The Creative Playground: an e-course

Remember that oh-so-mysterious project I've been hinting about? The glimmer in my eye? The source of countless hours of lost sleep and middle-of-the-night scribblings? Well, today is the big reveal! This one works double duty as my Thursday thanksgiving feature, because I am beyond grateful to take part in this amazing adventure--and I hope you'll come along with me.

Get up, do your work, go to bed. Get up, do your work, go to bed. Do you ever feel like a stale piece of bread, just sitting around waiting for something that will never happen? Do you ever long for the days where all you needed to do was wake up and play with your imagination?

Letting your inner wild child out to play can be a little unnerving. After all, we are supposed to be sophisticated, serious adults of the world, are we not? We get up, do our work and go to bed in a responsible fashion, only to get up and do it again the next day and the next day and the next. Well, do you know what Natasha and Amanda have to say to that? BOOOOO! Wouldn’t life be so much more fulfilling and fun if we were adults filled with childlike wonder and a desire for mini-adventures that feed our hearts, minds and imaginations?

Keeping your inner child alive and letting him or her play is the smartest thing you can do for yourself, both personally and professionally! Why, you ask? Well, aside from the fact that play leads to experimentation which leads to new, creative ideas, a good dose of playtime and fun does wonders for the body. Imagine tuning into your inner child, carving out some much needed personal playtime and immediately reducing the stress in your life. Imagine sharing your new discoveries with friends and family and inspiring them to play with you, thus deepening connections. Well, you don’t have to imagine anymore. That place exists. It’s called The Creative Playground.

The Creative Playground is a four-week e-course that invites you to play, create, dream and share with your fearless leaders, “Creative Nacho” Natasha and “Persistent Green” Amanda. Enjoy twenty daily exercises and eight videos that will spark your imagination. When you reconnect with your favorite childhood crafts, learn some inspiring new ones and then journal about your playtime experiences in your personal Playbook (a fabulous, scrapbook-like journal that will accompany you on this journey and remain with you long after, a treasured friend and keepsake), you will bring childlike wonder and free-spirited fun back into your daily life. You’ll also be able to gather with your Playground buddies at a private community space, where you can share photos of your creations and enjoy inspiring conversation. All of this, along with personal attention and encouraging feedback from both leaders, will enhance your relationships and add a new fire to every area of your life.

The cost of this course is $60 and it begins on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010. Enrollment is limited, so sign up soon. Come find your inner wild child at the Creative Playground!

(Watch for a welcome e-mail within 24 hours. Please be sure to check your spam folder if you haven't received it.)

About Natasha

Natasha, also known as “Creative Nacho,” has been writing since the day her mom put a journal in her hand at age four. She received her MFA in writing from the New School in New York City before spending time as Marketing and Development Director for a nonprofit and later as freelance writer, creating promotional materials for small businesses. Natasha assisted in creating original curriculum pieces for a private school in Manhattan before being invited to teach writing and editing workshops for some of the students. She has taught writing and photojournalism workshops for teenagers and written for publications such as Family Circle, Latina, Lifetips and MediaBistro. In addition, one of her pieces lives in the Library of Congress. In 2009, she made her dream come true of making a living doing both crafting and writing together when she opened DoodleStar, her personal creative playground. When she’s not playing professionally, she can be found playing at home with her mischievous husband and lovable daughter they like to call Doodle.


About Amanda

Amanda Fall, also known as “Persistent Green,” is only now letting her inner wild child come out and play. She was a serious and painfully shy little girl for the most part, except for the occasional eccentricity like refusing to take off her rainbow-colored swimsuit. She did, however, love to play games of imagination, along with reading anything she could get her hands on, writing, drawing, and creating elaborate doll-worlds. After sixteen years of homeschooling, Amanda graduated early and earned her GED. She discovered a passion for the visual arts at Black Hills State University, eventually graduating magna cum laude in 2007 with an art major and sociology minor. She is a long-time member of the nationally recognized writer’s group Bearlodge Writers, and her award-winning writing and artwork have appeared in numerous publications and exhibits. She lives with her husband and oddball cat in Spearfish, South Dakota, working full-time as artist and writer. Amanda owns and operates Persistent Green, a small business with big heart that offers wildly colorful handmade goods and artwork.