Last week I posted a heliconia painting in my eZine and asked readers to help me out with a title; more on the title next week. For now, I would like to share some memories from one of my students, Charlie Young. Charlie has been taking my watercolor class at Kaimuki for three semesters and has been making great strides in his technique and use of color. Go Charlie! Here is the painting and the thoughts he shared:

"Your floral painting triggered memories of when I was a kid running around the mountains here. I remember the bright flowers and plants among the tall trees, and hanging vines surrounding my many hikes with the guys on our "secret" trails; and swimming bare ass in the many cold streams in Nu`uanu and Manoa valleys.  

My mother was always afraid I would fall off trees or drown, so she always reminded me not to climb those tall trees for unreachable mangoes or swim in those dangerous streams. Whenever she asked, I told her “no” never did. Years later, my daughter told me that me mother laughingly always knew I did all those things with my pals because my hair would still be damp and my clothes muddy and soiled.

Before taking your watercolor classes and others. I ways intrigued with the thoughts of the artist behind their works.  I always wondered what their minds were processing as they painted, hour after hour.

For me, in the short time I have started in this field of art, painting and ceramics, I find my structured thoughts and rationale coming to a standstill, having almost no thoughts at times, and finding some kind of “feelings” coming into play; at times intermingled with some kind of vague memories about childhood. It’s almost primordial in a sense, many times triggering faint memories of my 2nd grade classes when the kind teacher put aprons on us, gave us paint brushes and paint, and patiently watched us children slosh paint all over the place, on the floor, walls, etc.

So far, that's what I am getting when I paint. I feel like a kid again.

Thanks for your guidance in this area."

You are MOST Welcome Charlie!!! Thank YOU for sharing your memories of times gone by.

This photo was taken on October 7th, right after our wedding ceremony on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.  We both grew up near "big water", so perhaps it is not that surprising to find us living in Hawai`i, a land surrounded by the deepest ocean on earth. 

People have asked if being married feels any different. Honestly? No, not to me; and that feels SO good to me! It means we made a decision in alignment with who we are, both individually, and as a couple. Phew!

We are both SO happy!

First I must thank Scott Adams for the cartoon he published earlier this month. Brilliant! I am a sucker for cartoons pertaining to all things art/artist/creativity related. Humor, like creativity, is essential to life.

Whenever we feel the calling to create, we must answer. Sometimes we don't respond to it with pen and ink or paint and brush. Sometimes we use yarn and needles or sugar and spice. No matter, answer we must.

Creativity is a calling, an urge, and a muse that must be followed. It is the mystery and magic of life itself, the substance of spirit flowing through our lives ... sometimes even at four in the morning :-)

Okay, so maybe these could be called Creative Energy Bars, but I like the sound of Creativity Bars because you get to use your creativity in making them.

Let's face it, every single one of us is creative in our own ways. There are some days when the only thing I want to create is food. I usually start with a recipe and then "riff" off it by changing and adding ingredients.

This basic recipe came from the Sunday newspaper column by Three Many Cooks blogger Pam Anderson and her daughters, Sharon and Maggy. Here is the basic recipe:

2 C rolled Oats
1/2 C wheat germ
1 C sliced almonds
1/2 C semi-sweet or bittersweet chips
1/2 C dried cherries or craisins
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

Adjust the oven rack to a lower/middle position and preheat to 325 degrees. Grease a 9" square pan and then line the pan bottom and up the sides with foil — also greased. This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan once they are baked.

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl, turn into the pan, pat down, and bake for 30 min. Cool to room temperature and then put the pan into the freezer. When the bars are firm, use the foil handles to remove them from the pan. Remove the foil and use a long, sharp knife to cut the bars into 18 1"x3" pieces. These will keep in an airtight container for one week, or in the freezer for much longer (you will probably eat them up before they have the chance to go bad).

Here comes the CREATIVE part:
The first time I made these I didn't have sweetened condensed milk; I had evaporated milk. I heated up the milk and melted 1 C of sugar into it. I added some unsweetened carob chips to that mixture before stirring it into the dry ingredients. This made for a chewier bar because there was more moisture in it. YUM.

The second time I made them I didn't have wheat germ so I added freshly ground flax seeds, extra oats, and unsweetened coconut flakes. This time I used sweetened condensed milk and omitted the carob chips. YUM again!

The third time I made them I ran out of craisins so I used prunes and left the almonds whole. I know, look at me getting BOLD!

EVERYONE who eats these likes them. The original recipe said it made 16 pieces (each 1"x4" — I'm getting 18 pieces instead), each with 206 calories, 31g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 8g fat (3g saturated), 8mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 32mg sodium. I haven't figured out the sugar content, but one a day is probably okay.

Have fun and please let me know what kinds of creative changes you make to your Creativity Bars!