​Hello LAA Members,
As you know, Anne is stepping down as the President of LAA and I have been asked to be your new President.
Now we are in transition...Our lives are full of transitions, those times between one state of existence and the next. We transition from school to summer vacation. We transition from home to college, from college to work, from work to retirement…and on and on. Our transitions can be viewed as voids we impatiently rush through or we can see them as quiet, in between spaces. These spaces are times for reflection, for sorting and considering what has passed. But they are also times for planning and anticipation…for wondering and dreaming.

We look forward in anticipation…this new world hasn’t been built…it doesn’t exist yet. As we move through our transition time here at the LAA, I would like to encourage you to share your dreams, your wondering, what you are planning and anticipating, with me and with each other. 

My job as President is to serve you, our members. I want to hear from you. What are your dreams? What projects would you love to see us tackle? 

Think too, about how you can serve each other. Paradoxically, we gain more when we give more, particularly of our time and regard. When we reach out to fellow members, having lunch, discussing our work, getting out of a creative block, we strengthen and grow our community. By volunteering, formally or informally, we charge our personal batteries and charge up our organization in the process.

I look forward to hearing from you in the comments on our website or on FaceBook. 

Yours in Creativity,
Helen
​Helen H. Harrison, President, LAA

Happy New Year!
I love the excitement of starting the New Year! To me, it seems like a time to refine, re-focus, and rejuvenate myself. If you are like me, you may find yourself as an artist feeling “stuck” from time to time. So, for my 3 “R’s” in 2019, I want to open up my creative self. I just came across a book titled “ Creative Strength Training” by Jane Dunnewold. Jane says regarding the subject of creativity…”I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say rather wistfully, ‘I’m not creative.’ When I hear a statement like that, I think to myself, No one has ever shown you where to begin. Because the fact is, creativity, like any skill, can be cultivated. It takes a healthy combination of focused commitment and strength training, knowledge and stamina.” I was intrigued by this idea. Many people think that only certain people are blessed with the gift of creativity. Jane dismisses that idea, stating that in all disciplines, whether athletics, music, or art, we achieve by setting a course of learning and practicing. Jane states, “Making begins as play, then gets serious because you start to care. You recognize the need for regular reps or practice and screw up your courage to commit. What happens? You come full circle. Stick with the training. Working at it leads back to play.” My New Years wish for all of you is to take your eyes off producing a piece of art and make your goal be creativity for creativity ‘s sake and for the delight it can bring to your soul. https://www.artistsnetwork.com/store/creative-strength-training - Anne