creativity | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘creativity’

Not Too Long & Not Too Short

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, anthologies, creativity, inspiration, Kickstarter, Writers, writing on February 15, 2026| 4 Comments »

Here’s a quick notification for anyone interested in writing and publication venues and supporting a fun Kickstarter:

Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology by Storm Humbert

The idea for Missed-Fits is born of two central motivations at Calendar of Fools: the desire to create truly unique books and reading experiences for our readers, and the desire to provide a service or fill a gap we see in the professional short fiction space. In this case, the gap we saw was a relative dearth of stories of a certain length (1,200 to 2,100 words)…

I backed an earlier Calendar of Fools campaign and am happy to see that these anthologies are still going strong.

Given that I like books, often write stories that don’t fit traditional venue length requirements, and enjoy supporting artists, this is right up my alley.

Perhaps these are things you like too?

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For Those With Excellent Taste

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 5, 2026| 1 Comment »

“There is a time for any fledgling artist where one’s taste exceeds one’s abilities. The only way to get through this period is to make things anyway.” ― Gabrielle Zevin

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Taking a Broader View

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 3, 2026| 2 Comments »

We admire people at their peak, we don’t get to see the distance they’ve traveled. — Adam Grant

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Everything You Need to Know

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, life, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 30, 2026| 1 Comment »

“All you have to do is to pay attention; lessons always arrive when you are ready, and if you can read the signs, you will learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step.”

― Paulo Coelho

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Colors, Lost and Found

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, inspiration on January 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I spent some time in high school studying the medical and practical uses of local plants. I may have mentioned that I entertain Mr Man when we go out for walks: “Those ‘weeds’ are edible, that’s good for firestarter, and you can use that to make cough syrup. Oh, but that one’s poisonous.” (I’m sure my brother has stories of mysterious bottles marked with a skull and crossbones in the fridge.)

That’s why this video appeals to me (the useful part, not the poison part):

In Search of Forgotten Colours – Sachio Yoshioka and the Art of Natural Dyeing

Sachio Yoshioka is the fifth-generation head of the Somenotsukasa Yoshioka dye workshop in Fushimi, southern Kyoto. When he succeeded to the family business in 1988, he abandoned the use of synthetic colours in favour of dyeing solely with plants and other natural materials.

So pretty!

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Useful Tools

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, advice, blocks, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The world is a distracting place. If you’ve been having trouble finding the time and energy to focus on your writing, this free class from award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal might be useful.

Free Class: Barriers to Writing

Hey there… have you been having a hard time writing? Yeah. There’s a lot of that going around right now.

This class looks at what keeps people from writing. It’s less about problems with the story and more about all the external things. It covers environmental factors, mental health, and tricks for compensating for all of this to write.

Thanks, Mary!

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What She Said

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 18, 2026| 3 Comments »

“We’re only here for a short time. So why not go for it?”

— Belle Burden

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Got Books?

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, books, creativity, invention, Thoughts on January 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Today, a little update related to a post I made in (checks notes) 2012: Today in Spectacular Bookseller Practices: A Random Used-Book Vending Machine.

The image for that post is broken and there wasn’t a lot of information about the actual book vending machine, but I’m here to rectify that oversight!

What am I on about? The BIBLIO-MAT, a.k.a the book vending machine.

THE BIBLIO-MAT

The BIBLIO-MAT is a random book vending machine designed and built by Craig Small for The Monkey’s Paw, an idiosyncratic antiquarian bookshop in Toronto.

It’s awesome and handmade and should be something you can get in multiple sizes and formats for next-day delivery because it is just that cool. (Seriously, what would a suitcase sized or food truck style or e-book version of this look like?)

Check out the link for how-it-works videos and enough interior sketches to inspire your own if you are mechanically inclined (and have a significant pile of maybe-never-to-be-read books).

Because as Dame Margaret Atwood says, “THIS! IS! BRILLIANT!”

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