Posts Tagged ‘creativity’

Writers on Demand: Aneesah Bakker

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Aneesah Bakker has led the The Artist’s Way Book Club every month at the ABC Treehut in The Hague for the past year.  In this series of workshops, based on Julia Cameron’s bestseller (and ABC Evergreen) The Artist’s Way, she has helped people discover (or recover) their creativity, ultimately letting them take charge of the direction it takes them in.

Now, in a beautiful artistic circle, Aneesah is the proud author of her own empowering book, The Thankful Way Journal, published through ABC’s Espresso Book Machine!

As she describes it, her book is “a whole new experience of gratitude journaling.”  It features a “simple, effective, fun and step by step approach. You are introduced to the miracle question, appreciative inquiry and TA-DA to AHA checklists to add more power to the gratitude practice of listing 5 things you are grateful for. You will be introduced to heart charting, a new form of doodling that anyone can use to connect better to one’s creative side.”  The Thankful Way Journal is a combination book-and-journal, giving you the sense of being a part of Aneesah’s free-flowing workshops that open up and boost your originality.  Aneesah’s warmth and encouragement will have you scaling heights of creativity you didn’t know you had in you!

You can buy The Thankful Way Journal in both our stores, freshly printed on one of our EBMs.

Aneesah has also set up a Facebook page and a blog so you can follow her progress in becoming a published author, and to connect with like-minded people.  And finally, this fall she will host three The Thankful Way Journal Book Club sessions at the ABC Treehut in The Hague on September 20th, October 18th, and November 15th (be sure to sign up for our monthly Events Mailing to get advance notice of all the details!).

CANCELLED – Win tickets to Julia Cameron’s lecture on creativity!

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Unfortunately Julia Cameron has cancelled the event, so there are no longer tickets to be won

In co-operation with Bliz Events, The American Book Center is giving away 5 pairs of tickets worth € 90 each for Julia Cameron’s lecture Creativity & Divinity”, taking place in Houten on Friday, May 11th, 2012.

Julia Cameron is a novelist, playwright, songwriter, poet, and the author of the ABC Evergreen The Artist’s Way. First published in 1992, The Artist’s Way is credited with helping millions find and express authentic creativity in their lives, in their work and in the world.

During her lecture Julia will remove every myth and monster that you hold dear that stops you from living your most creative life! Discover and recover your creative self. Stop telling yourself that “It’s too late”. Stop waiting until you make enough money before you do something you love. Stop thinking it’s just your ego whenever you yearn for a more creative life. Release the beliefs that dreams don’t matter, that your family and friends will think you’re crazy, or that creativity is a luxury you can’t afford. Julia will teach you how to do all this and much more! To find out how to enter the draw to win a pair of tickets, see our blog.

On May 12 and 13 Julia will also give a workshop on The Artist’s Way!

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the lecture, just answer the following question:

Name an activity that Julia advises in The Artist’s Way to let your creativity flow.

Send your answer in an email to femke@abc.nl before May 6th. In the subject line, write “Julia Cameron Prize Draw”.

Date: Friday May 11th
Time: 19:00 – 21:30
Venue: Theater Aan de Slinger, Houten
Note: please bring a pen and a notebook
Normal Ticket Price: € 45; tickets at the door: € 50
More information: Bliz Events

Topical Tips: Creativity

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Oops!  I spent all day reading yesterday and totally forgot to post these!  So, a day late (but thankfully not too late to remind you of the Urban Culture Event happening on Saturyday at the ABC in Amsterdam, as posted before), here are 5 tips on all kinds of creativity:

  1. Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith.  And it’s not just because we love her, you know.  It’s a great journal with all kinds of crazy ideas that will enliven your day and have you thinking outside the box.
  2. Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A – Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspiration by Martha Stewart.  You can think of her what you like, the fact remains that she is the MacGyver of crafting.  Just give her a pillowcase and a marker and she’ll somehow manage to turn it into a prom dress, with clear pictures showing you just how she did it.
  3. The 3 a.m. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises That Transform Your Fiction by Brian Kiteley.  He gets double points for picking one of the best descriptive titles, don’t you think?
  4. Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.  Read this if you’re interested in a psychological take on what creativity is, or could be.  “By that guy, Tschik-something-or-other-with-a-really-long-last-name, I can’t remember exactly” – well, I never remember either, but I’ll know exactly who you mean!  :-)
  5. Cradle to Cradle by Michael Braungart and William McDonough.  And finally this title, because thinking outside the box is important in all spheres of life.  It’s been featured here before (in a different edition).

PICNIC ‘08

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

It’s almost here!  The third PICNIC will be happening from Sept. 24th until Sept. 26th in Amsterdam.

PICNIC ‘08What is PICNIC ‘08, though?  Ah, glad I asked that question for you…  It’s three inspiring days of ideas, fun and sensory stimulation in media technology, entertainment, art and science.  A cross-over hodgepodge of creativity, in other words.  There is the PICNIC Conference, there are PICNIC Specials, and also PICNIC Labs.  If you’re looking for fresh ideas for your business or simply to reinvigorate yourself, this is definitely the place to visit.

ABC will be at the event to provide printed food, so be sure to stop by our booth to say hello to the staffers there!