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| For Immediate Release | Victoria, BC / August 2004 |
FAME Creativity Cards: Activating Muse & Editor
By Engaging Both Sides of the Brain
| “Simple, provocative, and helpful, Connie Frey’s little deck of creative prompts provides a stepping stone into writing, whenever we want, wherever we are.” ~ Christina Baldwin, Life’s Companion, Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest |
Connie Frey, PhD, developed FAME Cards: Writing Prompts for the Right and Left Brain to trigger the aha’s! that generate breakthroughs, vaporize blocks and spur the creative process forward. Inspired by the magic realism of open-ended structure, each card sparks rewards according to the needs and commitment of the player.
FAME Cards opens doors to imagination and productive creative play,” says Frey, an editor and former creative arts therapist and dance teacher who earned a Masters in Movement Therapy from Antioch/New England Graduate School.
Using what the veteran creativity specialist calls her “pocket-size muse” may or may not lead to lasting fame, she admits, but it does allow players to engage four vital aspects of their intrinsic creativity: Focus, Awareness, Momentum and Expression.
The deck is divided into the four FAME suits of ten cards each. A one-line prompt on each card invites players to respond through words, imagery, vocalization, motion and sensory awakening. There are no formal “rules” guiding players; they’re required only to bring curiosity and an open spirit of inquiry to what is, in effect, a practical creative tool.
For writers, new associations occur, insights sprout, characters evolve. One artist carries them with her for creative brainstorming on long walks. Another employs them as a “teacher stand-in.” An addictions counsellor uses FAME Cards to inspire creativity in a treatment group. One dancer pulls a card from the deck and uses it to guide and inspire his dance.”
Explains Frey: “By bringing together analytical, sensory and imaginative capacities ~ the whole brain, in other words ~ the use of the cards help people surpass routine habits to see their writing, art and life in a new light.”
| “I keep a set in a tiny bowl on my desk and draw on them for spontaneous inspiration. Also great fun to use in groups, everyone drawing a card, or everyone writing on the same prompt.” ~ Christina Baldwin |
FAME Cards: Writing Prompts for the Right and Left Brain were inspired by a wide range of Frey’s teachers and mentors, notably the improvisational dance pioneer and artist Barbara Mettler. The writings of lateral-thinking trailblazer Edward de Bono were also a significant influence.
Formerly an instructor at the universities of Calgary and Victoria, as well as the Victoria School of Writing, Frey created the cards aware of the necessity for fresh, innovative responses. Her coaching clients, who include novelists, non-fiction writers and PhD candidates, have variously called her a “creativity midwife,” “flow facilitator” and, from those who use her services by phone, “the telemuse.”
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