Creative Aging

Earlier this year, I posted about creative aging with Do the Arts Have an Age Limit? Now, the Metlife Foundation Creative Aging Program is offering funding, in the form of seed grants to encourage healthy aging.

This pilot program will provide in-depth technical assistance and seed grants of $7,500 to eight National Guild members to enable them to design, implement and evaluate sustainable creative aging programs (participatory, skill-based arts education programs for adults age 60 and above) using best practices detailed in the Guild's latest publication, Creativity Matters: The Arts and Aging Toolkit. Technical assistance will focus on capacity-building with particular attention to outcome-based evaluation measuring changes in the health of participants.

• So do the arts have an age limit?

Find Your Color

Did you know that each of us has a personal color? It's based on the day we were born and can give us insights into our personality and inspire us. Mine is pistachio green.

Pantone, the color experts, have worked with Michele Bernhardt to develop this system.

• Find your color at Colorstrology.

Create a Visioning Collage to Inspire You

Materials:
Large piece of sturdy white paper / poster board
Magazines to cut up
Scissors
Glue
Colored Markers
Pens
Paints
A Creative Dream

Begin by going through the magazines and randomly cutting out images and words that appeal to you. Once you have about 10-15 images start imagining your dream and how what you've chosen represents this. You may want to choose an image or word that represents the essence of the dream and place this in the center of your paper gluing it securely in place.

Next, working with the other images, begin gluing them down in whatever way makes sense to you and your dream. You can also add color with markers, pens or paints.

After the collage is complete it should represent your achieved dream. Place the collage in a place where you will see it every day and spend some time each day visualizing yourself in your dream collage achieving your goals.

• Check out this flickr group for inspiration.