I gave an assignment to draw a pumpkin to a third grade class and after each student turned in their version of a pumpkin or a Jack-O-Lantern, a student turned in a drawing of a pumpkin fox.

“Oh my gosh, that drawing is SO cute!” I exclaimed as I reached ...

Stereotypes permeate our every day lives. Whether we like it or not, our brains are wired for making quick estimations and judgments based on patterns and pattern recognition.

This very pattern we're looking for to identify at a glance is what a stereotype is. And it's very useful ...

In my quest to improve myself by reading more than one book this year, I made a point to try and finish one that was given to me last Christmas, (I think anyway). Namely, Amanda Palmer’s, The Art of Asking. There was a passage in there that really jumped ...

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Listen on Stitcher ​​- https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=224306 his characters weren't simple 2D cut-outs (like Maher's version of political figures), they were complicated and human. These were A-political characters who strived to do what was right outside of mere party affiliations ...

CATHARSIS
from the Best of Banes Collection


A writing instructor once gave me brief advice on how to write a story, structurally speaking. It was 1/4 Act One setup, 1/2 Act Two complications and rising stakes (I think), and about 1/4 An Act Three “cathartic ending”.

I ...

The idea that you might have outgrown your own work can be scary thought to consider, especially if you have quite a bit of time and energy putting it together. Maybe it is in the art style or that the ideas you wanted to explore no longer interest you. So ...

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Nostalgia! - Where does it fit in the creative process? People are the product of their influences. For a lot of us the strongest influences happen when we're growing up and learning about the world and all the things IN it for the first time. As you get older ...

There are days when I am surrounded by plush toys and I look back on days of yesterday that I start to feel like Christopher Robin. Then there are days when I work in a classroom of extraordinary students that bring a different type of energy to the environment that ...

Today I got a list of stuff I want to talk to you about and remind you!

First off- USED BOOKS NEEDS OUR HELP

She has a pretty high vet bill to pay for saving the lives of her awesome rats. So please help her out whichever way you can ...

You’ve gone through the arduous process of fleshing out your world, the themes and the lore and you’re standing back looking at your shining new playground; but there is a blight standing right in the centre that you can no longer ignore. You hate your characters. Maybe it ...