Top Stories
New stories you’ll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
You’re Darn Smart Vocal: An Open Letter to my Fellow Creatives
Disclaimer: I am not being endorsed by Vocal in any way by publishing this article. These are 100% percent genuine insights and I feel really grateful for this platform.
Valérie RowePublished 3 years ago in Motivation- Second Place in Create Your Happiness Challenge
Pocket Treasures
My hands stay busy so my mind can focus. My laptop is set up on a cookie cooling rack, elevated above the surface of the desk which is covered in papers. My notebook is off to the side with bulleted notes capturing the highlights and questions that still remain after eight hours of back to back zoom meetings. The kids have finished another day of distance learning and escaped outside. I need to clean the remnants of lunch from the kitchen counter so I can start dinner. I scoot my chair across the floor which is covered in paper scrap confetti. Every surface is deconstructed paper piles.
Adelheid WestPublished 3 years ago in Humans Body jewellery for the mind
I have been making pieces of jewellery since I was about 10. I would say it was my first ever creative venture and I absolutely loved running off to the shops and getting supplies after school.
Recycle. Repair. Reuse. Grab your Fiskars scissors & have some upcycle fun!
I have lots of tops, dresses and cushions with former lives as curtains, tablecloths and duvet covers. I love a visit to the local charity shop/thrift store followed by an evening armed with my dressmaking scissors (Fiskars are the best!), measuring tape and sewing machine to give a discarded garment a new lease of life. I find the creative process relaxing and therapeutic and it brings me happiness and joy knowing that I have contributed to the charity and helped the fabric avoid landfill that bit longer.
Fiona AlexanderPublished 3 years ago in EarthA Wood Phone Holder Kit as an Art Therapy Project, DIY.
My name is Stephen Pasco. I am new to the world of product design and as of last year, I knew very little about art therapy. About 18 months ago my sister, a Riverside County Police Officer in California, was badly beaten by a man after approaching him as a burglary suspect. To make a long story short, she almost lost her life that evening. She suffered physical and psychological damage from that beating of which she is still recovering. While she was going through therapy, I learned she was given art activities to help her heal. These art therapy projects were a bridge to help her deal with the depression, anxiety, and PTSD from that night. Although I could not relate to what she was going through I wanted to help in my own way. I was convinced I could make a wood kit my sister could use an alternate art therapy activity.
Stephen PascoPublished 3 years ago in Motivation10 Moments in the MCU that Were Improvised
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with amazing scenes and incredible actors. Did you know that it's possible your favorite scene from the films was improvised? Here is a list of 10 incredibly popular scenes throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe that were actually improvised.
Creating: My Bliss
This inspired life I create what I love and love what I create. I'm delighted to receive compliments on being prolific. Who knows whether being prolific is what makes me happy, or if being happy is what makes me prolific? Either way, my maker's life is my bliss.
Christy MunsonPublished 3 years ago in MotivationTo my 9 year old self: your childhood hobby is now your career
Picture this, my Asian dad who wanted his first born to be a doctor reluctantly handing over my first sewing machine. In that moment, he probably realized that the doctor dream should be passed on to my little sister because there was no denying my love for fashion design.
Cabrini RoyPublished 3 years ago in StyledPatterns of Nature
When I started applying a mirror effect to my nature photos, I quickly became enamored with the results. Beautiful intricate patterns emerged. Many different patterns could be made from the same photo. I totally fell in love and wanted to apply this technique to all my nature photos to see what the resulting pattern would be. Over the course of a couple of weeks, I had created more than 500 unique images.
Amanda BuckPublished 3 years ago in Photographythe joy of remembering
As a youth, Lion King was one of my favorite movies. One line that stays with me is the spirit of Mufasa encouraging Simba to "remember who you are." Over the years, there have been many times when I've questioned who I am and where I am going. My process as an earthen plaster artist helps me to remember with a new level of depth. A fountain of happiness is beginning to erupt as I ground myself in a knowing that is free from doubt.
kenya wrightPublished 3 years ago in EarthWhen I Listen to the Quilters Before Me
Old people are, like, my thing. I grew up watching reruns of The Golden Girls on Lifetime. I spent my childhood summers baiting hooks with fat earthworms for fishing with my Nana and dealing endless rounds of Rook cards with her twin sisters. At 18, my first job was a nurse aide in an all women's care home, a job that I sincerely loved with my whole heart. I've just always wanted to be around older people. It wasn't until college that I realized there's a name for that. Gerontology. The study of the aging process and the experiences of older adults.
