Spark your creativity!

It's cold outside, the dark nights are long, and it's very tempting to just curl up under a blanket and hibernate. But here's an idea for making much better use of your wintertime—try something new!

Pick up a new hobby. Sharpen your senses. Stretch your horizons. Invigorate yourself!

According to Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland of Project Zero, authors of Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education, individuals “ ... who study the arts seriously are taught to see better, to envision, to persist, to be playful and learn from mistakes, to make critical judgments and justify such judgments.” Besides that, being creative is fun!

We're lucky that Lake Country is full of opportunities to flex our creative instincts. Here are just a few:
• There are several arts-related classes offered through local community education programs. Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Brainerd, Moorhead, Detroit Lakes, and Park Rapids all offer courses through ed2go. The arts curriculum through ed2go includes these courses.
• Northland Community Schools Community Education offers several arts-related classes. The complete listing can be accessed here.

Or create a short video and submit it to EgoFest, as profiled in the current Lake Country Journal (January/February 2010, p. 12). For more information, visit the EgoFest website.

Hmmm ... Drawing for the Absolute Beginner sounds intriguing ... If you've taken a class or started a new hobby, please register or sign in tell us about it. Because we're all in this winter together.