Five {5} Creative Questions with Dawn D. Sokol

Dawn Devries Sokol is one creative (and busy) woman, so I am happy she took some time and answered my questions this month.

Dawn DeVries Sokol is the author of Doodle Diary: Art Journaling for Girls (Gibbs Smith, 2010) and 1000 Artist Journal Pages (Quarry, 2008), a book designer, and an avid art journaler and doodler. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband T.J., and dog Lucy.

Her next book will be published by Gibbs Smith in 2011 and Interweave Press just released her workshop DVD titled "Art Journaling: Pages in Stages". She discusses art journaling and doodling on her blog. She also can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

1. What does creativity mean to you?
Creativity is constructing or inventing something and anyone can do it. We are all creative. We all have imagination. It's just how we access the imagination and what we make of it. Whether we paint, draw, make music, sing, dance, perform, craft, crochet, sew, doodle, or whatever...It's all creativity!

2. What is your creative process and what tools do you use to stimulate it?
I'm not really sure if I have a set process. If I feel inspired, I create. As a book designer, it can be difficult to feel inspired on a deadline, but I graduated with a degree in journalism, so deadlines tend to motivate me more than not. I sometimes go days without creating if I've been on a huge deadline or just completed a big creative project. You have to take a break.

3. What is your most creative time of day?
It's definitely not the morning. It's always later in the day. I used to be a night owl, and I think that's stayed with me...sometimes I can feel incredibly inspired late at night. If it's a rainy day, THAT inspires me.

4. How do you infuse creativity into your daily life and tasks?
Since my job is a creative one and I'm self-employed, I guess I eat and breathe it. Art journaling has become a part of my professional life, and it's still a part of my personal life.

5. What creative tip or resource would you like to share with our readers?
If you want to introduce creativity into your life but are not sure how, take workshops or an art class. Maybe you're drawn to music or the theater. Find ways to get involved in these activities!

• THANKS Dawn!