Laura AllenPublished 3 years ago in LifehackRepurposed with Love
Checking the mail It wasn’t that long ago that I fell in love with a widowed gentleman. He would check his mail “to see if anybody loved” him, and would return smiling, even if it was only a bill waiting in the box. This gripped me, for I had long loved greeting cards, and bought them randomly over a period of years if they were pretty or amusing or unique. I bought the ones that made me feel something, and that I could imagine others would like. My collection was a reflection of part of me. I bought the cards, yet there had been no reason, no purpose or person in mind other than to recapture the feeling it had given to me the first time I saw it or read it.
LP SteinbeckPublished 3 years ago in FamiliesThe Not So Glamorous Life of a Fashion Designer Who Never Really Cared About Glamour in the First Place
I looked like a boy. Granted, at age 8, this was highly intentional but nonetheless I was a girl choosing to wear exclusively boys’ clothing. I was deemed the token weird kid in my grade. As a child I loved playing basketball, my favorite color was blue, however stereotypical that is, and picking up worms or frogs when found was something I genuinely looked forward to. Frankly, to this day I still fight the urge deep, deep inside me to pick up a frog when I spot one, but alas, that’s an entirely different story. Bringing it back to the point, I struggled a lot when I was a kid. I couldn’t keep friends for more than a school year, I constantly felt like an outcast, and the comments made about my appearance weren’t always easy to ignore. But most of all I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand why I was expected to wear dresses and skirts and flowery things and ruffles and LIKE THE COLOR PINK. Why was that considered “normal” for a girl but my basketball shorts and oversized t-shirt weren’t? Ack. In all honesty, I’ve only recently warmed up to some of those things at age 25. I still rock oversized shorts and t-shirts on occasion though.
Heather BrackmanPublished 3 years ago in Motivation- First Place in Members Only Challenge
Armchair Traveling to Every Country Through Art
For this great Vocal Challenge supported by Memberful, I'd like to implement a project I've long thought about, dreamed about, and want to make happen!
Denise ElnajjarPublished 3 years ago in Wander Everything you do prepares you for the next step
When I was an art teacher, I taught an art camp for one week at my local children’s museum. I made a collage as an example for my campers that we didn’t end up using, but I loved it, so I kept it to use in my classes later.
Jen BlalockPublished 3 years ago in PsycheEmpty bottles filled with purpose
I’ll tell you a secret. I have an obsession with empty bottles. Whenever I see a bottle of juice, water, or just about any container holding a liquid I am mesmerized and inspired! How can I transform the bottle’s life into something with meaning? Is there a way to rescue bottles from the trash pile? Their lives are brighter than they may possibly think. I enjoy bringing out the goodness they may not see at first glance. An empty bottle does not mean an empty life!
Christine RaePublished 3 years ago in LifehackOh, for the love of Scissors!
I couldn’t have imagined that this Challenge would bring me so much joy! As I’m sure most people did, I started by looking around our home to see how many pairs of scissors we own and discovered that we have rather an abundance! Interestingly, almost every pair of scissors we own are made by Fiskars which seems to have become a household name in our home, even without intentionally making it so.
Monique GreenPublished 3 years ago in HumansKant Lie to Me
I have recently made an unfortunate discovery. The man I love is a liar. This could be a devastating realization if it weren’t for the fact that his lies are pointless. He lies about what he ate, drank, and even how much sleep he got on any given day. The motivation is, of course, to keep me from worrying about his health, thereby saving himself from my nagging or, as I like to call it; Persistent care. I know what you’re thinking. If he lies about the small things, what else could he be hiding? More importantly, why do I accept this behavior? My journey to sophrosyne forced me to meditate on this subject instead of jumping to conclusions. A little research and empathy should go a long way.
Diana HerreraPublished 3 years ago in ConfessionsMysteries of Tutankhamun's Tomb
Was there a curse? Howard Carter wasn't expecting to deal with an ancient curse when he discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. Joining Carter was amateur Egyptologist Lord Carnarvon, who was funding the project. The pair were the first to enter the burial chamber hidden away at the end of the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt. What they discovered was ancient wealth beyond any archaeological discovery to date.
Nikole LynnPublished 3 years ago in FYIGreek Gods And Goddesses but Make it Fashion
I am a Photography student at Nossi College of Art, but I also really enjoy fashion and costume design. Currently in my fine art class, I had to choose a project that would keep my attention for an entire 15-week semester. I chose to do a series of environmental fashion portraits, editorial style, themed after the Greek Gods and Goddesses, and I wanted to create the wardrobe. The assignment requires that the series must contain twenty images and they must all be different. To me, that means making 20 different deity portraits. It will be challenging, but so far it has been really rewarding and it fuels my happiness.
Sparrow MoosePublished 3 years ago in Photography