Creativity Exercise, Con't.

So...last time I posted I very tediously described a glass with cola in it until I came up with a metaphor that wasn't bleh. I was told by a friend that I finally nailed it on that last one - which is good, because I was really out of time on the fifteen minutes I gave myself.

The reason for this exercise wasn't just for fun. I have a real need to improve http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatPoeGirl so I can actually sell my products. I know my photography is good and that my jewelry is pretty. So what am I doing wrong? My writing style, that's what. I tend toward just basic descriptions because when I go crazy and decide to be all creative, I instead end up with some horrifying cliches.

Reading through my product descriptions, I found an example of a basic description AND horrifying cliche all in one: "Lampwork blue flower glass beads with additional blue beads set on sterling silver hooks. Large enough to get noticed while staying elegant and fashionable!"

For this:

So here is my metaphor exercise: a beautiful pair of earrings that are described in such a way that someone wants to purchase them.

The earrings are:

Persian blue lanterns with wisps of cloudy sky.

Chris says it's a fish bowl with a Pepsi can in it.

Crystalline hot-air balloon with sterling silver rigging. (okay, I kinda liked that one!)

Of course, I keep coming back to a cloud city, but I can't figure out how to describe the blue beads below them...

A spool of crystal thread inlaid with delicate floral pinwheels.

Okay, which of you readers want a job writing this stuff for me? lol My real opinion of these is simply ooh, shiny. ;)

An oceanic world with floral clouds.

Let me know which of these you liked or if you have something to add...this exercise actually took me about 3 days, though admittedly with much distraction. I will probably re-visit this exercise later if I find a metaphor to be appropriate. However, I think I'm going to move on with other subjects and posts now so I don't give up on this blog just from the frustration.

And now, to start...

I'm one of those people who can start a thousand projects and keep at them only until something else catches my fancy. I will return to old projects when inspiration strikes, or someone reminds me there was a deadline. Hopefully this blog will let me share those fancies with you, and at the same time remind me to keep up with them!

I've been reading my friends' blogs trying to figure out how I'm going to do this. Humor isn't my strong point, nor do I like 'cutesy'.  I'm a nerd. actually, so if my blog tends toward science fiction references or Monty Python, bear with me

Over time, I will be adding my projects and how-tos, listing my own projects and products; some that I will have available on my etsy shop, sharing favorite products from other blogs and etsy shops, sharing the process and results and of creativity exercises, and much more.

I was just looking at writing creativity exercises so I could get inspiration to describe my jewelry that I want to sell on etsy.  This is a difficult subject for me, so the creativity exercise I found tells me to play with adjectives and metaphors while describing something I'm looking at.  Hmm...metaphors are especially hard for me because I'm such a literal person, but here goes:

I'm looking at a glass with cola and ice in it.  How do I describe it? I'll give myself fifteen minutes.

This glass is a deep and murky lake with icebergs.  This glass is a dark well infused with cold crystals.  This glass is getting emptier as I describe it.  This glass is a series of connected crystal pillars holding in a dark secret and cool treasure.  This glass is a vessel of sweet delight.  This glass is a black blot on my diet.  This glass is a tube of cascading bubbles crashing against floating islands as they escape into the atmosphere.

You should try this exercise, too, and see what inspiration strikes you!

My next post will contain actual product descriptions I've developed as a result of this exercise.  Wish me luck and success!