","author":"Melissa","date":"November 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a not-so-secret obsession. Vaporizers. Specifically, the Hankscraft model 240 cool mist kind. This is a longstanding addiction \u2013 lasting well over 40 years. 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